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 Replies: 612 / Views: 111,657 |
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Valued Member
United States
359 Posts |
For those of you looking at the $400 setup. There are a few revisions to the setup which are now available at a lower cost than when this thread started. Here is the my original $400 setup:550D Rebel T2i camera body EOS-M42 Adapter: $3 M42 focusing helicoid, 17-31mm: $21
M42 extensions, 2 sets 7/14/28mm: $16 total
M42-M39 adapter: $5.69Nikon 75mm EL-Nikkor Lens: $45 Copy stand: Custom aluminum, 3/8" AL base plate with 1.5" diameter post, $7 for material, waterjet cut and welded at work Manual focusing rail: $17 IKEA Jansjo LED lights, two: $31 Canson Opalux Diffusion Material: $7 AC Adapter for T2i: $15 Microsoft Surface Pro 3 with dock Bubble levels on the camera and copy stand The items in red above can be replaced by the following item: M42 Macro Focusing Helicoid 35mm-90mm, Came with M42-M39 adapter: $27 https://www.ebay.com/itm/M42-to-M42....m2749.l2649This simplifies the assembly of the system and eliminates the switching out of extension tubes. Happy photographing! Edited by ngs428
04/12/2018 9:57 pm
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
4038 Posts |
I've ordered a couple of these to test and will report back. Indeed this does simplify the setup if they are stable enough. The longer ones were quite a bit more expensive than the shorter ones back when the thread started, but today it's amazing how much cheaper things are. At least for the short term...get your Chinese goods now before the prices go up.
Contact me for photographic equipment or visit my home page at: http://macrocoins.com |
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Valued Member
United States
359 Posts |
Based on the one I bought in the link I posted, it is less stable (if you physically try to shift the helicoid) than the extension setup, but I have not seen any issues with the images.
Much nicer not having to swap out the extensions. And luckily it came with the M42 to M39 adapter, so it was just what I needed.
Lastly, the actual movement of the helicoid is not as smooth as I would like at the upper and lower ends of the movement. But I am getting used to it.
Edited by ngs428
04/12/2018 10:39 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4038 Posts |
I got my helicoids today and they are very nice, actually nicer than the 17-31. They are surprisingly heavy and well-built for $27. I will do some testing this weekend.
Contact me for photographic equipment or visit my home page at: http://macrocoins.com |
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Valued Member
United States
359 Posts |
Did you get the same one I linked? I am getting used to it and like it!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4038 Posts |
Yes, same one, from rainbowimaging. Shipped pretty fast as well.
Contact me for photographic equipment or visit my home page at: http://macrocoins.com |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4038 Posts |
I did an initial evaluation with the 35-90 helicoid, and it worked out very well. With the 75mm Nikon, it goes from very low mag (essentially infinity) up to nearly 1:1. This is a very capable replacement for the 17-31 plus adapters! I would recommend folks planning to build the <$400 setup consider this instead of the 17-31 if they plan to use the 75mm lens.
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Valued Member
United States
359 Posts |
Great! Thanks for the confirmation Ray. Did yours come with a M42 to M39 adapter too?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4038 Posts |
It did indeed! And a very nice one, with a matte finish and notches for tightening/untightening.
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Valued Member
 Canada
478 Posts |
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Valued Member
United States
136 Posts |
Hi all, I am a beginning photographer that wants to seriously upgrade my photography of Mint State Indian Head cents. I my goal is to take super sharp photos of Mint State Indians that accurately capture the color and luster. I don't have a DSLR and would need to purchase all parts of the "setup." As I have read throughout the thread, the setup has changed and there are slightly different opinions on what to purchase for certain parts. I was wondering if someone could help me synthesize all of the excellent information of this thread into an actionable plan to get me purchasing all the necessary components of the setup as well as any tips and general advice I would need. Thanks so much for all of your time and expertise in helping me out. -Eric |
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Valued Member
United States
359 Posts |
Eric19, The current <$400 setup is as follows: Canon Rebel XS, XSi, T1i or T2i camera body (listed cheapest first): $100 to $150 Source: ebay Search, https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_od..._sacat=31388EOS-M42 Adapter: $4.69 Source: ebay, https://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Alum...AOSwB31ZpMgaM42 Macro Focusing Helicoid 35mm-90mm, Comes with M42-M39 adapter: $27.12 Source: ebay, https://www.ebay.com/itm/M42-to-M42....m2749.l2649Nikon 75mm EL-Nikkor Lens: approx $45 target price Source: ebay, Search Link: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...kkor&_sop=15Copy stand (could use a tripod instead, but not recommended) If you get a tripod you will not be able to use the manual focusing rail). These are expensive typically, but see if you can make one, I did. Source: ebay, Craigslist, etc... Manual focusing rail: $16.95 Source: ebay, https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Way-LP-0....m2749.l2649IKEA Jansjo LED lights, two: $20+shipping Source: Ikea.com, https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/...ts/00385941/Canson Opalux Diffusion Material: $7+shipping Source: Jet.com, https://jet.com/product/Opalux-Tran...d6cf8d2a536bAC Adapter: Approx $15 Make sure to get the specific one for your model camera body), OEM adapters are impossible to find, will have to go generic 3rd party off ebay or AmazonThis does not include the M42-RMS Adapter: $15 or Nikon M5 or Plan4 objective: $30 for high magnification shots. I did not purchase those. Assembly order: Camera Body - EOS-M42 Adapter - M42 Macro Focusing Helicoid 35mm-90mm - M42-M39 adapter - Nikon 75mm EL-Nikkor Lens Sample Images:   My Setup (before I got rid of the extension tubes):   Edited by ngs428
04/21/2018 09:00 am
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Valued Member
United States
136 Posts |
Thank you so much ngs428 for the very detailed list and instructions! I will look into the copy stand, but for now getting the camera set up will be the first priority. Btw, what software are you using on the computer? Is the computer taking the picture or is the image in post-processing?
The images are extremely good and I hope I will be able to get there one day. As I start the process to buy up the equipment, I keep you updated on the process.
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Valued Member
United States
359 Posts |
Eric, the software you see on my PC in the photo is the Canon EOS Utility - Live View. It comes with the camera. What you see there is a live view of what the camera sees. Basically, your PC is the LCD screen on the back of the camera. Camera is taking the picture. You can snap the picture using the PC to eliminate any shaking of the camera you may get if you were to press the shutter button on the camera.
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Valued Member
United States
136 Posts |
Ok, that is a great feature. So I am currently browsing the four different camera models you suggested and I am kind of overwhelmed in choosing which model to purchase. I've read a few reviews on each of the individual model, but I really do not have enough knowledge to cross compare and find the one that would be best for me. For me, the am I willing to pay on the upper end of the 100-150$ range if it will shoot the best pictures. Do you know if there is much that differentiates the models? Does a certain model have better pixelation than the other? Which one is more user friendly and intuitive? Also, which model did you use to shoot those two spectacular sample images? Sorry for these difficult questions, I feel like I can entering a new jungle and I need a guide  Thanks again, Eric |
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Replies: 612 / Views: 111,657 |
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Posted 04/12/2018 10:09 pm
