Macro Photography : Reverse lens Technique

Reverse lens technique is one of the cheap technique for macro photography. Some photographers buy dedicated macro lens or they click photos in a macro mode in their camera.  For some of them ,buying a dedicated  macro lens may not be affordable and clicking photos in a macro mode may not give them enough magnification. There are various inexpensive techniques for macro photography and one of them is REVERSE LENS TECHNIQUE.

What is Reverse Lens Technique?

As the name suggest , reverse lens technique is mounting the lens  backward on to the camera. By doing this the magnification of the lens increases. In this tutorial we will discuss how to reverse a 50 mm prime lens.

 

Equipments

1) A DSLR camera
2) A lens you want to reverse mount.
3) A reverser ring.

 

Steps to reverse a lens.

1) Attach a reverser ring to the front element of the lens using filter thread.

2) Detach the lens and mount it backwards.

 

Reverse mount

Disadvantages

1) When you reverse mount a lens, it loses the electronic communication with the camera.So you cannot change the aperture and shutter speed. Autofocus will not work.

2) Lens cannot focus at infinity.

3) Shallow depth of field

4)To focus the subject you have to physically move towards the subject.

5) Reversing lens will lead to accumulation of dust and particles in the sensor.

Examples