Do it yourself lens reversal tip

[Matt. K]

This is quite a practical idea and saves you about $40.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read. ... e=11081292

[MHD]

[Glen]

Amazingly simple. I like the nice touch of a Thai Baht being used for a Thai camera

[sirhc55]

The simple things in life are always the best (i.e. cheap)

Chris

[christiand]

Hi all,

what would be the outcome if doing a lens reversal on a different focal length, say kit lens or 70-300mm for example ? Would it be practical and usable ?

Cheers
CTD

[Greg B]

Having never reversed a lens, and while understand that the results are macro like - what is the story behind doing it. Why does it work? What is going on?

[jdear]

reversing a lens has often been called the poor man's macrophotography solution. And this article is brilliant for showing of how to reverse a lens on a budget.

Having never reversed a lens, and while understand that the results are macro like - what is the story behind doing it. Why does it work? What is going on?

from my limited experience with lens reversal...

Normal lens are designed to be used so that the distance from the rear of the lens to the film is smaller than the distance from the front of the lens to the subject. Reversing a lens reverses this process, minimising the distance to the subject and increasing the distance between the lens and the film.

ie, the lens-to-camera distance is much greater than the lens-to-subject distance. (think how small the lens-to-film distance would normally be) click here [16kb] to see a quick diagram I created on this process and my understanding of it.

The combination of using a reversed lens on an extension tube will give you more flexibility than with just the fixed focal length, and will again also increase the magnification size.

From what ive heard, as much as 23x magnifaction is possible (highest magnification ration acheivable with a nikkor lens) which would be using the following combination : "20mm with PB-6 + PB-6E + reverse mounting" (pb-6 and 6e is a nikon bellows system)

With even less than this setup - just a PB-4 / reversed 55mm lens, it is possible to photograph individual snowflakes and the intricate patterns they produce.

Reversed lenses are really only for studio work, or subjects which do not have changing light conditions, are moving and are not subject to environmental changes. - ie trying to shoot a moving snail and hold precise focus will frustrate you no end.

In reversing a lens, you'll have to remember you are disconnecting the linkages the lens has to the camera, so meter coupling is gone. You'll most likely have to take stopped-down meter reading, and set your camera to M. (assuming your lens diaphram still operates off-camera-body)

Essentially 4x maginifaction should be the limit for photography in the field with consistent success.

what would be the outcome if doing a lens reversal on a different focal length, say kit lens or 70-300mm for example ? Would it be practical and usable ?

As far as I know, in this exception, using a larger focal length will actually will not increase magnifaction - it will decrease it. ie, the smaller the lens, the greater the magnication. - 20mm reversed will give a higher magnication than a 50mm lens reversed. Remember that generally larger focal length lens have more extension of the lens to acheive such magnication. - more gap between the lens elements. There is a combined greater distance taking the lens length into factor of the lens-to-subject distance. Smaller lens are often very short in length compared to a large telephoto lens - to achive wider working angles.

Putting a larger telephoto on an extension tube or bellows will yield a greater magnication, but not when reversed.

Ive seen people reverse old 8mm movie camera lens on their SLR bodies, with magnifaction factors of 15-30x (with a 12.5mm f1.9 leitz photar) - photos of individiual wing scales of a butterfly.

* There are many ways to acheive macro results, including and limited to; extension tubes, extension bellows, lens reversal, diopters, stacking lens, teleconverters, special macro lenses, microscope usage and any combination of the above.

Please correct me if im wrong, im still very much in the learning process of macrophotoghy.

May i suggest "John Shaw's Closeup's in nature" "(i bought it from amazon) to those interested in getting into closeup photography. Shaw uses old manual SLR cameras (nikon F series) but most of it can be applied to digital SLR cameras with a good working knowledge of their systems.

JD

[sirhc55]

I agree Jdear - I purchased Tom Shaws Nature Photography and Closeups in Nature from Amazon at half the price of Australian bookshops. I also bought the superb Nature Photography Close Up by Paul Harcourt Davies in Dymocks - it was on special at $14.95

Great books with lot of information.

Cheers

Chris

[Dargan]

Thats a fantastic link Matt. The only hassle is trying to navigate all the posts on dp. I like to print the whole thread out and then read the lot. jdear thanks for sharing those comments, I think macro is a real frontier of interest in photography.

[Greg B]

Matt, thanks for the link.

jdear, thanks for that explanation, very helpful and informative.

cheers

[christiand]

Jdear, many thanks for your response.

Cheers
CD

[jdear]

a pleasure!
one of the few things i feel i can bring to this forum.. for now

macrophotography has taught me soo much about aperture, depth of field etc. It can also be a cheaper area of photography vs sports - large telephotos etc.... (drool) Ill post some of my images one of these days... (macro)

JD

Keep shooting'