Macro beginner

[Proteus617]

I've been playing around with a $5 SLR and $4 extension tubes mounted behind a 55mm/1.7. I had great success shooting less than 1:1, but things got rough beyond there. Now I know why a 50 does not make a good macro lens. At extension, relative aperture and DOF decrease very fast. Shooting ISI 50 was not a smart idea either. Your esposures go stretch to seconds even in bright sun. Here's a few happy fails at maximum extension. I think the look is cool enough to keep me searching for a cheap 80 or 100mm in my mount. A focus rail would also be nice.

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[tirediron]

It's a good start. You might also want to add a cheap manual flash to the shopping list to help out with the illumination. Keep at it!