reverse macro?

RedDevilUK · Apr 18, 2007

ok so i took me 18-70mm lens off and turned it round.... put the camera in manual and looked through the viewfinder.

i took the gold chain off my neck and looked through it, under a desklamp.

amazing... it was like looking through a microscope!! i took a picture.... looked at the LCD

black!!

i looked at the settings, i can change the iso, but not the aperture?? the readin just says "--"

how do i get enough light in, because i could get some amazing macro pics

LaFoto · Apr 18, 2007

When your lens is no longer connected to the camera (which it is not when you use the ... what did Alex_B call it again? ... 'foot-passenger method' I think he said), your camera can no longer control the lens (and its aperture), either. And you cannot change the aperture from outside.

What you might be able to do (I never tried that) is set the aperture with the lens attached, THEN take if off, and - well, I assume it should stay "wide open" if you set it like that beforehand :scratch: !?!?

Reversed lens macro requires A LOT OF light.
I took the photos of the fly (you saw them, didn't you?) on the brightest lit window sill I could find, on a very, very sunny day, in direct sunlight. I knew I needed ALL THAT light.

I have tried reversed lens macros under the light of my desk lamp, too, though ... should I go look for some examples? But then ... erm :er: ... don't ask me for any settings/exif data ... nothing is recorded, since the camera thinks it does not have any lens attached.

LaFoto · Apr 18, 2007

Just tested it and - of course (!) - you still can influence your time! Just took a pic of part of the telephone on my desk with nothing else but the one desk light I have as a light source here ... and it worked. 1/20 at ISO 400 ... lens set to widest open beforehand.

RedDevilUK · Apr 18, 2007

tried it... soon as i take the lens off i get the --

LaFoto · Apr 18, 2007

Yes, you can no longer READ it. But you can change the TIME and ISO!

I did a test run here with my 350D and its kit lens, and to show you first what it is I did the test on, the entire telephone in normal mode with the kit lens, at ISO 400, f5.0, 1/60sec:

And of that telephone, I then went onto the PHILIPS-logo, first at 55mm/pre-set f, which I guess stayed at wide open/1/20 sec (same settings throughout):

moderate magnification

Then at 35mm:

some more magnification - and you see, I did these fast, and only one photo of each mm-setting, and this and the next show shallow DOF (normal in macro shooting), here a slight angle, and a bit of camera shake, too...

OK, down to 24mm:

yes, now it can be called magnified, all right.
However, I know: this photo has technical flaws, there is camera shake.

And ultimately, at 18mm, with the largest magnification and shallowest DOF (think of a fraction of a millimetre):

The light source was my desk lamp.
And I did not do ANYTHING to these, they were shot in RAW but I converted them from the RAW-file all untouched, and did not put them through PS, either, other than to downsize them to their 600x399px.

Oh, and I couldn't be bothered to wipe the dust off the phone, either :greenpbl:

So I don't know why your reversed lens technique doesn't work!?!?!?

RedDevilUK · Apr 18, 2007

ok... think ive sussed it

i lowered thew shutter speed right down... and tried to keep still

i got some pics.... thing i need a mini tripod though hehehe
will just edit them.... took about 40 shots... will post the result

RedDevilUK · Apr 18, 2007

ok here is my chain.... by the way, i didnt do this just to check my chain :mrgreen: it was just a test.

and this is the macro of the hallmark

BJI 375
2 scales with 375
and a dot

not very clear to read... but its a very good zoom shot.... to say i did it manual zoom and free hand, as i said, i need a small tripod

Monster · Apr 18, 2007

Wow. I still don't understand exactly what you're doing there but it's incredible.. LaFoto, can I see the fly pictures you mentioned?

firemedic0135 · Apr 18, 2007

I guess the lenses are different on a canon system.On my minolta lenses the aperture closes when you remove it from the camera.I have tried the reversed lens trick before and usually use a old 28 mm prime that I removed the aperture spring from.that or I take a little tape and pin the aperture open from the backside of the lens if I want to use my kit lens.

RedDevilUK · Apr 18, 2007

i think if i was on a tripod, i could get much closer.... i could then leave the shutter open longer for more light.

the conclusion is this...
with reverse macro you need as much light as possible, so a 10sec exposure would probably be very good... not if your holding your camera in your hand like me though heheh

also its pitch black here... accept for the desk lamp, so it would be better during the midday sun, as LaFoto suggested