Today I bring you a trick to do macro without a macro lens. Some time ago, in the article on cheap alternatives to macro lenses, I told you about him. This is the investment ring. But this time I go a little further and explain how to use it.
And it is that a few days ago, we convened a Photo Challenge with this topic and many of you asked how this was, or you commented that nothing had come out, well, today I will tell you a little about its advantages, disadvantages, what you can obtain or what not and how to use it.
First, let me tell you that if what you are looking for is a real macro lens, in this article you will find our recommendations and purchase advice .
WHAT IS THE INVESTMENT RING?
The reversing ring or reversing ring is a double-threaded metal ring that attaches with one thread to the camera and the other to the front of your lens so you can put it on your camera upside down.
By placing your lens upside down, what you achieve is being able to get much closer to your subject and achieve macro photography, that is, that this subject appears magnified, much larger than what you could achieve with your lens in its normal position if it is not a specific macro lens.
Because the objectives have a minimum focusing distance, beyond that distance it is impossible to take a focused photograph. The minimum focus distance is usually represented as the following image. In this case it means that below 45cm you cannot focus.
By inverting the objective, you can get much closer to the subject, regardless of this minimum focus distance that the optics used dictate.
WHO IS THE INVESTMENT RING FOR?
The ideal user for the investment ring is anyone who wants to try the macro and doesn't want or can't invest much. Macro lenses are quite expensive and not all budgets can afford it, even more so when you don't know if you really like or don't like macro, because not everyone should be excited about this discipline. On the contrary, for about 10 euros that the investment ring costs, you can try the macro.
Now, obviously, this price difference has to have an explanation, and that is what I am going to tell you about now.
The inverter ring is indicated for people who have a lot of patience and a desire to spend some time taking photos without knowing what will come out of there. And it is not at all recommended for lovers of sharpness, because this photographic accessory can offer macro at a laughing price and a good time of entertainment, but sharpness is said... better not expect miracles.
In short, if what you want is to try, experiment, play, have fun, entertain yourself and discover new ways of taking photos, this could be your next toy. If, on the contrary, you already have it clear and you are looking to do macro seriously, to the point and with clarity, it is better to look for a specific macro objective.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE INVERTER RING
Some of the advantages we have already seen, it is cheap to rage and offers you the possibility to experiment and have a good time playing. On the other hand, we must also say that it is an accessory that does not take up anything and weighs very little, so it is a very good option to carry in your backpack on your getaways and experiment.
Regarding the drawbacks, in addition to needing a lot of light, you lose all connections with the camera, that is, you cannot use the autofocus or adjust the aperture.
HOW IS THE INVESTMENT RING USED?
The reversing ring is attached to the front of the lens like a filter, then mounted on the camera on that side.
As I have mentioned in the drawbacks, with this gesture we lose the connection between the lens and the camera, therefore you have to take into account that you will not be able to use autofocus. Focus is fully manual, and when I say manual, I mean manual. That is to say, you have to move yourself and move the camera until you find the focus point, this is sometimes complicated, even more so with such a limited depth of field.
Another issue is that, in this way, the shot occurs at the maximum aperture of the lens, that is, if you work with a lens whose maximum aperture is f/1.4, it will always shoot at f/1.4 with the shallow depth of field that this entails . Unless you use a lens with rings that allows you to manually change the aperture.
Some people use an adapter to be able to modify the aperture, but we are already getting into accessories that go beyond the price of the inverter ring and it is not the objective of this article, but rather to tell you how to try macro photography spending the least amount of money.
WHAT KIND OF PHOTOS CAN I GET WITH THE INVERTER RING?
So that you can see what you can achieve with an investment ring, it is best that I give you some examples. I am going to show you a comparison of photographs taken with a 50mm 1.8 in its normal position (left) and with the lens inverted using the inversion ring (right).
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Snail photographed without inversion ring -
macro snail with inversion ring
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Without reversing ring -
with investment ring
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no ring -
with ring
With this comparison I am not trying to show that one photo is better than the other, now we are not assessing this aspect, but the level of approach and magnification of the subject with a normal lens (other than macro) without and with an inversion ring. As you will see, the difference is abysmal.
RECOMMENDATIONS WHEN PHOTOGRAPHING WITH AN INVERSION RING
I have already told you that the inversion ring also has its difficulties, I bring you some recommendations that can help you make your session more fruitful.
- Do it without haste, it's about playing and experimenting, it takes time to find the point, so it's better to jump in when you have a quiet time.
- If you don't see anything when you look through the viewfinder, it's normal, look for the reason, it's under there, and get very close.
- Choose a place with a lot of light, the closer you get to the subject, the less light will enter. You can also use artificial light, if you have an external flash it may be a good time to use it. You can also help yourself, for example, with an LED light.
- Be careful with external lighting and hard lights, you can always resort to diffusers, professional or homemade.
- The most commonly used lenses are those with fixed focal length and standard focal length. This does not prevent you from trying your kit lens, because you can also achieve very interesting results. The ones used in this article are the 24mm f/2.8 and the 50mm f/1.8.
- The ideal is to photograph static subjects, especially with large apertures where it is very easy to lose focus. If you are going to photograph bugs, it is better that they are asleep, that they have no activity or that they are not alive (if it is not a problem for you). When photographing plants, run away from the wind. You can use something that slows down the air, however, keep in mind that the slightest breeze can make you lose focus and remember that depth of field is quite critical here.
- If you can, use a tripod to avoid shakes, especially if your pulse is less stable than the Euribor (as is my case); or if the lack of light leads you to resort to slower speeds to achieve a correct exposure. For the same reason, use a remote shutter release, remote shooting app, or even the camera's timer, any mode other than directly pressing the shutter button because this also causes shake.
- Check out these tips on macro photography , especially if you've never done anything macro.
- Some ideas to experiment with macro photography: abstract, plants, textures, insects.
- The shorter the focal length, the closer you can get and the higher the magnification. Let's see it with an example.
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50mm with reverse ring -
24mm inverted (without ring)
BEFORE BUYING A REVERSING RING
When you go shopping for an investment ring,It is important that you take into account the diameter of the objective with which you are going to use it, because you cannot fit any ring with any objective. That is, if you plan to use it on your Nikon camera with the king of lenses, which is 58mm in diameter, you have to buy a 58mm diameter reversing ring, note that this has nothing to do with the 50mm focal length. If this thing about the numbers and the "mm" confuses you, be sure to read this article where we explain the terminology and abbreviations of the objectives. You should also check that it is compatible with the brand of your camera, in this case Nikon.
For example, for the case that we have mentioned above it would be this.
In my case, I have used this other one, because I bought it for my Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens that has a diameter of 52mm.
PRECAUTIONS
Considering that you are flipping the lens and exposing a part that is designed to be protected, you must be extra careful with your lens. That is, be careful with dust, splashes, scratches or friction, for example. There are do-it -yourself photographers who make a protector with a filter attached to the lens cap thread, for example, or who use an extension tube.
It is also convenient that, after a session with the objective inverted, you clean the equipment. It's easy for specks of dust to fall and end up inside the camera directly or indirectly when you return the lens to its natural shape.
To remove it, do it as you would with any other lens, press the little button to remove the lens and turn to unscrew. So it doesn't happen to you like it did to me when I first put the reverse ring on my old 450D camera, I couldn't get it off, it was stuck.
Inexperience left me with the lens removed and the reverse ring on the camera, with no way to unscrew it. Yes, I pressed the same button that you have to press to disengage the lens and nothing. One color left me and another came. Such was the desperation that I saw myself with a pair of pliers in my hand (I'm a bit of a donkey sometimes, I admit it). Luckily I also have a point of lucidity from time to time and I found the solution with an opener of this type.Hey, well it worked perfect and I was able to remove the ring without any collateral damage. It doesn't have to happen to you, but, if it does, you already know a trick to remove it ? .
MACRO WITHOUT MACRO AND WITHOUT RING
You should know that you can do this without a reversing ring. The drawback, in addition to the dirt that can get inside while shooting, is that you have to hold the lens at the same time as the camera and take the photo. I put some sample images, from different angles:
If already with the inverter ring it is difficult to find the focus, imagine without it, trying to prevent your objective from falling to the ground. Hard? A little. Impossible? Not at all, this is a test (the centipede with the 24mm another).
If macro photography has ever caught your attention but you have seen it too far away, this is your opportunity, there are no valid excuses anymore. With or without a ring, you just need desire and time to invest . If you see that the macro is your thing, if you have a tremendous desire to magnify everything and immortalize what our eyes cannot see with the naked eye, then it will be time to acquire a good macro lens, because you will know that you are going to squeeze it.
Have you already tried the investment ring? Do you want to tell us about your experience or share a photo of the result? We will love to read you. And if you found this article useful, please share it on your favorite social network. Thanks and see you soon.
