A cheap and fun way to to shoot macro - use an old lens and a reversing ring

[DPNow]

Here is a summary or excerpt from an article that has just been published on DPNow:

Get a cheap old lens and turn it into a surprisingly effective macro lens! All you need is a reversing ring so that the lens can be mounted back to front onto your SLR or compact system camera body. We show you how.

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[Pol]

Re: A cheap and fun way to to shoot macro - use an old lens and a reversing ring

I used to do that many moons ago in the days before my various injuries prevented me from being able to get down on the ground AND get up again.

The very first picci I ever posted in DPN, encouraged and egged on by Laurence (Rufus) was a picci of enormous (macro) ants crawling up a stem (I think it was an alpine stawberry plant).

Bill Jarvis showed me how to correct the levels and Laurence whooped for joy (then dragged me over to ADI (adimaging) to show it again.

Happy days.

Pol

[Ian]

Re: A cheap and fun way to to shoot macro - use an old lens and a reversing ring

Here's a couple of results from the article, not bad, though I say so myself:





Ian

[Pol]

Re: A cheap and fun way to to shoot macro - use an old lens and a reversing ring

Here's a couple of results from the article, not bad, though I say so myself:

Ian

They're good and I dare bet you had some fun getting them.

I think I used a G3 to get the picci of the ants. I remeber having a most peculiar system of connecting all the various bits and pieces. I had a couple of step rings added onto another step ring which was stuck fast on a reversing rin .. then an ancient lens from one of David's 'junk' boxes.

I can't say I'd fancy trying it again, certainly not with that lot all screwed together!

Pol

[Ian]

Re: A cheap and fun way to to shoot macro - use an old lens and a reversing ring

Ah - in that case you used close-up lenses with your G3 not a reversed lens on an SLR?

Ian

[Pol]

Re: A cheap and fun way to to shoot macro - use an old lens and a reversing ring

Ah - in that case you used close-up lenses with your G3 not a reversed lens on an SLR?

Ian

No it was definitely a reversed lens. I just asked David and he thought it was on the G3 too (with all sorts of adaptors and rings) but maybe we're wrong, I suppose it could've been the *istD.

I always had a 100mm 2.8 macro lens for the *istD (bought it when I got the camera) so I can't think why I'd want to reverse an old lens on it.

Pol

[OlyPaul]

Re: A cheap and fun way to to shoot macro - use an old lens and a reversing ring

That brings back memories of when I first started photography and could not afford a macro lens.

I reversed a 28mm lens on a Pentax ME Super, I still have one of the images of a honey bee as it was so good.

[straupenieks]

Re: A cheap and fun way to to shoot macro - use an old lens and a reversing ring

tried to take this a bit further, just for fun. Fixed my sony kit lens at 18mm reversed on a 200mm lens... The magnification ratio is quite huge, but its almost impossible to get the focus right and you really need a clean sensor for trying stuf like this, since every single dust speck will show up very sharp. Wonder what the resulting aperture would be on my weird creation? The 200mm was wide open at 4.5, but i have no idea about the 18mm one... The whole combination did produce a reduced image size, like shooting through a tube. Anyway - definitely worth exploring more.

[Ian]

Re: A cheap and fun way to to shoot macro - use an old lens and a reversing ring

The problem with using lenses with electronically operated apertures is that the lens can't be stopped down when reversed. An 18mm lens is probably too extreme anyway

The 200mm focal length limits the magnification you get, so is probably not much use either. 50mm gives you around 1:1, 35mm or 28mm lenses are worth trying if you have access to them.

Ian