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Requiem for a Dream: Extreme Close-Ups


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Hi,

 

What kind of lens extension/tool would you want to use for extreme close-ups of eyes and objects?

Requiem for a Dream does this very well, as you can see below. I am working with a set of Zeiss UltraPrimes and I am in the hunt for an affordable filter or tool that can get the lens focused at a very close distance for the same identical effect.

 

084.png?w=1000&h=

 

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I'd either do it with a 100mm macro or a zoom that went out to 250mm-ish and a diopter. The 100mm macro would be sharper but to get that tight on the eyeball, the camera would be a foot away if not closer, so keep in mind that you need to light the eye in a way where the camera did not shadow the face (usually from the sides with a soft source like in the example above). The source will be revealed as a reflection in the eye.

 

Don't be afraid to light this to a deep stop.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've done still shots like that using extension tubes, is there any reason that this wouldn't work well in cinema? Extension tubes have the advantages of being inexpensive, zero adverse impact to image quality, and flexible since you can use them on all sorts of lenses.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Cheap diopters soften things a bit, especially when paired with a vintage lens. I believe extension tubes are not brilliant either.

If you are after quality use macro lens, otherwise you are good with either alt option.

 

Extension tubes contain no glass, they are just tubes, so they shouldn't cause any softening.

 

Freya

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Extension tubes contain no glass, they are just tubes, so they shouldn't cause any softening.

 

Freya

 

true, there are no additional optical elements, but it essentially it causes your lens to focus closer than it was designed to, therefore any lens issues there may be are magnified! It's probably trivial while using good lenses.

 

Other nifty thing to try would be to reverse your lens on the camera. You can find cheap adapter rings for that reason. I believe this is a better method as you do not use extra glass nor you magnify lens issues. eg:

http://digital-photography-school.com/reverse-mounting-your-prime-lenses-for-affordable-macro-photography

 

Or even add a reversed lens on top of another lens (something I haven't tried yet):

http://digital-photography-school.com/reverse-lens-macro-close-up-photography-lesson-3

 

Cheers

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