The 5-star rating is totally justified, and I do not say that lightly.
I purchased through Amazon and consider the money well spent.
Quoting the descriptions at Amazon:
Book: The Manual of Close-up and Macro Photography, Volume I: The basics: Magnification to 1X Paperback – Big Book, November 23, 2023
by Lester Lefkowitz (Author)
(at time of this writing) avg 5.0 out of 5 stars 17 ratings
This beautiful and extensively illustrated book will show you everything you need to know about the techniques and equipment needed to create great photographs of small subjects between 10 and 1-inch (250-25mm) wide. It’s a big 360 pages, over 1000 photographs, full of gorgeous images and, most importantly, scores of photos that show how the images were created, the specific equipment used, and variations (of lighting, aperture, focus, depth-of-field, composition). The Manual of Close-Up and Macro Photography, Volume One was designed to be the definitive reference in the field; it’s for anyone who wants to photograph subjects up to a magnification of 1X. The popular subjects of insects and flowers are illustrated throughout the book, as well as having a dedicated chapter. But the information pertains to photography of any small subject; there are examples for medicine, electronics, geology, biology, archaeology, mechanics, and even food. Though the techniques illustrated generally apply to any camera (even film cameras), the aspects of the latest technology (mirrorless cameras, modern macro lenses, focus peaking, burst mode) are well covered. But there’s also plenty of information for folks who do not have interchangeable-lens cameras or the latest bodies and lenses. Shown are techniques for adding inexpensive accessories to fixed-zoom lens cameras, and for getting great close-up shots without a macro lens by adding extension tubes or close-up filters to your existing lenses. There’s even a full chapter for close-up/macro photographs with a smartphone. Though hardware is important and heavily covered, the best equipment will not make great photographs if technique is lacking in a field that is unforgiving of sloppy camera handling. Therefore, emphasis is also placed on important issues such as accurate focus, depth-of-field, camera stability, diffraction considerations, and subject stability and positioning.
See also member Planapo's thread that let us know of this masterpiece, which also now includes comments by the author.The Manual of Close-Up and Macro Photography, Volume Two: High Magnification and Advanced Techniques Paperback – Big Book, November 23, 2023
by Lester Lefkowitz (Author)
(at time of this writing) avg 5.0 out of 5 stars 12 ratings
It’s a big 324 pages, over 750 photographs, full of gorgeous images and, most importantly, scores of photos that show how the images were created, that show the specific equipment used, and show variations ( lighting, aperture, focus, depth-of-field). The Manual of Close-Up and Macro Photography, Volume Two was designed to be the definitive reference in the field of advanced work. It’s for anyone who wants to photograph subjects that range from 125mm to about 1mm in width. The popular subjects of insects and flowers are illustrated throughout the book, but the information pertains to photography of any small subject, and there are examples in medicine, electronics, geology, biology, archaeology, mechanics, and even food. Techniques that take advantage of the latest hardware and software are given broad focus stacking (automated and manual), mirrorless cameras, modern macro lenses, microscope objectives, noise reduction, sharpening, and post-production enhancements. However, most of the techniques are based on best practices for macro work in general, and definitely are appropriate for older cameras and lenses, even for film aficionados. Numerous photos show the assembly of components used to make specific images, and there are over a dozen tables for depth-of-field, diffraction, focus stacking step size, magnification and working distance, etc. Though hardware is important and heavily covered, the best equipment can’t make great images if technique is lacking and imprecise. Therefore, emphasis is also placed on important issues such as accurate focus, depth-of-field, diffraction considerations, and subject and camera stability and positioning.
--Rik
