Pugwash Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 Here's the first Pugwash photo tutorial in a very long time. Unfortunately, it's my first DSLR one, so I'm sorry if you're still on a non-SLR camera. Normally, when you buy a camera, you get a fairly bog-standard average quality lens. This lens has one job and that's to take in big and make it small enough to fit on the bit of the camera that captures the light. What macro lenses do is pretty much the opposite of that. So, what would happen if you turn the bog-standard lens round and held it to the camera? This is what would happen: Click for 1280px wide version However, there must be a way to do better than manually holding the lens to the body, right? That's where a quick trip to eBay, armed with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seadweller4000 Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 I'd give you gold star for this - if I could. Thank you very much, a very cool post. PS: I envy you for your DSLR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yannou Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 Hi I have the same cam with the same lens....interesting topic.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 Holy schmolies! Great work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesg Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 Thanks Pug - nice guide... Good to see you're truly living the scottish life... I noticed the bottle of Irn Bru! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted April 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 Good to see you're truly living the scottish life... I noticed the bottle of Irn Bru! It's Mrs Pugwash's bottle; it's diet. I drink full-fat Irn Bru. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 wow thats cool!! i had no idea you could reverse a lens!! awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironmarshal Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 so if I reverse my 100-400mm zoom I should be able to get some ultra close macro then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted April 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 so if I reverse my 100-400mm zoom I should be able to get some ultra close macro then. Try it. Just hold the lens to the camera the wrong way round. I think you'll find it's not as good as the shorter lenses. Wider angle, closer macro. Remember, if a short lens reduces the image more than a long lens, when you reverse it, a shorter lens will enlarge more than a long lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highoeyazmuhudee Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 (edited) theres also knock off extension tubes on ebay for $5 that posistion the lens mount further from the body sensor. so if youre taking a trip to ebay anyways you might want to look into the extension rings from china, do the same thing for the same price maybe even closer up, but dont expose the rear element to un-necessary debris and potential damage... theres also a pringles tin hack that does the same thing for a bit cheaper and plus you get some chips to eat : ) hxxp://www.photocritic.org/macro-photography-on-a-budget/ Edited April 29, 2008 by highoeyazmuhudee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 Nice!! The power of DSLR is something I'm working on considering...I just have so much invested in outdated film hardware...that the switch is painful...it affects the watch budget!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highoeyazmuhudee Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 the amount youll save in NOT processing film WILL INCREASE your watch budget : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaedo Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 So is that macro shot done with the ring on, or just holding the lense back to front? I get the feeling it was done with the ring put on, or there would be a lot of light seep through, right? Brilliant tip though, just need to upgrade the film SLR to DSLR so it doesn't cost a fortune in processing to get it right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornerstone Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 Great tip!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 That is scary, the faults we could find now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted April 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 So is that macro shot done with the ring on, or just holding the lense back to front? I get the feeling it was done with the ring put on, or there would be a lot of light seep through, right? The photo above was taken with the ring. This photo was taken with just holding the lens to the body: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carlsbadrolex Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 WOW, its kinda hard to hide the flaws in a dial with pictures like that. Nice tip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodwc Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 Interesting thanks. By the way does the file size come out any bigger? I wouldn`t imagine so as the processor isn`t changed ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobs1971 Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 Thnx for this great tip, Pugs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted April 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 Interesting thanks. By the way does the file size come out any bigger? I wouldn`t imagine so as the processor isn`t changed ? The camera just treats it like any other lens so the file is exactly the same size as any other photo you'd take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazz Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 Another great photo tutorial Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvn Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 @Pugwash - thank you for the wonderful tip. Now i don't have to buy a macro len anymore. I can't seem to find a reserver ring for my Nikon D40 on Ebay. Does anyone know where to get one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVD Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 (edited) lol. i've played around with reverse macro. as you can see here, it works fairly well. it's cheap and it works. extension tubes are another cheap option. compared to a real macro, i think the main differences are: 1) focus is much tougher. you basically have to move the camera to focus just right. 2) you can't use it in reverse mode for anything other than macro. with a true macro, i use it like a regular lens for portaits sometimes and also macro photography. 3) it's virtually impossible to get more than a small area in focus. with a true macro, i can adjust apertures, etc. like a normal lens. i'm not a pro but i enjoy photography. i shoot with a canon 5D and for macro, i use a relatively cheap and fast 100mm f/2.8. i don't shoot enough macro to justify the 180L lens. i've also used the 100mm macro for portrait work but don't use it much anymore after i got the 85mm f/1.8 (1.2 is too expensive). i still have my old reverse ring and extension tubes from the days before i bought my macro. you're right it is a lot of fun. RVD. Edited July 1, 2008 by RVD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted July 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 More examples: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 Amazing stuff Pug....work of art. Can you please share on how do you connect your DSLR to your PC....what specific h/w and s/w do you use.....and is it specific to the camera brand? Am still on analog SLR......planning on getting myself a nice DSLR....am considering the Sony Alpha 350. Any comments on that model? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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