More (non-bug) macro!

Reversed Lens + External Flash

End of a USB cable.

Wondering how you're supposed to chase bugs with < 1 mm DOF and a WD of ~ 1 inch. Hmmm.

Interesting, the way its angled you can actually see the front focus and the back focus on the same object.

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Yup... it gets even smaller with extension tubes .

If you manually stop down the reversed lens, you lose a ton of light but you do get more DOF.

I am currently working with a setup similar to this, but I think for bugs i'm finding out that it just isn't practical. As you said, the tiny working distance leaves no room for the bugs! Also, you'll find that most of the time you can't get the entire head in focus, which ruins most shots.

I've heard alot of talk about it, but what does "reversing a lens" entail? Do you just hold a lens backwards over another lens, or over the body opening?

You can actually do either. If you have a spare body cap you can mod it to fit the front of a lens such as a 50mm. It's easier though to reverse a lens such as a 50mm on to another larger lens (say 100mm) as you still have control of the primary lens for aperture etc.
Brian V.

Thanks.. but one more question: Wouldn't that leave only a small circle of the image, instead of a full frame shot? If I hold a lens backwards over another, it gets the surrounding "black stuff" from the lens.

Depends slightly on the lenses used, but no it's not normally a problem as you shoot with the reversed lens wide open and the primary lens is normally shut down to say F11 to get good DOF. I used to reverse a pentax 50mm lens onto my 105mm macro lens quite a lot.
Brian V.

Yup nice narrow DOF trail you have there- one of the joys of macrophotography
It's fine though for bugs around 2mm or less in length
Brian V.

Cool.. Thanks alot! I'm gonna have to try it out. How close do you have to get? (sorry for so many questions)

nice photo, its funny how somthing that looks like its perfectly smooth s all pitted and whatnot.

Unfortunately with reversed lenses you tend to end up with the focus point 1 to 2 cms from the font of the lens- don't attempt to focus with the primary lens focus ring- you just move the camera forweard slowly till you see something
Brian V.