Up close - The new automatic bellows from Novoflex
as part of our Online Fototage
For Bernd Ritschel, macro photography is only possible with the help of a bellows. To be precise, with the new automatic bellows from NOVOFLEX, with which you can get very close to any subject! This allows you to remain flexible and immerse yourself in a whole new world of macro photography. In this article, Bernd Ritschel explains how he works with the bellows and how you can get the best out of it!
Novoflex automatic bellows - Bernd RitschelWhy bellows?
Quite simply: if I want/need to get extremely close to my subject, there is hardly any alternative to bellows. The big advantage: I can use the bellows with different lenses and am therefore very flexible in the image scale, but also due to the enormous extension (29 to 116mm with the new automatic bellows). What equipment do I normally use for close-up photography? When I'm out and about on normal mountain tours with my Fujifilm X-T3 and a few high-quality fixed focal lengths, I deliberately do without a macro lens. I then have one or two extension rings in my photo bag to at least get close to a reproduction scale of 1:2. But what if I want to get much closer than 1:2 or even 1:1 to my subject? The new automatic bellows from NOVOFLEX has taken me back to the roots of my macro photography. In combination with the XF 55-200mm f3.5-4.8, it enables me to achieve reproduction scales of up to 3.4:1 and that at a weight of only 900 grams - including the focusing carriage!!! With this combination I can photograph extremely small details and still have my beloved telephoto zoom with me for all other applications.
Novoflex automatic bellows - Bernd RitschelWhich lens fits best?
Why XF 55-200 f3.5-4.8 and not 90mm F2 or XF 80mm F2.8 Macro? Well, I was totally perplexed myself when I looked at the test results of these three lenses in combination with the new bellows on the monitor. For one thing, with the bellows extended, I couldn't get that much closer to my subject with the 80mm macro than with the 90mm telephoto. And on the other hand, the image results of the 90 were really amazingly good compared to the 80 macro; in terms of color fringing, the 90 was clearly ahead.
The biggest surprise, however, came from the XF 55-200 mm telephoto zoom: - the best sharpness of all three lenses - no color fringing - a wonderfully "comfortable" working distance of 15 centimeters even at open aperture and at 200 mm focal length. What more could you want? For me, it is the ideal "all-round solution" on the mountain. I can use it perfectly for classic landscapes and mountain sports. It is light, small, inexpensive and, as I said, it offers the best performance at close range in combination with my bellows. Of course, I can't use it at all focal lengths. At 55 millimetres, the distance between the front lens and the subject is less than a centimetre. I therefore usually use it between 80 and 200 millimeters focal length.
Novoflex automatic bellows - Bernd RitschelHow close is close?
Let's get to the heart of the matter. With all lenses, I manually turned the distance adjustment ring to the closest focusing distance and extended the bellows to the maximum. With the 90 mm lens, I have an image width of 11 millimetres at a working distance of around 10 centimetres (between the front lens and the object). This corresponds to a scale of 2.1:1. With the 80 mm macro, the working distance is reduced to around 6 centimetres (between the front lens and the object) with an image width of only 7 millimetres. This corresponds to a scale of just under 3.4:1. With the 55-200 mm telephoto zoom set to a focal length of 200 mm, the working distance increases to around 15 centimetres (between the front lens and the subject) with an image width of 19 millimetres. This corresponds to a scale of 1.2:1. When set to 55 mm focal length, the working distance is reduced to around 1 centimeter (between the front lens and the object) with an image width of only 7 millimeters. This corresponds to a scale of 3.4:1.
The "retro tip"!
By the way, we must not forget that an "automatic reversing ring" is included in the scope of delivery! Ultimately, it connects the lens, bellows and camera and is therefore necessary for taking photos with the bellows anyway. And now the big "but": the "automatic reversing ring" can also be used on its own. It can be used, for example, to mount and attach a standard zoom, a light wide-angle lens or a normal lens in the "retro position" (= filter thread on the camera bayonet). With this combination, I can also achieve image scales down to the micro range with minimal weight and at no additional cost. I prefer to use the reversing ring when I really have to pay extreme attention to weight on long trips.
Novoflex automatic bellows - Bernd RitschelWhich aperture is the best?
When does diffraction begin? With the 80 mm macro, I was most impressed by the image results at f/8 and f/11. Then the diffraction begins - really visibly - i.e. the maximum sharpness in the area of the set focal plane decreases again.With the 90 mm telephoto, aperture 8 offers maximum sharpness in combination with (just) sufficient depth of field. With the 55-200 mm telephoto zoom , it is even aperture 11 that offers a really good ratio of sharpness, diffraction and depth of field. To summarize: with all the lenses I tested, the diffraction blur is really unpleasantly visible at apertures 16 and 22. Stopping down or focus stacking? Of course, the depth of field is extremely shallow at such image scales. Stopping down to f/11 is usually unavoidable. So-called "focus stacking", i.e. using software to combine several images that were photographed with different depths of field, is an obvious solution. Unfortunately, this technique only works well in the studio. In nature, even the slightest breeze is enough to minimally move the object of desire, and my attempts usually only produced unsatisfactory results. For me, this means that in everyday photography in the mountains, I stop down as far as the diffraction allows and at the same time try to "freeze" minimal movements caused by wind by using fast shutter speeds (high ISO values).
Useful accessories
As just mentioned, wind is the main problem in nature. To keep the wind out, I place my photo backpack in front of the subject and, if necessary, extend the wind protection with my two small brighteners or a jacket hung over my hiking poles. Another tried-and-tested method is to illuminate the subject with a headlamp or a small LED flashlight (e.g. from Ledlenser), which I aim precisely using a peg and a clamp(NOVOFLEX pole set). If you want to adjust the light intensity and color temperature perfectly to the ambient light and also love a very soft and flat light, I recommend the B.I.G. LED 120VCR video area light.
