[Roger Hesketh]

I am not generally one who likes to piss on other peoples bonfires so please bear that in mind when considering the next piece of proffered advice.

Sparky With regards to what you are proposing to do. Achieve a 10:1 magnification on the film by utilising long bellows extensions and specialist macro lenses. DONT DONT DONT.!!! If you try Their will be tears and their may even be a little blood .You will spend a disproportionate amount of money, time and trouble and the results, no matter how good a photographer you are, you will not wish to show to anyone. What you are trying to do is extremely difficult to do.

Firstly you will need to use a reasonably long lens in order to gain a good working distance from the subject.Long bellows extension needed. Main reason being you need to light the subject and you need space for those lights or strobes and you will need a lot of them because for 10 times magnification on the film utilising this technique you need 11 extra stops of light. Sounds easy doesn't it.Just wheel up some lights/strobes. It's not. Not for 11 stops! You will end up having to use flasks of water as condensors to project the light through whilst trying to avoid frying your subject .This is were the tears and blood come into it. Even if you are successful with all this the depth of field that you will have available to use will be only slightly more than the thickness of a hair on the proverbial gnats bollock. Alright a slight exaggeration on my part maybe but only a slight one. Anything which is even slightly out of the plane of focus, which will be razor thin will be out of focus. If you stop down even a little you will lose resolution due to diffraction. Also at 10 times magnification on the film all the lenses discussed even the specialist macro lenses are reaching the edges of their comfort zones.

Save your self from the humiliation of failure by not even trying. Settle for say 5 times magnification on the film as Dan has suggested which is by comparison a walk in the park. Consider using digital as has already been suggested. IMHO this is the only field of photographic endeavour were digital has the edge over film due to the potential to stack images and consider using a double optical system.

Good luck

Roger