budget macro photopgraphy

costas60 · 10-11-2011, 01:19 AM

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Originally posted by yeatzee

Cheap macro's what I do

Doesn't matter if its a $20 Pentax M 50mm F/1.7 reversed...

$20 el nikkor 50mm F/2.8N enlarging lens reversed....

$10 componon 80mm F/5.6 enlarging lens reversed.....

etc. etc.
.

what do you guys mean reversed
how is it done

Philoslothical · 10-11-2011, 04:59 AM

Originally posted by costas60

what do you guys mean reversed
how is it done

It means to actually fit a lens onto your camera backwards, either alone or attached to the end of a lens mounted normally. Here's a link illustrating reversing a lens on the camera directly, and below is a shot illustrating a lens reversed on the end of bellows.

I'm sure yeatzee will link you to shots of his rig, which is really nicely set up.

Nass · 10-11-2011, 05:29 AM - **1 Like**

Same idea, a reverse lens

backpacker13 · 10-11-2011, 06:03 AM

Great ideas, i need to try reverse lens shooting...

Philoslothical · 10-11-2011, 06:15 AM

Originally posted by Nass

Same idea, a reverse lens

Oh geez, it's gorgeous. So compact too.

Nass · 10-11-2011, 06:33 AM

Originally posted by Philoslothical

Oh geez, it's gorgeous. So compact too.

Why thank you sir

Yes, the aim was compactness. The nearer your subject, the smaller your diffuser actually needs to be to give the "angles to subject" neccessary to have nice soft shadows. And having a little paper hood over the reversed lens makes heaps of difference. I just need to bling it up and find some widget that'll attach a small maglite to the extension tubes on a swivel so that I can do my nighttime macro...

Philoslothical · 10-11-2011, 06:45 AM

A design like this is definitely something I'll be aiming for now. Can you give me any information about the bracket you're using to put the flash at a right angle at the hotshoe? I've been wondering about the availability of such a thing.

I could see this being useful for handheld as well as on rails. Very impressed with the arrangement.

What about using a couple tiny LEDs on alligator clips? You could just put a few elastic bands around your tubes, and clip the lights on wherever you like.

Nass · 10-11-2011, 07:15 AM

Which cam do you have? Does it have a PC sync connection?

Philoslothical · 10-11-2011, 07:22 AM

Just a K-r, so no it doesn't have any cabled connection that I'm aware of. I'd need something that works through the hotshoe itself I guess. I'm not knowledgeable about flashes yet, had other priorities to cram information on so far.

Nass · 10-11-2011, 07:33 AM

I'm sorry to say you won't be able to do this then, unless you can find a tilting flash hotshoe that connects through the unit. The tilter I use doesn't get any signal from the hotshoe but uses a cord to connect to PC-sync (bypassing the hotshoe completely). Photo is enlargement of my setup to show what I mean.

Philoslothical · 10-11-2011, 07:41 AM

OK I have seen little cubes with the PC connector on them that sit on the hotshoe, so perhaps one of those, with the bracket mounted to that, with the flash mounted to that? @_@

Nass · 10-11-2011, 07:56 AM

Yeah that might work? I don't have it myself so can't vouch for it. But, which flash unit do you have? Remember it's not PTTL so you have to use manual, and some units (ie the 360) have this inbuilt autoshutdown thing after 1 minute which only PTTL can wake up. So I had to get a 540 (on which you can switch that off in config). The tilting thing is this hama unit - it isn't the best constructed accessory I've ever come across.

Philoslothical · 10-11-2011, 08:54 AM

I don't have a suitable flash yet, so that will be on my list as well. The external flash I have is ancient, has a safe trigger voltage, but isn't great (I got it for $0.50 in a thrift shop, so I'm not complaining). It does hinge at the business end, so maybe I could use it temporarily until I get something better. It doesn't shut itself down under any circumstance, so that shouldn't be an issue.

So on that hinge, the top PC socket connects to the top hotshoe, and the bottom PC socket to the bottom hotshoe connector (that sits on the camera). I wonder how it would work to use a male/male PC cable to bridge the two sockets, so the flash mounted on the top of the hinge would have connection to the hotshoe of the camera?

Nass · 10-11-2011, 09:30 AM

That's what I thought you meant anyway. Fwiw, it works fine for me. Maybe you can tell from the photo that I actually have yet another little unit between the hama hinge and the camera body. I've just taken the sync cord out of the cam and connected it to that unit instead. That unit connects to the cam, it all fires fine.

About the light, I do have a clippy on thing but all those use watch batteries which are not rechargable. So ongoing cost. The pencil maglite I have has one aaa battery so rechargable. Hence want to use that (also you can focus it which is handy at night).

Philoslothical · 10-11-2011, 01:09 PM

I'll give the lighting thing some thought. One thing you could do is put a battery powered light, like maybe one meant for video cameras, on a flash bracket. That would let you use rechargeables and provide more than ample lighting, at the cost of a bit of the compactness of the rig. Attaching it to the bracket itself, minus the handle, would put it at a reasonable height. If you angled the bracket out in front of the camera it just might work.

Thanks for all the info. I'm going to try to pick up one of those hinges when I can, it looks ideal. I read about them a bit, and it sounds like it should work fine with the PC cable bridging the hinge, at least for manual flash.

10-11-2011, 07:33 AM	#25
Nass Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The British Isles Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,402	I'm sorry to say you won't be able to do this then, unless you can find a tilting flash hotshoe that connects through the unit. The tilter I use doesn't get any signal from the hotshoe but uses a cord to connect to PC-sync (bypassing the hotshoe completely). Photo is enlargement of my setup to show what I mean. Last edited by Nass; 05-08-2017 at 08:20 AM.

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10-11-2011, 01:19 AM	#16
costas60 Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Melbourne Posts: 86	Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here. Originally posted by yeatzee Cheap macro's what I do Doesn't matter if its a $20 Pentax M 50mm F/1.7 reversed... $20 el nikkor 50mm F/2.8N enlarging lens reversed.... $10 componon 80mm F/5.6 enlarging lens reversed..... etc. etc. . what do you guys mean reversed how is it done

10-11-2011, 04:59 AM	#17
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	Originally posted by costas60 what do you guys mean reversed how is it done It means to actually fit a lens onto your camera backwards, either alone or attached to the end of a lens mounted normally. Here's a link illustrating reversing a lens on the camera directly, and below is a shot illustrating a lens reversed on the end of bellows. I'm sure yeatzee will link you to shots of his rig, which is really nicely set up.

10-11-2011, 05:29 AM - 1 Like	#18
Nass Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The British Isles Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,402	Same idea, a reverse lens

10-11-2011, 06:03 AM	#19
backpacker13 Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Croatia;Europe Photos: Albums Posts: 29	Great ideas, i need to try reverse lens shooting...

10-11-2011, 06:15 AM	#20
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	Originally posted by Nass Same idea, a reverse lens Oh geez, it's gorgeous. So compact too.

10-11-2011, 06:33 AM	#21
Nass Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The British Isles Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,402	Originally posted by Philoslothical Oh geez, it's gorgeous. So compact too. Why thank you sir Yes, the aim was compactness. The nearer your subject, the smaller your diffuser actually needs to be to give the "angles to subject" neccessary to have nice soft shadows. And having a little paper hood over the reversed lens makes heaps of difference. I just need to bling it up and find some widget that'll attach a small maglite to the extension tubes on a swivel so that I can do my nighttime macro...

10-11-2011, 06:45 AM	#22
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	A design like this is definitely something I'll be aiming for now. Can you give me any information about the bracket you're using to put the flash at a right angle at the hotshoe? I've been wondering about the availability of such a thing. I could see this being useful for handheld as well as on rails. Very impressed with the arrangement. What about using a couple tiny LEDs on alligator clips? You could just put a few elastic bands around your tubes, and clip the lights on wherever you like.

10-11-2011, 07:15 AM	#23
Nass Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The British Isles Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,402	Which cam do you have? Does it have a PC sync connection?

10-11-2011, 07:22 AM	#24
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	Just a K-r, so no it doesn't have any cabled connection that I'm aware of. I'd need something that works through the hotshoe itself I guess. I'm not knowledgeable about flashes yet, had other priorities to cram information on so far.

10-11-2011, 07:41 AM	#26
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	OK I have seen little cubes with the PC connector on them that sit on the hotshoe, so perhaps one of those, with the bracket mounted to that, with the flash mounted to that? @_@

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10-11-2011, 07:56 AM	#27
Nass Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The British Isles Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,402	Yeah that might work? I don't have it myself so can't vouch for it. But, which flash unit do you have? Remember it's not PTTL so you have to use manual, and some units (ie the 360) have this inbuilt autoshutdown thing after 1 minute which only PTTL can wake up. So I had to get a 540 (on which you can switch that off in config). The tilting thing is this hama unit - it isn't the best constructed accessory I've ever come across.

10-11-2011, 08:54 AM	#28
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	I don't have a suitable flash yet, so that will be on my list as well. The external flash I have is ancient, has a safe trigger voltage, but isn't great (I got it for $0.50 in a thrift shop, so I'm not complaining). It does hinge at the business end, so maybe I could use it temporarily until I get something better. It doesn't shut itself down under any circumstance, so that shouldn't be an issue. So on that hinge, the top PC socket connects to the top hotshoe, and the bottom PC socket to the bottom hotshoe connector (that sits on the camera). I wonder how it would work to use a male/male PC cable to bridge the two sockets, so the flash mounted on the top of the hinge would have connection to the hotshoe of the camera?

10-11-2011, 09:30 AM	#29
Nass Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The British Isles Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,402	That's what I thought you meant anyway. Fwiw, it works fine for me. Maybe you can tell from the photo that I actually have yet another little unit between the hama hinge and the camera body. I've just taken the sync cord out of the cam and connected it to that unit instead. That unit connects to the cam, it all fires fine. About the light, I do have a clippy on thing but all those use watch batteries which are not rechargable. So ongoing cost. The pencil maglite I have has one aaa battery so rechargable. Hence want to use that (also you can focus it which is handy at night).

10-11-2011, 01:09 PM	#30
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	I'll give the lighting thing some thought. One thing you could do is put a battery powered light, like maybe one meant for video cameras, on a flash bracket. That would let you use rechargeables and provide more than ample lighting, at the cost of a bit of the compactness of the rig. Attaching it to the bracket itself, minus the handle, would put it at a reasonable height. If you angled the bracket out in front of the camera it just might work. Thanks for all the info. I'm going to try to pick up one of those hinges when I can, it looks ideal. I read about them a bit, and it sounds like it should work fine with the PC cable bridging the hinge, at least for manual flash.