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
rx1031
WanderingCamera 