Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Cheap Macro - reversing rings

  • 12-05-2008 5:44pm
    #1
    Thirdfox
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,110 ✭✭✭


    1F3F7AFE878C418C8551ABFB866D4B83-800.jpg
    Dodgykeeper wrote: »
    Set up a new thread and tell us how? Pls!

    This is in reference to the two pictures from the random photo thread v3:
    http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=55914370#post55914370

    I stated that I got these shots with equipment costing around 35 euro - here's how (ebay involved!):

    You will find that if you hold a lens backwards in front of your camera mount you end up with a reverse magnification of an image on the sensor i.e. a 200mm lens would give you a "small" magnification and a 20mm lens would give you a "large" magnification. But if you were to mount two lenses onto one another like this:
    macrolens.jpg
    (image from www.gadgetell.com notice how the 50mm f1.8 is mounted onto the face of the 70-300mm?)

    you can control the magnification and have the camera work out the exposure (and have i/dTTL flash :))

    You need one of these:
    http://cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140204395475
    for around 1 euro

    and a lens that has an aperture ring, I bought a pre-AI Nikkor-H 50mm f2 lens on ebay for 30 euro delivered. A nifty-fifty will work just as well.

    Now when you mount these the lens onto your original lens (18-55/55-200 for me) you will get a macro lens. The magnification ratio depends on the two lens focal lengths:
    18mm and 50mm = 18/50 - around 1:3 - not very impressive
    but
    55mm and 50mm = 1:1 - as good as the professional macro lenses get to

    and with my 200mm and 50mm coupled together = 4:1 - this is extreme magnification and really not very useful for general macro photography but you will be able to see some amazing detail in everyday objects:
    6809E3AC6AFB40FAB644DACC90A275FB-500.jpg
    (The individual pixels on my laptop screen - displaying the letter "c" by the way).

    A problem with using this type of cheap macro photography - the working distance is extremely short - around 5cm from the front of the lens (rear of the second lens) thus lighting can be a serious issue.

    But for very little money you can explore the world of macro (and my 50mm f2 Nikkor is great as a lowlight prime too! :D) For 30 euro a low-light prime/macro lens is a great bargain and if you already have the two lenses, a reverse coupling ring can be had for peanuts on the internet. Give it a try anyway - for a few euro what's the worse that could happen ;)


Comments

Advertisement