How To Take *Good* Macro Photos On A Budget

[DrWurm]

I think this board is probably the best fit for this thread. If not, feel free to move it...

I'm spamming this around on a few forums, don't be surprised if it looks familiar

I figure I'll share my technique with the world here.

What you'll need:
1 Digital Camera (compact or DSLR)
1 50mm fixed focal length lens
-It's best to use a lens made for an old film camera. They have wide apertures, are comparably small, and can be found for very cheap.
1 Small Sundew to practice on
1 Adapter Ring (If using a DSLR)

We'll start out with the compact digital camera since it's the easiest and cheapest.

The compact digital camera featured is a KODAK MD853 Easy Share camera. Rest assured, there is no smoke and mirrors here. This camera cannot take anything close to a macro photo by itself. The black thing to the right is a 50mm lens from an old nikon EM.



Here is the holding "technique." Just do whatever comes naturally. It doesn't matter if you hold the lens reversed or not. You can also use a magnifying glass in place of the lens.



And that's all there is to it! Here are some of the results I've gotten. A lot of seasoned photographers couldn't believe I got these on a compact.
D. muscipula typical


D. graminifolia


Fly on S. oreophila


Fun stuff, right?

Alright, for the people out there with DSLRs: this part is for you.

First, you need to figure out the barrel diameter of your camera's lens and the barrel diameter of the 50mm lens you're reversing.
My 40-150mm lens on my Olympus E-510 has a barrel diameter of 58mm. My 50mm lens has a diamter of 52mm. So i got a 52-58mm ring. You can find these on ebay for pretty cheap.


Here's the order these go in.


So then you just screw in matching diameters.....


Now it's ready to shoot. Focus will be VERY close. Your plane of focus will be extremely thin at large apertures. When shooting at smaller apertures for more depth of field, a tripod is often helpful.
To adjust the magnification, change the focal length on your zoom lens.


You will probably notice moderate to severe vignetting depending on the zoom lens you use and the focal length you're using. You will always need to crop your photos. I won't claim that this isn't limiting, but you can still get some incredible shots. Here are some results.

D. admirabilis


D. multifida "Extrema"


D. echinoblastus


I hope you found this informative. Now go out and take some photos!

Jason

[Tony]

Wow - Thanks so much for this Jason! Great and great technique! I have a 50mm, now I'm going to go hunt down an adapter ring for my DSLR's zoom.

Best,
Tony

[rocktroll]

Wow you pictures are incredable thank you for shareing I will post some shots as soon as I locate my first native CP.Thank you.

[bluemax]

Great techniques, Jason. 'Not to mention the photos you posted! I really like the D. echinoblastus shot. The limited depth of field gives it a highly three dimensional look.

- Mark

[jimscott]

Thanks for sharing. I have a Kodak Easyshare C713. I wonder if i can find something that I can adapt to it.