Macro Lens Investigation....

I've spent an hour going through pictures now trying to figure out the best way to use my new 'cheap' macro lens. A $20 metal tube extends the lens away from the camera body. I can't use the aperture so I jam a piece of paper in the mechanism... With the new flash though, I can get good lighting at f/40. Awesome. Good depth of focus. With something like 2" of extension and the 55mm lens focused at "infinity", real focus is reached something like 3" from the front of the lens. Short! But crazy...

Flash and the extender tube.
My keys.
This bug has to be blind from all the flashes it sat through....