[Rai93]

So I just received my Vivitar 85-205mm lens in the mail along with my 55mm Super Takumar and I currently have reverse rings, close up filters, and extension tubes on the way so with all that macro equipment I need a setup specifically for macro and extreme micro pictures.

So far I've imagined a pretty extreme setup using all three of my lenses involving the Vivitar as the main lens with my 18-55mm kit lens reversed onto that with the two extension tubes connecting the 18-55mm to my 55mm Super and a 10+ filter attached to the 55mm. I'll probably need another tripod to strap everything down and keep it stable too.

That'll look super awkward I already know but I have no idea if that'll even work in the first place due to the amount of light eliminated, possible vignetting, and anything else that my noob self probably doesn't even know about yet. I imagine I'll need one of those LED rings attached to the end of the 55mm to even have a chance at seeing anything but what do you guys think?

[Bruce Clark]

Only one way to find out, bolt it all together and take pictures. And be sure to post some results.

[Ray-uk]

Your title is about right. I don't think there is the slightest hope of this working.
The Vivitar will be the main lens and the 18-55, the 55 and the 10+ will just be acting as close up lenses, putting the extension tubes in the middle will only make it even less likely to work.
Forget the LED ring and try a 1000 Watt spotlight, that way you may get some light through it.

[Rai93]

Your title is about right. I don't think there is the slightest hope of this working.
The Vivitar will be the main lens and the 18-55, the 55 and the 10+ will just be acting as close up lenses, putting the extension tubes in the middle will only make it even less likely to work.
Forget the LED ring and try a 1000 Watt spotlight, that way you may get some light through it.

Something like this maybe?

[Ray-uk]

That's the one, perhaps you could mount it on the hot shoe of your camera

[12345]

Do you have any idea what you plan to photograph? Somehow I doubt you're going to need all those lenses all at once. Just the 18-55 reversed will give you enough magnification to start experimenting with. I have done quite a few experiments with reverse-lens and extension tube macro, and I've never used more than 2 lenses at once!

Here's an example of what's possible with a 135mm f/2.8 lens + extension tubes + 28mm f/2.8 lens reversed in front of it... I've played with different combos, including the Pentax M 100 f/4 macro + extension tubes + reversed 50mm f/1.7 which is quite good.


EJM_8646 on Flickr

[Parallax]

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/12-post-your-photos/6-how-upload-link-pho...tart-here.html

[Rai93]

Do you have any idea what you plan to photograph? Somehow I doubt you're going to need all those lenses all at once. Just the 18-55 reversed will give you enough magnification to start experimenting with. I have done quite a few experiments with reverse-lens and extension tube macro, and I've never used more than 2 lenses at once!

Here's an example of what's possible with a 135mm f/2.8 lens + extension tubes + 28mm f/2.8 lens reversed in front of it... I've played with different combos, including the Pentax M 100 f/4 macro + extension tubes + reversed 50mm f/1.7 which is quite good.


EJM_8646 on Flickr

I'm thinking of doing an album composed completely of everyday objects highly magnified to see what they look like down at that level. I'm essentially using it as a high powered microscope rofl.

[12345]

I'm thinking of doing an album composed completely of everyday objects highly magnified to see what they look like down at that level. I'm essentially using it as a high powered microscope rofl.

You'll probably end up focus stacking, in that case. There is an excellent forum dedicated to macro photography www.photomacrography.net :: Index which will likely come in very handy. (Mostly Canon/Nikon users, but I saw a couple of people who used Pentax. The thing is, the optics are what matter in microphotography, and that's where these guys know their stuff.) I just stumbled across the forum a few days ago, and it kept me reading for a long time! There is so much info there, that it's hard to digest it all!

[old4570]

Hmmm , I have done ..

1.5x Tele converter , 100mm .lens , and 50 mm reversed up font for 3:1 Macro ..

Issues will be DOF , image stability , and just finding the subject ... ( Good Luck )

Oh yeah , and providing light where its needed ...

I found 3 to 1 hard enough ...

[mee]

I've done full set of Extension tubes + 105mm Macro + M 50mm reversed

I think this was around 6.7x and it was totally unwieldy. Hand holding it was near on impossible to get in focus images in the sliver of focus through the viewfinder, even with a bright light source (which was required). Not to mention the significant loss in IQ going through the extra glass.

It looked like something out of the ghostbusters though..

Try either the extension tubes with the macro lens or the reversed lens with the extension tubes.. or even the macro lens with the reversed lens. But I think all 3 is too much. You're getting into microscope range and with that some of the issues in working with them.

[Na Horuk]

Wouldn't you have a problem reversing a lens without an aperture ring?

[Rai93]

What exactly would the results be if I reversed the Vivitar for astronomy like the moon? Just the Vivitar and nothing else so there shouldn't be a light loss problem while still increasing magnification?

---------- Post added 02-29-16 at 01:23 AM ----------

Wouldn't you have a problem reversing a lens without an aperture ring?

I have aperture rings on 2 out of my 3 lenses so it's not a problem no lol.

[mee]

Wouldn't you have a problem reversing a lens without an aperture ring?

If you directed that at me, I used an M lens so aperture ring was available.

However, since the reversed lens is the last on the stack and welll. reversed.. it isn't super difficult to hold the aperture arm open



The biggest issue with all of these contraptions is not only light loss but multiplying the weakness of each lens.. stacked.. so one with poor CA (or sharpeness) will stack with another with even worse CA and your end result is a poo sammich. The stack has to be rather clean to get a stunning image at such a high magnification.

Just a reversed lens alone should be fine and well worth trying. Even using a stack of extension tubes on a regular lens in the regular direction would give you a macroy effect (but again with some light loss).

[Na Horuk]

However, since the reversed lens is the last on the stack and welll. reversed.. it isn't super difficult to hold the aperture arm open

That's what I meant. A lens without aperture ring will default to smallest possible aperture, which can be f22, f32.. this will cause so much diffraction the photo will be.. not just soft, but fuzzy. I guess you could use tape or something to hold the aperture lever open, but that might leave residue. And holding it open by hand is not practical, as that will cause vibrations. At that magnification, any vibrations are bad.
Btw, I think there was a thread titled "Macro by any means necessary" and another "macro on a budget", which dealt with obtaining the highest possible magnification using really cheap gear and improvisation. There were even some formulas on how to calculate the magnification when reversing lenses and stacking lenses. I don't know much more about that, though. I think RioRico was a good macro contributor:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/136294-ways...han-1-1-a.html

Actually, I think this is the best thread: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/54-pentax-lens-articles/152336-cheap-macro-buying-exploiting-lens-ultraclose-work.html

Those are really old threads, so its probably a bad idea to post in them, but they are a good resource, they have some "further reading" links, and good discussion and experiments