A modular specimen holder (10′) for high pressure freezing and/or X-ray crystallography of a specimen has a specimen holding element (100′) and an extension element (200′) connectable with and separable from each other; the specimen holding element (100′) including a tubule (120′) adapted to hold the specimen and a base element (110′) adapted to hold the tubule (120′), wherein a distance from a bottom of the base element (110′) to a top of the tubule (120′) is a first distance (d1); the extension element (200′) being connectable with the base element (110′), wherein, when the extension element (200′) and the base element (110′) are connected with each other, a second distance (d2) from a bottom of the extension element (200′) to the top of the tubule (120′) is larger than the first distance (d1).