Close up extension tubes or adapter?

[Dr. G]

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I shot a culinary event last week and the one thing I struggled with was the minimum focus distance with my Voigtlander 40 1.2.  It happens to have a decent minimum focus distance but I would still like to get close so I don’t need to crop to get my preferred composition.  I can’t use a longer lens because the mfd is usually further away and I need to be fairly unobtrusive as these are dinners that are served in formal restaurants.  I need to be able to frame and stay close.  

I also need to use my SL2-S.  I have the Q3 and it does have a macro mode that I use more as a close focus mode, but even at the 50mm crop lines to get the framing right, I’m often at 5.6-6.3 in relatively dim light which either requires higher ISOs or trying to use very slow shutter speeds to avoid noise.  Even with the stabilization of the Q3, the images weren’t sharp at low shutter speeds close up. So the SL2-S with the CV40 would work (maybe their 50 APO, but that mfd is over 2 ft).

7artisans makes a close focus helicoid but the reviews aren’t great.  Anyone have any experience with another brand of helicoid or maybe extension tubes?

[dpitt]

I think most extension rings would be too much. On the 40 mm they will force it into macro range of around 1:1, and you probably can not get much larger FOV at infinity,

Why not use a MF reflex lens?

e.g.
The Summicron 50 R F2.0 or  Summilux 50 R F1.4
MFD is 50 cm and smallest FOV is 180 mm x 270 mm

And
The great alround 60mm Macro Elmarit R F2.8 MFD is 27 cm and smallest FOV is 48 mm x 72 mm
Lots of people use it as a 'standard' lens and even as a portrait lens too.

Any standard adapter R-M or R-L will do.  No need for the Leica adapter unless you want EXIF info. Then you need the Leica R-L adapter and ROM versions of the R lens.

Alternatively, I suggest using a zoom lens, but then it will be slower and you mentioned that will not work out well with dim light.

Edited January 19 by dpitt

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[tritentrue]

Assuming your 40mm is VM, you could try to find an OUFRO (16468, 16469 IIRC) which gives 10mm extension.  The 52mm filter thread might also make the current Elpro close-up lens a workable solution.

[jaapv]

Have a look at the Sigma macro lenses for your SL. They don't break the bank and focus seamlessly to 1:1. The 105 mm Macro Art 2.8 appears to be especially useful for your purpose. It will give you a more natural perspective than a shorter lens too.

[BernardC]

10 hours ago, Dr. G said:

7artisans makes a close focus helicoid but the reviews aren’t great.  Anyone have any experience with another brand of helicoid or maybe extension tubes?

I use the Hawk Factory "MACRO TUBE HELICOID" for this. It works great. I bought it to use with my ZM Planar 50 at weddings, where you'll often need to do a quick close-up of food, decorations, rings, etc. It lives on that lens now.

The "infinity lock" button is near where you would usually find it on an older M or LTM lens with infinity lock, so activating close-up mode feels very natural. I bought it directly from the "factory," but I think he has an ebay store these days.

The 7Artisan adapter is cheap, compared to other brands. Some people here like it, and others have returned it. You might try getting one from a seller with return privileges. I suspect you'll figure-out right away if it will work with your setup.

[Dr. G]

Thanks for the info. 

I do have a question.  If I use this with an APO lens, do I lose the Apo characteristic?  The way Apo lenses were explained to me, they are designed to refract the different colors so that the different wavelengths are all aligned properly on the sensor.  If I move the lens further from the sensor I'm assuming some of the APO advantage is gone?  I've always been intrigued by the CV 50 APO and I do a lot of this kind of work, so I'm not sure if it makes sense to pick up that lens in this case.  

[BernardC]

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2 hours ago, Dr. G said:

I do have a question.  If I use this with an APO lens, do I lose the Apo characteristic?  The way Apo lenses were explained to me, they are designed to refract the different colors so that the different wavelengths are all aligned properly on the sensor.  If I move the lens further from the sensor I'm assuming some of the APO advantage is gone?

Technically, lenses are only "apo" at a specific focus distance, or within a small range. For instance, old large format process lenses (used to create newspaper pages) were often APO at 1:1, and this apo-ness came from the fact that they were symetrical (so aberrations cancelled each-other at 1:1).

That's not to say that the lens will stop being good at closer focus. It's supposed to be very good at minimum focus distance, so it will still be good beyond that. It may not be as good as a dedicated macro lens, but that would not matter with most subjects.

[jaapv]

Don’t set too much store by the APO designation. It only means that a lens is corrected for lateral chromatic aberration at three frequencies of the spectrum in the plane of focus. What happens outside those points is completely undefined, so you can have an APO lens with horrific aberrations. With reputable companies like Leica and Voigtländer it is a marketing term for exceptionally well corrected lenses.You can use your lens without worries, with the caveat that it is not designed to be a macro lens, so you may notice a slight drop in quality in general. 

[chris_tribble]

Like the OP I only need occasional macro functionality, so I’ve just ordered this: https://fotodioxpro.com/products/l-35-mcr-af. It only seems to be available through Amazon 🫤.

i plan to try it with APO 35 and 75 lenses (despite some negative concerns re APO lenses used for macro), or with M lenses + Leica M to L adapter. I’ll report back with results.

[Pelu2010]

Panasonic 100 mm Macro. 
Great for macro and for portrait …. 
and you can also panorama with it …

[Pelu2010]

And these extension tubes work perfect for me. 

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And the work with AF and together with the L to M adapter.