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FramedByNature — Reverse Macro Tutorial
Published: 2009-08-10 21:55:50 +0000 UTC; Views: 87545; Favourites: 976; Downloads: 705
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Description
Reverse MacroSome people have never even heard about this technique. Others know what it is, but don't know how to do it. I made this tutorial this afternoon in hopes to answer any questions.
Hope it helps!
[edit]
For maximum magnification, use your minimum focal length (i.e. 18mm, if your lens is 18-55mm). Incredible results!
You can also pick up something called a "reversin ring" to make shooting a whole lot easier! Basically a filter that screws onto the end of your lens and allows you to mount it to your camera body [link] Super cheap and it makes things much easier
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Comments: 567
way cool! After leaving my comment, i did a Google search, and found many articles suggesting ways of mounting the lens etc, but I particularly like your low tech hand held strategy, a trick i used here, without reversing the lens, but tilting it instead [link]
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Awesome!
Very cool, like a makeshift tilt-shift lens
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EXCELLENT tutorial... thx so much
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Thanks!
The pleasure is mine
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Wow... ur on
lol any suggestions for getting the "lens not attached" error to go?
I've heard of using duct tape, but that sounds unsafe for the camera...
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The camera gives you a "lens not attached" error? Try again. I get that every once in a while. If not, try the "depth of field preview button" trick.
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I fixed that... Had to switch to manual mode...
The LAST problem is focusing. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM
How the hell do you get the camera to focus?
I get big blurs every time...
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It's a fixed focusing distance. You have to move the camera closer or farther from the subject until it comes into focus
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I saw this tutorial when I was first researching this technique and it was monumentally helpful! There are some hurdles along the way to great pictures, but it sure is fun. Thank you for sharing.
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No problem! The pleasure is mine, glad I could make things easier
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Feel free to check out my work, I'm always looking for a few pointers from macro pros!
I am using the retro macro method almost exclusively for my macro, and I feel like more of a scientist than a photographer now...
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I have a question, have I to put in manual focus the lens?
And I think my Niko doesn't have the "depth of field preview" buttom.
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Shouldn't really matter. Either way, your focus ring isn't what focuses the shot. You simply have to move to the appropriate distance yourself, moving the camera closer until things are sharp.
Sorry to hear that. Not sure if you could use the "bonus" trick then, but maybe there's a way around it.
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Thanks for the answer, I'll try it one day even thought my father doesn't like the idea really much. He thinks the camera can get broken, I doubt it.
Well, about that button, maybe in spanish is called in a different way, I have to investigate it 
Thanks a lot for your tutorial, I've never had thought that that was possible with a normal lens.
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Fascinating. Will give it a try.
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wow... 
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O.o wow....that's all I can say.. and thank you for making this. This is a really big help and I hope it will help me in the future
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I'm having a hard time doing this
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Aww, keep practicing. It was really tough for me at first too
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great!!is that macro lens??
or can i use my standard telephoto
18mm-55mm lens to do this??
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Yeah, just use the 18-55
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wow!!great!!
improvise macro lens!!
one last question how do i focus the subject since the
lens is not attached to the camera??i mean there's no
automatic focus,right?!..
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Nope. And there really isn't any manual focus, either. You just move your camera in and out of the fixed focusing distance
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hmm..i see!!very clever indeed!!i never thought of that!!^^:
thanks fer the tips and tricks!!
ow BTW one last thing..
is there any good tutorial on how to make HDR effects??
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I would suggest looking at this: [link]
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That's an AWESOME tip~! and something I deffinitely wouldn't have figured out by myself, haha~! XD
I'll deffinitely be trying that out soon enough ^^ <3 ~
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Do you know if i works with Nikon? All I can see when I try is black XD.
Seems awesome otherwise.
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I've been hearing that a lot from Nikon users. Not sure of a fix, but I'm sure there's some answer out there on the internet
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I bought a reverse adapter ring for $20, too much work to hold it by hand and too lazy for the DIY ones on the web
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I saw one on ebay for 6$...But you never know with ebay!
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Good idea, definitely a good investment
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*hits on the head* bonus 2.. I always forget that thing exists xD nice tip 
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Thanks!
Yeah if you check out the shot with my settings, I've got it set to ISO 400, exposure -1, and continuous shooting. Usually yields a pretty decent shutter
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mm yeah sometimes you need some luck and good lighting
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Really great tutorial, I actually taught my photography teacher abut the reverse lens technique last year. I'm surprised more photographers haven't heard about it
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Thanks!
The student teaching the teacher, I love it
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You're welcome
My classmates started coming to me for help after awhile, I felt bad x]
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