F717 Macro Reverse lens

[jezlyn]

Thanks both to Lynn and R2D2 for your info! I forgot about the difference between the macro coupler and reversing rings; I'd read about it before... sheepish grin I did play around with just holding up the reversed 50mm 1.8 lens to the lens mount on my D70 and took some extreme macro shots of an earring and a blown-glass sculpture ball I have at home... A reversing ring would've helped a lot.

Thanks again for the info! Sometime soon I'll be placing an order to B&H or Adorama.

I think Lynn & I have about identical camera bags! (except for the
828 part that is ;-D )

The 250D (4 diopter) would indeed be a great place to start Josh.
If you want to get closer yet, I think that 6 - 8 diopters hits the
sweet spot. My reversed 135mm f4.5 enlarging lens gets to about 7
diopters. The reversed 50 weighs in at about 15 diopters.

Here is a previous thread that Lynn & I tag-teamed on:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1009&message=10536769

One note to Jezlyn.
The ring used in this application is actually referred to as a
Macro Coupler (for mounting two lenses face to face). The
Reversing Ring is a different animal and usually has a proprietary
bayonet mount for mounting a lens reversed on the (SLR) camera body
(or bellows, etc). Only one lens is used. It can achieve
magnification ratios of up to 3:1 (depending on lens), and is very
effective for SLR & DSLR macro-holics.
R2

Do you have a particular brand/model of reversing ring that you
use? I've been looking for one to use with my Nikon D70 and 50mm
1.8 lens, but I totally forgot it would be useful for my 717 as
well!

Thanks in advance for any info!

I think I will first get the Canon 250D and go from there.

Josh,

If I only had one, it would be a 250D. Make sure you get a 58mm
size...Canon also makes the 250D in 52mm.

As you progress, you may want to add another 250D or a 500D so you
can stack them for more magnification. I chose to get the 500D for
more versatility and slightly less magnification. I can use them
both to get +2, +4, or +6 diopters. With two 250Ds, the only
choices are +4 or +8 diopters.

With a DSLR you will probably get several lenses anyway. You can
always try stacking them at that time if you want. However, a more
popular method for high magnification macros with DSLRs is to use a
long macro lens with a 2x teleconverter behind it. For additional
magnification, you can add an extension tube.

Lynn

--
Good judgment comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgment.

http://www.pbase.com/jekyll_and_hyde/galleries

--
===
jezlyn.smugmug.com

 

[R2D2]

While you're at it, one thing to look into would be a (relatively) inexpensive set of extension tubes. They can double your image size.

If money's tight, there's no need to get an "Auto" set, as most macro like this is done using manual exposure and manual focus.
R2

Thanks both to Lynn and R2D2 for your info! I forgot about the
difference between the macro coupler and reversing rings; I'd read
about it before... sheepish grin I did play around with just
holding up the reversed 50mm 1.8 lens to the lens mount on my D70
and took some extreme macro shots of an earring and a blown-glass
sculpture ball I have at home... A reversing ring would've helped
a lot.

Thanks again for the info! Sometime soon I'll be placing an order
to B&H or Adorama.

--
Good judgment comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgment.

http://www.pbase.com/jekyll_and_hyde/galleries