this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2024
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If you use the same mm of tubes as you do for your lens then you double the magnification. Meaning if you put 50mm worth of tubes on a 50mm lens you will get 2x as much zoom. This is a great way to get to 1:1 macro scales.
I was really surprised how much difference even the 10mm tube made on a 35mm lens. I am not sure how far I'm going to ultimately take this because I think I want a longer focal length (yay flighty bugs) and the amount of tube needed would be a bit excessive. I had OK luck with my 150-500, which offers a minimum focal distance of around 23" and a magnification of 0.32 at the wide end. Sadly, zooming pushes the minimum focal distance out.
The main thing with bugs is to move slowly and never cast a shadow over top of them. If you can do that, then you will get a lot more bug pics.
Oh and I'm sure you already know this but you will also need a flash and diffuser if you want to do any kind of macro.