reversing macro lenses - Nature Photography Forum

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Q. reversing macro lenses

Asked by Chuck Goldstein (K=0) on 1/10/2004

Have read of the desireablity of reversing lenses for magnifications of >= 1x. Am using a Nikon 105mm macro lens with a PB-4 bellows. Without reversing I can get ~4x @3.5" distance between lens and subject. When I reverse the 105mm lens on the bellows I get nonsense. Greatest magnification is ~2x at ~.375" distance. What am I missing? or is it that a macro lens can not be reversed?

Chuck

Bill Morgenstern (K=7157) - Comment Date 2/21/2004

Chuck - A macro lense can not be effectively reversed because of the length of the lens. I use a straight 28mm and reverse it for fantastic results. See attached image done this way. Good shooting - Bill

Kambiz K

(K=37420) - Comment Date 2/18/2006

I have NEVER heard such a thing at all. In those old mechanical camera you could use reverse lenses.

Phillip Cohen

(K=10561) - Comment Date 2/19/2006

Kambiz, many camera manufacturers made lens reversal rings and accessories so that you could reverse mount your lens to use for macro work. I have Nikon equipment and they made all sorts of stuff including reverse mount filter holders, dual cable releases so that the lense would stop down prior to exposure, special rings to control the aperture when using the dual cable release etc... I used a reverse mounted 55mm macro lens on the end of a pb6 bellows and a pb6e extension bellows at full extension and took a photo of a tiny straight pin. You could see all of the imperfections in the metal and the marks left when it was drawn out, pretty amazing stuff when you use that much magnification.

Phil

Kambiz K

(K=37420) - Comment Date 2/19/2006

Thank you Phil for your info.

Martin Halley (K=580) - Comment Date 3/28/2006

A macro lens has the same basic layout as an "ordinary" lens except that it has been optomised for close focus work. Theoretically there should be no difference reversing this as against an ordinary 105mm lens.

Bear in mind, that when reversing a lens, the shorter the focal length the greater the magnification. Reversing a 105mm is probably pointless. Try a 24 mm lens and enter the world of 10X macro at very modest extensions.

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