Lens Reversing Ring or Closeup Filters.

[n.a.t.h.a.n]

I'm having Nikon N75 with 50mm1.8D and 70-300mm lenses...I want to

try some macro shots and found lens reversing ring and closeup

filters are cheap investments to get those..

 

Pls enlighten me about difference in quality of photos taken using

reversing ring and closeup filter..

[work-page]

With a close-up filter, the camera and lens will retain all functionality (exposure metering, autofocus, aperture control, matrix balanced TTL flash). There is no light loss.

 

With a reversing ring, the lens is mounted in reverse on the body. This will disable all of the above functions, although centre weighted TTL-flash is still possible. A reversing ring will not work with a G-Type lens that has no mechnical aperture control. On top of this, the focus distance is fixed.

 

W.r.t. quality, it's a mixed bag. The 50/1.8 reversed will give the best pictures by far. Acceptable results can be obtained with proper close-up filters (2 element type filters like the Nikon 5T/6T or Canon equivalents). Single element filters will show abbrerations (color fringes etc..) off the image centre.

 

Another option is an extension tube, though the size differs per lens/magnification combination. 1:1 on a 50mm requires about 40mm extra extension (50mm total). Most of the functionality is maintained, although there is a 2stop light loss.

[work-page]

I forgot, another option still, is to mount the 50mm reversed on the 70-300. In this way, the 50mm is in effect a highly corrected close up filter. Quality depends on the combination at hand, in other words from great to unusable. Not only the optical quality matters here, but also the physical apertures..

[n.a.t.h.a.n]

Thanks Peter for your valuable suggestion..!

-nathan

[frank uhlig]

Another point: closeup lenses (filters) will get your lenses down to 1:2 or such (objects are depicted about half life size on film). Reversing your 50mm lens will give you about 2:1 magnification (twice as big as in reality). So with a close up filter you get a bit closer, with lens reversal (best for a wide lens, 28mm or so) you get actually magnification of your subject.

[alex_lofquist]

If you should mount the 50mm on the front of the 70-300, the magification factor is the ratio of the rear lens focal length to that of the front lens. That would give you a range from 1.4X to 6X. Focussing is best with the 70-300 set at infinity and moving the camera/lenses combination for best focus. The aperture of the 70-300 should be set wide open and control done with the 50mm. There are good optical reasons for doing it this way if you wish to avoid vignetting or uneven illumination.

 

I wonder if the N75 has anything like stop-down metering? Otherwise the exposure is going to be trial and error.

 

You may or may not like the images. I have tried various combinations of many lenses and only found a couple that I considered good. On the other hand, you can have a lot of fun experimenting.

[robert_hooper1]

There are many inconvenient shooting restrictions when using a reversing ring (as pointed out above), although the quality of your resulting photos will be far better than with the use of close-up filters. Edge sharpness on images shot with close-up filters suffers badly.

 

An inexpensive and far better solution for macro work would be to purchase, new or used, a Vivitar 100mm F3.5 Macro lens. Don't let the low price of this lens fool you. The Vivitar 100mm F3.5 Macro is an excellent performer. In this case, you get more than you pay for, in my opinion.

[chris haake]

I've used stacked lenses (50 1.8 reversed on the front of another lens) for closeup work, and the results were marvellous. Very, very sharp. Google for techniques on this. The only potential problem is vignetting, which will depend on the mounted lens. If you use a black background, it won't really matter, though.

 

By the way, some sources suggest controlling aperture via the stacked (front) lens, while others suggest doing it via the mounted lens. I'd opt for the second option, as it's much easier and -- unlike those who opt for the first -- I've noticed no color fringing when controling the aperture via the mounted lens...maybe that has to do with the individual lenses and not the method.

[chris haake]

I forgot to add that using stacked lenses is basically useless outdoors. The high magnification factor makes the picture very, very prone to motion blur. The slightest tremmor will result in a blurry picture. I use the N75, and indoors on a tripod, I've gotten great pics. Outdoors...forget it, even on a tripod.

[Matthew Currie]

One non-optical consideration for reversing rings is that owing to the close working distance and the unprotected end of the lens, it's easy to damage your lens. If possible, I'd recommend the Nikon BR-3 adapter ring, which aside from adding filter threads to the back end of the lens, also helps protect it a little.

[n.a.t.h.a.n]

Thanks friends for your valuable suggestions..!

I will decide on this shortly and will update my portfolio with those pictures.