Reverse mount lense - Macro

[A/Ox4]

I recently bought a kit for reverse mounting of lenses to play around with. It's pretty cool, but I'm wondering what lenses people are using? I used my Nikon 16-35 f/4, but I'm thinking a prime would be better, and I would have use for a 50mm and wider primes for othrr things, so any recommendations for what works well? Short of buying a dedicated macro lens.

 

[480sparky41 41]

I use my Nikkor 50/1.8 AF-D for reverse mounting directly to the camera.

For bellows work, I use an ancient Nikkor 28/2.8 pre-AI lens with a botched/failed AI conversion.

 

[fmw]

I recently bought a kit for reverse mounting of lenses to play around with. It's pretty cool, but I'm wondering what lenses people are using? I used my Nikon 16-35 f/4, but I'm thinking a prime would be better, and I would have use for a 50mm and wider primes for othrr things, so any recommendations for what works well? Short of buying a dedicated macro lens.

Extension tubes should provide better performance than a reversed lens. Go for a macro lens.

 

[jake337]

I use my Nikkor 50/1.8 AF-D for reverse mounting directly to the camera.

For bellows work, I use an ancient Nikkor 28/2.8 pre-AI lens with a botched/failed AI conversion.

Just tried this yesterday with my 28mm f2.8 ais reversed in front of a 100mm macro and 4 tubes. Fun stuff!

 

[jake337]

I recently bought a kit for reverse mounting of lenses to play around with. It's pretty cool, but I'm wondering what lenses people are using? I used my Nikon 16-35 f/4, but I'm thinking a prime would be better, and I would have use for a 50mm and wider primes for othrr things, so any recommendations for what works well? Short of buying a dedicated macro lens.

Extension tubes should provide better performance than a reversed lens. Go for a macro lens.

Maybe for performance but if you want to really get close then tubes + reversed lens is where is at.

 

[fmw]

I recently bought a kit for reverse mounting of lenses to play around with. It's pretty cool, but I'm wondering what lenses people are using? I used my Nikon 16-35 f/4, but I'm thinking a prime would be better, and I would have use for a 50mm and wider primes for othrr things, so any recommendations for what works well? Short of buying a dedicated macro lens.

Extension tubes should provide better performance than a reversed lens. Go for a macro lens.

Maybe for performance but if you want to really get close then tubes + reversed lens is where is at.

The idea should be to get close and also get a good image. I suppose you could get the lens right up to the subject and not be able to get any light to it. The tubes, obviously, will put some distance between the lens and subject.

Lenses are designed to correct distortion and aberrations with the light entering in one direction. When you allow it to enter from the opposite direction you don't get all that correction. The rear element of a lens is often quite severely curved causing images to be soft at the corners. The OP asked for an opinion and I provided it.

 

[Watchful]

If you really want close, pick up one of these.

SEM

 

[480sparky41 41]

If you really want close, pick up one of these.

SEM

Are those RGB or sRGB?

 

[jake337]

I recently bought a kit for reverse mounting of lenses to play around with. It's pretty cool, but I'm wondering what lenses people are using? I used my Nikon 16-35 f/4, but I'm thinking a prime would be better, and I would have use for a 50mm and wider primes for othrr things, so any recommendations for what works well? Short of buying a dedicated macro lens.

Extension tubes should provide better performance than a reversed lens. Go for a macro lens.

Maybe for performance but if you want to really get close then tubes + reversed lens is where is at.

The idea should be to get close and also get a good image. I suppose you could get the lens right up to the subject and not be able to get any light to it. The tubes, obviously, will put some distance between the lens and subject.

Lenses are designed to correct distortion and aberrations with the light entering in one direction. When you allow it to enter from the opposite direction you don't get all that correction. The rear element of a lens is often quite severely curved causing images to be soft at the corners. The OP asked for an opinion and I provided it.

Well, I wasn't disagreeing with you. Like anything else there is a balance. If you subject is so small that you need a higher magnification thay 2:1 you may need a reversed lens or an addition of a teleconverter. Both will degrade image quality bit you will get the image. A standard macro lens (1:1) just won't cut it sometimes and even with 110mm of extensiona on a 100mm macro you won't go past 2.1:1. I will say if you are intro high magnification macro you will want it a macro lens, tubes, and a reversing kit as apart of your system. Or just but a canon 65mm mp-e, lol.

All that being said the OP already has a reverse lens kit and asked about what lenses people use reversed so that is what we replied about.

 

[fmw]

Fair enough. I would recommend he use normal to slight wide angle lenses for the purpose.

 

[jake337]

Fair enough. I would recommend he use normal to slight wide angle lenses for the purpose.

I'm definitely not saying the OP should not invest in a dedicated macro lens either. If they get the macro itch that should be the next item on their list after a speedlight or two.

 

[snowbear117 48]

Lens cap. 24mm reversed and gaff-taped to a mounted 50mm

 

[A/Ox4]

Fair enough. I would recommend he use normal to slight wide angle lenses for the purpose.

So anything in the normal to slightly wider primes sounds like it would work well.

This is my first photo, far from perfect. I was quickly just messing around. Also my first try at focus stacking. The DOF is so shallow. Im just doing this for fun and was using my tripod. I totally forgot it can reverse the center pole and hang the camera underneath it. I'll do that next time.

"Dirty Needle"

An unused 20g IV needle that I dropped on the floor.