I used macro bellows on my camera for the first time to photograph an extreme close-up. The results are breathtaking!

Close-up of flowerhead captured with Novoflex Auto Macro Bellows .

I've used my fair share of extension tubes, close-up filters and macro lenses over the years, but never macro bellows. So I was extremely excited to get my hands on the Novoflex Automatic Macro Bellows and use them to shoot an extreme close-up.

Macro bellows are essentially adjustable extension tubes. They work by increasing the distance between optic and sensor, which in turn increases the minimum focusing distance.

This means you can transform a standard lens, like my Nikon Z 40mm f/2, into an optic with true macro capabilities and beyond. You can pick up compatible bellows for various camera systems relatively cheaply.

You will need

Macro bellows Tripod Camera Standard lens Focus-stacking software

Nikon even released its own range of F-mount bellows, some of which you can still find on the used market. The problem with conventional bellows is the lack of electronic connectors necessary for the camera and lens to communicate.

This means you have to control everything manually. You can’t even change the aperture unless your lens has a manual aperture ring.

That’s where the Novoflex Automatic Macro Bellows comes in. This German-made accessory maintains the connection between camera and lens, and is available in a huge range of mounts: Canon EF/RF, Nikon F/Z, Sony E, Fujifilm X, L-Mount and Micro Four Thirds.

So, read on and I'll show you how this incredibly fun piece of kit works. And don’t worry if you don’t have the same bellows as me; most of these tips and tricks are entirely transferable to other macro bellows and even macro photography in general.

A tripod and an additional light source are a must, since you’ll want to maintain a high enough shutter speed to avoid camera shake (Image credit: Future / Mike Harris)

1. Set your macro bellows up

Unlike extension tubes, which have to be stacked, bellows can be extended and retracted almost instantaneously (Image credit: Future / Mike Harris)

Unscrew the locking mechanism and extend your bellows to achieve the desired magnification – move the entire setup to alter the composition.

If you want to know how to achieve a specific magnification ratio, you can use an online extension-tube calculator. Bear in mind that at higher magnifications, less light is let into the camera. Live view is very useful here.

2. Camera settings

A narrow aperture of around f/16 will help mitigate the naturally shallow depth of field slightly, without introducing too much diffraction (Image credit: Future / Mike Harris)

Traditional bellows prevent camera-lens communication, so you’ll need to use a lens with an aperture ring to alter the aperture. My Novoflex Bellows communicates seamlessly to provide full functionality, including AF.

I used a narrow aperture of f/16 to increase the unavoidably shallow depth of field. You may need to up your ISO if camera shake is an issue.

3. How to focus

You can focus by moving the bellows in and out, but this will alter the magnification (Image credit: Future / Mike Harris)

Even with my Automatic Bellows, I still recommend focusing manually. You can focus by retracting and extending the bellows, but this will alter the magnification.

This leaves using a focusing rail or focus ring. A rail is more precise, but moving the setup to focus when focus stacking can cause anomalies due to altering the framing, as can focus breathing.

4. Dealing with super-shallow depths of field

Depths of field at extreme magnifications are so shallow, I had to resort to focus stacking (Image credit: Future / Mike Harris)

Extreme magnifications yield incredibly shallow depths of field (as you can see above). Unless you’re shooting something with very little depth you may need to focus stack.

Choose what you want sharp, focus on the area closest to the camera and capture the image. Adjust focus to where the image begins to soften and take another shot. Repeat until you’ve covered the entire subject.

5. Import your stack

I used Adobe Bridge to finalize my stacking sequence (Image credit: Future / Mike Harris)

Helicon Focus is a popular dedicated focus-stacking software, but you can achieve desirable results in Adobe Photoshop.

Begin by opening your focus-stacked sequence in Adobe Bridge. Highlight the images in the stack and select Tools > Photoshop > Load Files into Photoshop Layers. All of the files will now load into the Layers panel of the same Photoshop document.

6. Align and blend

Adobe Photoshop’s Auto-Blend feature might not be the best on the market, but it still does a very respectable job (Image credit: Future / Mike Harris)

Highlight the stack in the Layers panel and select Edit > Auto-Align Layers. Ensure only ‘Auto’ is ticked in the Auto-Align Layers window and hit OK.

Once the images are aligned you can start the blending process by selecting Edit > Auto-Blend Layers. Check ‘Stack Images’ and ‘Seamless Tones and Colors’ in the Auto-Blend Layers window and hit OK to start the blend.

More Macro

Want to get really close? Consider using bellows with a macro lens (Image credit: Future / Mike Harris)

If you want to get as close to your subject as possible, you can of course attach a macro lens to your bellows. But a standout feature of the Novoflex Automatic Bellows is the ability to detach the Reversing Adapter and use it as a fully automatic reversing ring with compatible lenses.

However, you can go a step further by pairing the reversing ring with the bellows to achieve even greater magnification (up to a whopping 6:1 magnification ratio and higher).

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