Macro photo w/o macro lens?

[(Ghastly) Krueger]

Hello all

Hope this is the right place and this has not been asked and answered 1000s of times.. I looked and couldn't find anything.

A while ago I read that a normal lense can be used to take macro photos if you reverse it.

Is this correct? Has anyone done it? Is there anything I need to know before I try it? (besides not messing the internals of my camera and lens!)

 

[Torus34]

Yup. Works like a charm, but you need a reversing ring. The reversing ring has a mounting on one end that's compatable with your specific camera body. The other end is threaded to accept the 'filter' thread on the front of your lens - usually 55mm for many 'standard' 35mm rigs. You lose any automatic lens features, of course.

A reversed lens will enable you to achieve close-ups in which the image at the film plane is up to and perhaps beyond twice the size of the actual subject. This results in an exposure correction factor. It also results in rather narrow DOF at low f numbers. Or at high f numbers, for that matter.

Reversing rings are often part of an extension tube set. Extention tubes keep a normal front-to-back orientation of the lens. They usually allow close-ups up to a 1:1 ratio of image:subject size.

And yes, I own a set of tubes and a reversing ring. They come in handy every once in a while when I wish to look at the world through a very small frame.

 

[mysteryscribe]

cheap pair of reading glasses also works. Get the biggest lenses you can find.

 

[zombiekilla]

cheap pair of reading glasses also works. Get the biggest lenses you can find.

Once again! Details please

 

[Digital Matt]

A cheap set of extension tubes and a 50mm lens will do real well for you as is, without reversing a lens.

 

[mysteryscribe]

go to dollar general or one of the other cheap stores. buy yourself the biggest lensed glasses you can find. They come in about five strengths. the closer you want to get the stronger glasses you need. 1.5 or 2.0 should do the trick...

Get home pop the lens out then just hold them in front of the lens till you get in focus and fire the shutter. Use at least a 1/25 shutter speed and as small an aperture as possible. If you have a grinder you can probaby grind them to fit inside a lens hood or something to hold them on. I always took my things out into the sun shine set them on tall stool and had enough speed and depth to hand hold the whole thing.

 

[(Ghastly) Krueger]

Great! Thanks for all the tips! Due to logistical and budget restraints, I'll try mysteryscribe's trick first...

Thanks again

 

[zombiekilla]

go to dollar general or one of the other cheap stores. buy yourself the biggest lensed glasses you can find. They come in about five strengths. the closer you want to get the stronger glasses you need. 1.5 or 2.0 should do the trick...

Get home pop the lens out then just hold them in front of the lens till you get in focus and fire the shutter. Use at least a 1/25 shutter speed and as small an aperture as possible. If you have a grinder you can probaby grind them to fit inside a lens hood or something to hold them on. I always took my things out into the sun shine set them on tall stool and had enough speed and depth to hand hold the whole thing.

Thanks much!!!