Two simple ways to use any lens for macro photography
Feb 11, 2019
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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If you want to shoot macro photography, sure, you can buy dedicated macro lenses. But, there are two simpler and cheaper ways to go macro and use the lenses you already own. In this video, photographer Andres Moline will show you how to turn any lens into a macro lens on the budget.
Experienced photographers already know about these techniques, but this video can be very useful for newbies. Basically, you can turn any lens into a macro lens by reversing it so that the front element faces the sensor and the back element faces the subject. For this, you’ll need reverse mount rings.
Reverse mount rings
Reverse mount rings are mounted on the front element of your lens, just like you’d mount a filter. They come in different sizes and for different brands: Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax etc. They’re pretty affordable and you can get them for $7-$8.When you put the reverse mount ring, you can simply mount the lens as you normally do. By doing this, you’ll get 1:1 magnification with a 50mm lens. If you want a bigger magnification, you need a wider lens: the wider the lens, the greater the magnification. But if you want to get even closer, you can introduce extension tubes.
Extension tubes
Once your reverse mount ring is attached to the lens, you can mount it to the extension tube. There’s a wide variety of those on the market, and they are also pretty cheap, around $10. Unless you want the AF, then the price can be 30x higher, but I don’t think it’s worth it if you just wanna play and experiment.
When the lens is mounted, you can then mount the tube onto the camera. This brings the focal point closer to the subject, and you can get larger magnification. Keep in mind though that you’re using around two stops of light with this technique. To compensate for it, you can increase the flash for two stops.
I think that reverse rings and extension tubes are a great way to get you started, especially if you are still not sure if macro photography is “your thing.” Also, they can be a good way to try something new and explore a different genre even if you’re already established as a photographer. So, if you want to experiment with macro shots, I suggest you give these techniques a spin.
[Use Any Lens for Macro Photography via FStoppers]
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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10 responses to “Two simple ways to use any lens for macro photography”
Or.. dismantle an old 18-55 kit lens front element and use without the front element.
I use my 18-55mm kit lens with extension tube. And the results are amazing, i can get more magnification from it rather than my dedicated macro lens.
Just to note: The magnification ratio is usually jotted as X:Y, where “X” is the image size and “Y” is the object size (visual size). Thus, a magnification of 1:3 as stated in the video here, is actually (1/3) and it is less than 1:1.
Another thing is, the magnification ratio in reversing technique is usually to be measured by: flange distance / focal length; i.e. the distance from the lens front in reverse to the sensor divided by the focal length of the lens (and if you add extension tube you add the length to the flange distance). I’ve tested these calculations myself with my camera and typically, Canon’s flange distance is 44mm, thus using 28mm lens directly in reverse would yield approximately 1.6:1 magnification (or 1.6x).
The thing I’ve failed at myself is the proper lighting even using methods like the one here, and having a stable hand (too much coffee probably?).
Stephen R. Wolf I saw your watch comment a figured you didn’t have macro lenses
Steve Tracy Snaps I have a lens set sold as spacers to make macro shots.
Steve Tracy Snaps I have these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D9KGQ6W/?coliid=I3R5L6S8D37WR&colid=1U098Q1QUV88H&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Stephen R. Wolf extenders work just fine for most stuff
Make sure you have set your camera to fire without the lens fitted if you are going to do this because as far as the camera is concerned there is not a lens there.
Hi, I have Nikon D750 with Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G Lens and Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens with Auto Focus. Can you please suggest me with the size of Reverse Ring and extension tube to be used for macro photography?