Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) Practice Exam

What can be mounted between the camera and the lens to allow for close-up or macro photography even with non-macro lenses?

1. Telephoto lens

2. Bellows and extension tubes

3. Wide-angle converter

4. Neutral density filter

The correct answer is: Bellows and extension tubes

Mounting bellows or extension tubes between the camera and the lens is an effective method for enabling close-up or macro photography, even when using non-macro lenses. These devices increase the distance between the lens and the camera sensor, allowing the lens to focus on subjects at a much closer range than it typically could. The fundamental principle behind this is that increasing the lens-to-sensor distance magnifies the images of nearby objects, effectively turning a standard lens into a macro-capable lens. Bellows provide a flexible way of adjusting this distance, whereas extension tubes come in fixed lengths and are more straightforward to use. By adjusting the amount of extension, photographers can precisely control the level of magnification and the working distance, enhancing their ability to capture fine details in close-up photography. Other options such as a telephoto lens or a wide-angle converter do not specifically cater to the need for magnification in close-up shots. Telephoto lenses are generally used to capture distant subjects with compression, and wide-angle converters might distort the image but do not facilitate close focusing. A neutral density filter, on the other hand, reduces the amount of light entering the lens and does not alter the focusing distance. Therefore, bellows and extension tubes are the optimal tools for achieving