Comments on: Extreme Macro Photography on a budget

By: Simon

Simon — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:21:08 +0000

This is such an amazing article, if I had the tools lying around I would try this out. Actually tempted to run down to the store and buy the bits needed.

By: Ricky Lynn

Ricky Lynn — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:47:38 +0000

Amazing and brilliant! I must say I have not seen anything like this. I’m don’t consider myself very creative but after reading this article, I believe it’s gotten my creative juices flowing! Thanks for this post, the pictures are admirable to.

By: *monk

*monk — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:24:30 +0000

Macro lens that you can make cheaply!
That Is To Cool, Thank you!

By: Harald

Harald — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:13:44 +0000

Found this Website today, submitted it to Hackaday:
http://hackaday.com/2008/11/12/pringles-can-macro-photography/

By: Pringles can macro photography - Hack a Day

Pringles can macro photography - Hack a Day — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:04:10 +0000

[...] [Harald] sent us this sweet Pringles can macro photography hack from way back in 2005. Using a Pringles can and a standard Cannon 50mm MKII lens, they have [...]

By: Wilhelm

Wilhelm — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 11:10:48 +0000

Hi!

This guide has inspired me to building my own one of those nifty devices. Tomorrow, I’m going to buy a Pringles can/jar/container(?), and construct it.

You see, i’m in year 12 in high school, and for my photography class we are doing this double task: one part is a theory report on a photographer in a field of our choosing, the second part is a practical task, to do our own series of photos of the same type as the photographer we’ve researched.

So, I researched away on the internet, looking for cool photographers. At first I wanted to do something about photo-journalism, but living in a town of 18 000 people, not much goes on that would make the front page of the daily bugle… So, I found this dude that does macro photography, of insects. It looked so cool, but then I looked at his gear specifications… $$$$$$$$$ too many dollars.

So imagine how happy I am to have found this site! Just now, after reading your guide, I tested just holding my crappy 18-55mm lens reversed in front of my camera and snapping a picture of a mandarin seed, then the same picture with the lens attached properly. There was a huge difference in how close I could get.

So, thanks to your guide I can build one of those nifty devices and do what I want for my task. Thanks man, you’ve saved my grade! Mad props!

By: Beaten by Dance Photography by Photocritic

Beaten by Dance Photography by Photocritic — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 22:47:11 +0000

[...] The last time I knew little about a topic I ended up getting slightly obsessed, ended up building my own equipment which culminated in writing a book on the topic - so expect a lot more writings, musings, and [...]

By: Bhimender

Bhimender — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:56:16 +0000

What to do if u dont have SLR’s just a simple automatic digital camera and u want to click pictures of Iris (on the eye). Please help.

By: Brice Wolfgang

Brice Wolfgang — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:55:02 +0000

Thanks so much for teaching me how to stop down Cannon EOS lenses! iv been holding my 50mm f1:1.8 backwards for a long time now and iv always envied older/other/better lenses that can be stopped down by hand.

By: Peter Simmering

Peter Simmering — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 07:51:51 +0000

Hi!
A great idea, and I would like to mention that there is also another way for macro, for those of you who have two lenses, preferably differing in focal length:
Put a telephoto lens on the camera. Take a wideangle lens and mount it to the front of the telephoto lens, front to front, so the rear end of the wideangle lens faces out (make sure that the glass surfaces don’t touch each other). If the lenses have the same outside diameter, you can use sticky tape to connect them.
You now have a combination that works just as well, and is even more simple to create.
Enjoy!

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:31:48 +0000

This is a very cool idea. I’m going to try this out on bugs, i bet that would be spectacular.

Thanks for sharing it.

By: Bynx

Bynx — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:50:11 +0000

Just a plain old piece of PVC piping should be useful. Its black, doesnt reflect light and easy to work with.

By: Andy

Andy — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:07:54 +0000

As someone has already mentioned, the inside of the tube should be black-painted, should significantly reduce halo.

By: Jer

Jer — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:04:35 +0000

Actually, most cameras/SLR lenses have a macro mode already. Enough pixels in your CCD and you can get the same result.

By: Christian

Christian — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:21:09 +0000

Beautiful. Now I just need the time and patience to give it a go.

Thanks!

By: T

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 21:05:44 +0000

this is awesome!!
the first picture of the matchhead looks like a chocolate cake or brownie.. it’s making me hungry.. lol

By: Seth Mariscal

Seth Mariscal — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 04:21:46 +0000

I’ve noticed a lot of people commenting on lighting conditions. You may want to consider building a little set. I came across this picture with the explanation. Hope y’all find it usefull!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffclow/318985211/

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 27 May 2008 10:51:05 +0000

Thank you so very much for the article. I have now been messing around with this for a few weeks and annoying the aphids, flies, slugs and spiders in my backgarden. I love extreme macro photography and am learning to see hundreds of tiny animals where before I only saw plants.

By: TopGreetingsCards

TopGreetingsCards — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:19:00 +0000

Good article. Thank you for sharing.

By: Gavin

Gavin — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 23:19:21 +0000

Unfortunately, i don’t have a dslr (i wish i did) but i made my own macro lens based on your directions for my Kodak EasyShare DX6490. I used an old Promaster SLR lens of my moms (70~210mm). The telescopic zoom permits different levels of zoom. I adapted the lens to fit my camera by using a paper cup and a paper towel roll, and then covering it with electrical tape. it just slides on the existing lens on the Kodak. It works wonderfully. Thank you!

By: Photographer Italy

Photographer Italy — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 16:50:56 +0000

Thanks your tips just rock!
You are a genius!!! You make me save al ot of money!!!

By: Bish

Bish — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 01:13:09 +0000

I was looking for some basic pointer in macro photography and I genuinely found some of the above information useful … if anything I realised where I was going wrong with the blurred edges on some of close up shots. But Thanks.

By: Max Ramirez

Max Ramirez — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 22:12:47 +0000

Really amazing, its the most creative and usfull that I found in internet in many time. Really it’s impossible resist to try. I start with a pringles tonight, jejeje. I show you the result in some days.

Thank!

By: jim stewart

jim stewart — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:25:10 +0000

I take macro jewelry photography, so I appreciate this article and will experiment. My main problem has always been the loss of light between the lenses and the subject. I take sometimes tiny gems for my website. If anybody would care to look at my pictures and give me any additional insights, I would hugely appreciate it. I am going forward with an advertisement campaign in early September, and need all the comments I can get regarding the quality of the pictures. I can be contacted through the site with comments. http://www.gemsnjewelry.com. Thank you.

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 01:11:54 +0000

Dude,

You’re f***ing brilliant. I’ve never seen anyone else even attempt that stopping down trick–thanks for sharing it!

By: Scruffy Moo Birthday cards

Scruffy Moo Birthday cards — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 09:01:03 +0000

Helpful advice I have been scanning things up until now with terrible results as our camera has no macro facility but this sound like a good idea. Thanks.

By: Swarovski crystals

Swarovski crystals — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 23:09:13 +0000

Great idea and advice. Going to give it a try any advice for table top lighting on a budget? Great blog I’ve bookmarked.

By: mildendomedia

mildendomedia — Fri, 25 May 2007 14:24:18 +0000

This is an absolutely brilliant idea, I off out to get some tubes and glue right now. I was thinking about hacking together my old broken pentax zoom… but this has given me a better idea. Great Stuff, Cheers !

By: Steve Vise

Steve Vise — Sun, 13 May 2007 16:05:37 +0000

Back in the good old days of photography (real film, screw mount lenses, etc), I made several macro lenses using various lengths of 2″ (50mm) PVC water pipe. Just like you, I would use the body cap epoxied to one end of the pipe, so as to mount it on the camera, and painted the inside of the tube with flat-black paint… I liked using an enlarger lens on the lens side of the tube, as it tended to have more of a flat-field effect than did a normal camera lens. ….. However, I experimented with all kinds of glass on the lens-side of this macro tube, from old folding cameras, etc. ….. I even made a macro lens by stretching a sheet of aluminum foil over the end of the tube and poking a tiny pin hole. Not as sharp as a glass lens, but surprizingly, it was a lot sharper than I thought it would be! (Plus, you have a tremendous depth-of-field with the pin hole…) Great project! I love to experiement.

By: Jas

Jas — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:44:11 +0000

I had a similar softness and glare when I tried a closeup +4 on my sigma 70-300mm and gave up in the end :-(