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
feisha beach
We went for a photo trip last weekend and our destination is Feisha Beach (飞沙滩) in the southwest area of Zhuhai. It is located to the once Gaolan Island (高栏岛). The island is now directly connected the mainland after laborious land reclamation. It took us more than an hour of travel to reach the beach. Midway on out trip the weather turned bad but became hot and sunny with clear skies when we reached the beach.
Perfect day for a swim in the beach
pay-per-view
One of the very few pictures I took the last time I tried taking a sky view photo of HongKong. I went up the The Peak’s SkyView Terrace only to find out that my wish will not come true, The visibility is so poor up there that a tourist did not finish his time on the binoculars because there is nothing to see anyway.
first outdoor macro shots
The day after I bought my automatic extension tube off I went to the nearest park island here in my place. This park is a great place for outdoor photography because of the vast natural habitat that exists here. After I arrived I positioned myself near a row of flowers at the foot of the hill. I just stayed put and observe the plants around me and soon I found different insects hopping and flying around.
rx1031
WanderingCamera 