Increasing the magnification of Canon 5D MkII + 100mm Macro

[deadwilder]

Hello,

I recently worked with a stereo microscope with a C-mount camera to make images with a 10x magnification. Now I'm currently trying to find a way to make those images again but in a way that produces higher resolution images than the 1080p the C-mount camera could achieve. I have done some macro photography before and I own a Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS lens. I have found a number of setups that I could use, but first, I thought I'd try to adapt the equipment I already own to make the images. Would anyone recommend additional equipment that I could add to my current set up to make images that are around 10x? Does it make sense in terms of budget to try to work with the macro lens I currently have at all? Any recommendations or suggestions would be very much appreciated!

[steveminchington]

Hi,
A macro set up is good for 1x to 5x but beyond that you will need to use a microscope objective on your camera. Read this excellent FAQ which explains your options.

FAQ: How can I hook a microscope objective to my camera?

At 10x and above the depth of field is very small so to get any kind of useful image you will need an adjustable rail to do focus stacking. Again lots of information in the FAQ's.

FAQ: What's the best way to step focus when stacking?

[ChrisR]

Sound and succinct advice!

Specifically:
Do you have a lens with focal length (prime or long end of zoom) about 200mm?
If not, you could use a Raynox 150 with some tubes (<$100) or similar
and a couple of Nikon "BE" objectives , 4x and 10x, at <$100 each.
Plus a "rig", plus lights...

You can use the 100mm in various ways with tubes/Raynox, to help fill in between 1x and 4x.

[Chris S.]

Deadwilder,

Welcome to the forum! (A different fellow named "Chris," writing here.)

You've gotten excellent advice so far. What say you read the FAQs Steve pointed you to, then post again with any followup questions you have?

(You may notice a sudden simplification of your thread. Putting on my "forum administrator" hat, I moved offline a few posts that don't relate to your question, and are likely to confuse a newcomer. These posts were made by extremely knowledgeable, valued, passionate forum members. The information in them may be interesting to experts, but is off-topic in your thread.)

Cheers--welcome again--and please post any questions you have after you've had a chance to read those FAQs.

--Chris S.

[deadwilder]

Thank you very much for all of the informative answers - I will definitely read the FAQs more closely and report back after some time of practice.