An experiment is underway…well, as soon as all the parts come in. I saw this video post on vimeo a while back, which inspired me: http://www.vimeo.com/373255
Since then, I have been wanting to try this with my own cameras, both video and DSLR, which unfortunately requires multiple parts in addition to the 35mm lenses, due to the vast differences in digital photography and digital video.
Here’s the deal…that video is shot by reversing the lens on your camera. What do u mean by “reversing”? Well, just that…physically flip it around, and mount the lens backwards on a camera. Just don’t let some wedding photographer see you do this…he will be quick to judge you, saying you’re an idiot, laugh at you, and walk away. But don’t be discouraged…people laugh at what they do not understand 
Anyway, ever looked through the wrong end of binoculars before? Same effect, this will allow us to take macro video and photo without having to buy a “macro” lens basically.
PHOTO
So, for still photography I have a Canon 40D with the standard EOS mounting system. How do I mount my lens backwards? Well, I had to buy a “reversing ring” on ebay. This was the first of multiple purchases I was about to make, bu tthey are all around $4-$6 shipped, so don’t worry; you can have fun with this on a budget. Since the only non-zoom len I have is a Sigma 30mm f/1.4, I bought the neccessary reversing ring for that lense. Since the lens has a 62mm thread size on the front, I had to buy a 62mm reversing ring for Canon EOS mounts (below).
Now, on that part that is facing up, that is where I will attach the body of my camera, and on th eother side is where I will screw the front of my lens into. So the lens, once mounted, will have the small glass portion and metal mount facing out (normally the side up against the body)
Here are some samples of reverse-lens macro photography that I should be able to achieve with normal lenses reversed:
CloseUp Slug:
Back of a penny:
I just think it is amazing the amount of detail you can get from the shots…like you are intimate with the object, and have been shrunken down to get close enough to capture this magnificent picture of something so tiny. I think this also appeals to people because it shows the detail that we cannot see with the naked eye, so it’s like seeing something common for the first time all over again…like this reverse-macro photo…
The photo above was made by reversing a Macro lens. A 200mm Macro lens reversed will give you a HUGE increase over normal macro photography. For now, I only have a 30mm to play with, so hopefully I can still capture some fun images.
VIDEO:
Now, on to video…this is a little bit more complicated, but the same concept. I have two video cameras. The Canon HV20 (small sized prosumer) and the Panasonic HVX200 (medium sized professional). Unlike my DSLR camera, the lenses on my video cameras are hard-mounted, meaning non-removable, so we will be mounting lens to lens. Also, my 30mm lens has a 62mm thread, while my small video camera has a 43mm thread size, and my HVX200 has a 82mm thread size. Fortunately there is such a technological advancement known as the “step-up” and “step down” rings…
These rings allow you to mount add on filters/lenses of differing sizes to your current camera by using one of these step-up/down rings inbetween your camera and target lens/filter. It is always best to buy add on’s that are already your current thread size to reduce having to use step rings, but when neccessary, these step rings allow you to mount non-natively threaded items (like a 62mm lense on a 43mm existing lens).
So, for the small camera, our target lens is still the 30mm lens with a thread size of 62mm. That obviously will not screw into the HV20′s 43mm size, plus there would also be a female-to-female thread issue. Ok, I would not recommend using more than 2 step up/down rings at a time, and you will lose quality and have other issues. So, for the small 43mm threaded video camera I bought a 43-52mm step-up-ring, then a 52-62mm step up ring. The first one is male-to-female, and the second one is male-male, respectively. The second oen has to be male-to-male because we are mounting the lense backwards, and it has female threads. Sorry, female-to-female doesn’t work. Well, I guess in some states it does…Ok, moving right along!
Now for the big camera, 82mm thread size, I was able to find a 82-67mm step down ring, and a 67-62mm step down ring. Again, the second one is male-to-male. I looked for a 82-62, to eliminate the need for another step, but they do not make them with that big a gap, so I had to buy two.
One thing to remember when shooting, is that your depth of field will be EXTREMELY narrow. By “extrememly” I mean around 1 inch max. Also, the smaller the lens you use, the closer to your subject you will have to be. I think with a 30mm or 50mm, it is like 2-4 inches…which means I probably will not get many close up bug shots, unless the bug is dead or doesn’t see me (unlikely), but I will try anyway. With a 200mm or 300mm lens I have a working distance of about 15 feet using this reverse-macro technique, so you can guess what my next lens purchase is going to be.
Here is an example of how narrow the depth of field is using this method.
Notice how the only area truly in focus is the bug’s head, and anything farther back from the lens, as well as close, will be out of focus.
Now, another thing regarding lenses…many people have the old Canon 50mm lens, which has a 52mm thread size I believe, which will work too, just make sure you buy the right step up/down rings for the lenses you already have. If you do not have any lenses, the Canon 50mm is a good start since it is only around $60-$80. My 30mm f/1.4 lens was $450, so if you are looking to do this on a budget, go with the 50mm lens. You will still get good results.
Sigma 30mm f/1.4 (with EX glass)
the cheaper (but decent) 50mm Canon f/1.8
Alright, so that covers how to do this, and what items I had to order. There were six items altogether. 2 step down rings for the big video camera, 2 step up rings for the little video camera, then 1 reverse mount ring for the still camera. I will post again with my results…proably will take a couple weeks, somce of these rings are coming from overseas, cause I bought the cheap ones, like $5 each shipped. You can go into a local camera shop and get them faster, but they will be like $10each+tax and all.
Tags: canon 40d, canon hv-20, canon hv20, dslr, hv20, hvx 200, hvx200, macro, macro photography, panasonic hvx-200, panasonic hvx200, reverse, reverse macro, reverse macro photo, reverse macro photography, reverse macro video, reverse macro videography, reverse ring, reversing ring, ring