A new R1C1 macro photography option

I’ve had some success with my medical Nikkor lens in terms of macro photography, but there are some limitations to it. It’s very bulky, and it needs an external power source. This is acceptable if I used it for its original purpose – in the hospital, photographing an open wound out of the way of the doctor’s scalpel – but taking it outdoors and photographing nature requires a heavy battery pack.

That being said, a longtime blog reader was downsizing before a move, and contacted me regarding my interest in acquiring some new macro photography equipment.

Last week, I received a big carrying case with filters, two strobes and several adapters to attach to a dedicated macro lens.

Thankfully, I had a dedicated macro lens in my arsenal – a 55mm 1:3.5 manual-focus Nikkor that had enjoyed retirement on the shelf.

Retirement just ended, good buddy.

As for a battery pack option, all I needed was a pack of 123 lithium batteries, which were available at the local hardware store.

And after some fiddling around with the components and adjusting a few levels …

I took my first test shots.

And by “test shot,” I put my old high school ring on a microfiber cleaning cloth and zoomed in.

Not bad for 45 years of ownership.

Trust me, you have no idea what I went through to even acquire that class ring.

Although I did blog about it back in the day.

In Defense of Class Rings

Okay. Not bad. Second test.

Some leftover soda crowns from a project I wanted to start long ago and completely abandoned. Let’s sprinkle them on the table and see what comes up.

Okay. A little soft, but I’m also using the camera without a tripod. Next time I try this particular shot, it’ll be with a tripod and some focus stacking.

But in the end … this has potential. This has promise.

And when I say something has potential and promise …

It means I have to keep trying it until “potential and promise” becomes “achievement” and “results.”

Much thanks to my wonderful blog reader who sent the equipment to me. As you can imagine … I’m getting some nice use from this giftie.