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Sony macro just got a lot more interesting with the new Novoflex reverse lens mount adapter

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Well, this is pretty cool. A reverse lens mount adapter for Sony that you can actually autofocus with. Designed for the Sony E-Mount cmaeras, including the A7 series, A9 series and APS-C format A6000 series, the new NEX-Retro from Novoflex lets you turn any Sony lens into a macro.

Being able to reverse a lens on a body isn’t a new idea, but what’s special about this one is that passes along all of the electronic functions. This means you get full control over aperture and autofocus from the reversed lens as if it were mounted normally. It’ll even pass along the EXIF data.

8 easy and effective DIY photography hacks using cardboard

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Cardboard is such a wonderfully versatile product.  You can use it for all sorts of photography related things. Most of my cameras have arrived in boxes made from the stuff. But what can you do with it instead of throwing it away or leaving it to gather dust in the attic?

Well, here’s the folks from COOPH with 8 ways you can utilise cardboard with your photography. These are simple tips and tricks that can have a great effect. Most of us already have cardboard laying somewhere around the home, so there’s no cost, either.

The Weirdest Macro Lens – Laowa 24mm f/14 2:1 Underwater Field Test

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Back in June, I was given the opportunity to test the new crazy lens by Laowa – the Laowa 24mm f/14 2:1 Relay Lens. It measures about 40cm in length and looks more like an endoscope rather than a traditional lens. While such relay lens designs are not entirely new with a few other examples in underwater macro photography, there are rarely any readily available options for terrestrial macro photography.

I only managed to spend a few hours with it during an inter-tidal shoot, and compiled some clips in the intro video here:

Winning photos of 2017 Nikon Small World competition are spectacular

We’ve recently seen the fascinating micro-worlds in the winning videos of Nikon Small World in Motion competition. Now there are also the results of 2017 Nikon Small World photo contest, and they are simply amazing.

Some photos come from scientific labs and show a colorful world of bacteria, algae or cells. But the others show stuff we see every day in a whole new perspective. Have you ever thought mold on a tomato, a credit card hologram or a daddy longlegs’ eyes can look beautiful? Well, the winners of this photo contest show that they can.

10 macro photography tips for beginners

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1. Lens

There are several good lens options for macro photography. You could use extension tubes combined with a normal lens, which gives you some magnification. Or even better, you could reverse a normal lens, which combined with extension tubes gives even more magnification. The most convenient and flexible option though, especially for a beginner within macro photography, is to get a dedicated macro lens.

The most popular models come in focal lengths between 90-105 mm, and have 1:1 magnification. There are also shorter focal lengths such as 50 or 60 mm, but these have shorter working distances, which means you have to get very close to your subject, risking to scare it away. 1:1 magnification means that when you focus as closely as possible, your subject is as big on the sensor as it is in real life. So if you have a full frame sensor of 36×24 mm, it means that any insect you want to shoot that is 36 mm long, just about fits in your picture.

This artist photographs surreal “landscapes” from human skin and paint

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“Beauty is everywhere.” This is how Russian-born artist Ruslan Khasanov describes the motto that drives his creative work. In his latest video, he found beauty in bodily landscapes. He turns human skin into landscapes using nothing but some paint and a macro lens. It feels like you’re watching satellite shots of another world, so similar, yet so different from ours.

See skin sweat and watch roots grow with the Nikon Small World motion competition winners

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Nikon’s Small World competition is a wonderful thing to see each year. It’s a fascinating blend of the scientific and the photographic. We get to see tiny worlds that simply aren’t possible with the naked eye. And even if we have seen some of these subjects through a microscope before, the entries usually allow us to see them in a whole new way.

A few years ago, Nikon started adding video to the Small World competition with Small World in Motion. It showcases some incredible footage, that almost defies belief. You’d swear some of these were created completely out of somebody’s mind in After Effects if you didn’t know better.

The macro lens is the Swiss Army knife of lenses, and this is why you should own one

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Macro lenses are often seen as this weird special purpose thing, that only those interested in shooting bugs should buy. But they’re so much more than that. Photographer Peter McKinnon believes everybody should own one. In this video, Peter talks about the versatility of a macro lens. That it can be used for so much more than typical “macro” use.

Build Your Own 2.5x Super Macro Rig for $230

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Last summer I bought a macro lens. A normal one, giving 1x magnification. This means that your subject will be projected as big on the sensor as it is in real life. So if you shoot a bug that is 36mm long, it will completely cover a full frame sensor from side to side. I discovered that macro photography is just so much fun. It is much easier to take a cool looking macro photo than a cool looking street or landscape photo. I completely fell in love with macro photography.

But the summer of 2017 I felt that I wanted to take it to the next level: I wanted to try a super macro lens, with a magnification of 2x and beyond. I wanted to really get up close to insects and bugs. I made one!

Fuji launches X-E3 with 24MP sensor, 4K UHD video and touchscreen LCD and 2 new lenses

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Fujifilm have announced an update to the mid-range model in their rangefinder styled mirrorless lineup. The new Fujifilm X-E3. It comes with the 24MP X-Trans III sensor found in the X-Pro2. This brings it in line with other models like the entry level X-A3 and recently released X-T20 and X100F. Fuji are also releasing two new lenses. One for the X system, and one for GF medium format.

The X-E3 shoots 4K UHD video, or 1080p at up to 60 fps. It sports a 3″ touchscreen LCD, comes with all the film simulation modes we’ve come to expect, and also includes Bluetooth connectivity for low power transfer and remote control from your phone.

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