Comparison of cheap macro set-ups (Reverse Ring Method)
I found this photography forum and I was amazed by the way they take macro photos with very simple tools particularly the Reverse Ring Coupler.
So I bought one myself to try it and also bought a 52mm-52mm ring coupler for stacking lenses, another cheap method for macro/closeup photography. But prior to that I already owned an automatic extension tube. During shoots I am usually confused on what to use the extension tubes (ET) or the Reverse Ring (RR). Since my primary objective is to take macro shots whose magnification should be 1:1 or greater, my choice between the two would be in their magnifying capabilities.
Unfortunately for reverse ring method I haven’t found a formula to compute for its magnification factor. But for ET I found magnification formulas on numerous websites. To solve the magnification factor for ET you just divide the ET size with focal length of the lens. So if you have two ET stacked together (36mm + 20mm) for a total of 56mm and the focal length of your lens is 55mm then you would get a magnification of (56/55 =) 1.018x . Using the stacked ET and a shorter focal length like 24mm would give you an impressive magnification factor of (56/24 =) 2.333x .Unfortunately in ET as well in RR method the higher the magnification you use the shorter the DOF (depth of field) you can work with. You will have to find a way to overcome this problem. Focusing distance is also a problem wherein sometimes your lens is almost touching the subject.
Since I can’t find a formula for the RR method, I have no choice but to take an actual shot and measure its size on the photo. For a 1:1 magnification you must fill the frame with a size same as the sensor of the camera. So for my Nikon D3000 camera with an APS-C sensor a subject with a size if 23.6mm x 15.8mm or lower must fit the whole frame.
I tried and tested different methods like the RR, ET and the stacked lens. For my very crude test setup, I shot a photo of a ruler using different method.
Midway on my test I realized I was shooting the english side of the ruler instead of the metric. So instead of repeating the previous shoots I continued and I just converted the ruler reading in metric. I used a Nikon D3000 camera with a YN460-II Speedlite+diffuser.
1st setup: D3000+RR+ reversed Kit Lens (18-55mm)
@ 1/200s, ISO200, F??
macro setup - RR
my auto extension tube
Kenko automatic extension tube
I checked online for the price of macro lenses and they are uber expensive. Some lenses cost more than my camera body. hahaha this is an expensive hobby.
Then I read about extension tubes. They say if you want to try your hands in macro photography and don’t want to invest in expensive lenses at first then buy an extension tube. They do the job at a lesser cost. But, yes, they have their trade-offs but for the low price (compared to macro lens) I don’t mind them.
Here is a more cheaper option than the Kenko auto extension tube. It is an extension tube with no electric contacts thereby the significantly reduced price. But this is not compatible with newer Nikon G-lenses (no aperture rings). Use this manual extension tube and you will be using only the smallest aperture opening of your G-lenses.
generic manual extension tube
I will post soon on my first foray into “real” macro photography.
rx1031
WanderingCamera 