Entry-Level Macro 

I literally have no idea how to respond appropriately to these words. My late-wife told me that when I get overwhelmed and lost for words, I should just say thank you, and mean it. I do. Thank you.

Thank you! Appreciate the kind words! Welcome aboard.

Thank you! It doesn't ever get that cold down here, but I still do a lot more studio work when the days are short.

Thank you Enrique! I'm glad you are enjoying the videos!

Cheers Kevin!

Excellent! I'll check it out right away. There is so much cool stuff that we can do with macro photography, I'm surprised more people don't get hooked into it!

My pleasure, Abraham!

Also, some older bellows use nylon bloccks for friction-less slides. Pentax's last few Bellows, Auto Bellows I and II, Bellows K, I think all had the nylon blocks for easier sliding. The K-mount male and female attachment bits front and rear can be replaced with T-mount standards, and from there Nikon or Canon manual focus or most any setup can be arranged. I don't know if the Nikon bellows allows for this. Spiratone made two 160mm Bellows, one with elaborate tilt-and-shift arrangement, but the geared tracks are not nearly as accurate as the Pentax model Bellows with the nylon blocks, which are my only other bellows for comparison.

Thanks Dave. I would be cautious selecting the lab lifter - make sure you get one with a nice heavy base and a smooth mechanism. I have a cheap one and a slightly more expensive one, and the latter is so much easier to work with.

Hi Ashley! Sorry I missed your comment. For some reason my blu-tac is white - but you are right, it is one of the most useful accessories out there!

I sure did. I've been building coils for years.

@@AllanWallsPhotography I got nosy and had a look on IG some brilliant work man 👍

@@redeyedloon3922 Thanks! I'm glad you found those old posts.

I’ve got to say while I appreciate that you took the time The time to comment in such a detailed manner, it seems like you’re going out of your way to nitpick at - speaking as someone who is currently homeless and definitely in the budget oriented category - rather inconsequential and/or malleable details that are only in accessory to the main point. You see, Allen is simply speaking from what he knows using his environment and his collective past experiences. How would he possibly know the average value in your country when neither he nor anyone reading these comments knows what country you’re from in the first place, even still? The fact of the matter is is over here in the states and most western countries some board can be had for maybe 20 -80 cents for giant panels of it. You see what happens, though? From within your circumstances, where that is not tenable, you took the point he was conveying and applied it in another way; thus your idea of printer paper and cardboard as an alternative was born. He got the point across, he explained it patiently and in great detail, not to mention in a very approachable, humorous way. By your own admission, you understood the purpose that the foamboard was to serve. The point wasn’t to acquire foamboard; the POINT was to redirect and indeed tame your direct-light sources in a way that benefits your macro photography. I know this comment was from quite a while ago, but the idea that someone would go to such great lengths to try and demean and almost insinuate arrogance in Allen’s teaching simply offends me. I had to comment. Allan, you are a treasure in the realm of macro photography; don’t you ever stop doing what you do. 🤓. 📷🔬🔍🐝🐛🦟🕷