My first try on reverse kit lens

[Joed Barallas]

After getting reversing ring for my 18-55 kit lens, I found this subjects and try to have shots on them, please help me improve in this field of photography.

Ant

Sugar crystals

Guitar tuning key

Matchsticks

 

[stmv]

Nice,, now experiment on focus stacking, since the dof is so shallow using a reversing ring, and by focus stacking, you can deepen the dof,, lots of turtorials on the web.

 

[John Young]

They are great shots... I keep thinking of giving this a try sometime

 

[STM]

How are you going about focusing? When you reverse a lens you can no longer focus using the helicoid. I have found that using something called a macro focusing rail works the best. You move the entire camera and lens using the rail. Below is the one I use:

Also, I put a fairly indepth article on macrophotography on my website which you might find useful. Click on this link:

Venturing Into the Exciting World of Macrophotography

 

[Joed Barallas]

Will try to do focus stacking. I have this tripod which I got for free for buying d5100. Thank you for the tips!

 

[BackdoorArts]

I need to try this one of these days. I'm a little confused about the statement "When you reverse a lens you can no longer focus using the helicoid." Does this mean that you cannot use the lens' own focusing mechanism and need to rely on moving the camera to find the sweet spot? If so, I would imagine that focus stacking becomes an impossibility since moving the camera changes the size of the subject in each image.

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[STM]

I need to try this one of these days. I'm a little confused about the statement "When you reverse a lens you can no longer focus using the helicoid." Does this mean that you cannot use the lens' own focusing mechanism and need to rely on moving the camera to find the sweet spot? If so, I would imagine that focus stacking becomes an impossibility since moving the camera changes the size of the subject in each image.

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That is correct. When you reverse a lens, the front of the lens, via the filter threads, is attached to the camera. Therefore turning the focusing ring will have no effect. To focus, you have to either move the subject or the camera. The easiest way to do it is to move the camera, a macro focusing rail is by far the easiest way to accomplish this.

 

[BackdoorArts]

That is correct. When you reverse a lens, the front of the lens, via the filter threads, is attached to the camera. Therefore turning the focusing ring will have no effect. To focus, you have to either move the subject or the camera. The easiest way to do it is to move the camera, a macro focusing rail is by far the easiest way to accomplish this.

Thanks. So focus stacking is likely an exercise in futility.

 

[STM]

Thanks. So focus stacking is likely an exercise in futility.

Not at all. You just have to move the camera a very small amount with each esposure. If you are going to reverse a lens, however, you should really look into getting a macro focusing rail. I got on on Ebay several years ago for around $35 or so and it works like a champ.

 

[RockyNH_RIP]

Not at all. You just have to move the camera a very small amount with each esposure. If you are going to reverse a lens, however, you should really look into getting a macro focusing rail. I got on on Ebay several years ago for around $35 or so and it works like a champ.

Years ago I had a rail set like that for my film work.. It worked reasonably well. I imagine all that stuff is much better today.

Pat in NH

 

[BackdoorArts]

Yeah, but even a very small amount of movement is going to change the image content a very small amount, which I would expect to complicate the lining up of the stack. OK, not futility, but possibly an exercise in frustration. I would expect what you'd get would be a slightly distorted view of the original subject.

 

[PapaST]

STM... terrific site and great information. Thanks for sharing.