Micro Photography, Analog Reverse Ring Macro Setup

Micro Photography: Reverse ring analog macro setup with a Super-Takumar 55mm f/1.8 mounted on an Olympus OM-2S.

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A belated post. My first try at doing reverse ring macro photography on film, after having done the same with the Super-Takumar 55mm f/1.8 reverse mounted on the Olympus Pen E-P5 earlier on. For the session, I had the lens reverse mounted on the Olympus OM-2S instead.

This setup was simpler as all you need is the reverse ring adapter, which now attaches straight to the lens mount of the OM body, and the lens reverse screwed to it. Color characteristics of the images were quite similar in both setups, with magnification half that of the digital capture.

Olympus OM-2S, Super Takumar 55mm f/1.8, Reverse Ring

As can be seen from the images, the handling of the film negative strip during development and the subsequent scanning session shows a fair amount of shoddy work, which, of course, could have been better.

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Micro Photography, Digital Reverse Ring Macro Setup

Micro Photography: Digital reverse ring macro setup with a Super-Takumar 55mm f/1.8 mounted on an Olympus Pen E-P5.

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An inexpensive way to get close-up macro images without the need to use macro lenses is to use the reverse lens macro photography technique. The technique calls for the lens, a manual focus prime lens with an aperture ring control, to be mounted on your camera in reverse, i.e., with the front end facing inward towards the body of your camera.

These lenses are normally mounted via an adapter that has your camera's lens mounted on one side, and a screw thread equal to the diameter of the lens on the opposite side.

With the setup, however, there are no mechanical or electrical linkages between the lens and camera. A lens is an independent unit functioning on its own. This means that while you have access to the shutter speed of the camera, aperture control is managed by the stopped-down method.

Olympus E-P5, Olympus OM Adapter MF-2, Olympus OM/49mm Reverse Ring, Super Takumar 55mm f/1.8

For my learning setup, I am using a Super-Takumar 55mm f/1.8 lens, mounted to an Olympus OM/49mm reverse adapter, which is mounted to an Olympus OM Adapter MF-2 before it is fitted to the Olympus E-P5 body. It may sound a bit long-winded, but the constraint of what you have in terms of the bits and pieces required for the setup does make sense, and it works.

Olympus E-P5, Olympus OM Adapter MF-2, Olympus OM/49mm Reverse Ring, Super Takumar 55mm f/1.8

That's it for starting out images as posted, which were shot handheld. A fair amount of post-processing and print-sharpening edits were needed to get them to where they are, with the main concern being the light loss with a smaller aperture opening for the slight gain in depth of field. Shooting in a well-lighted environment, using a tripod to stabilize the camera, and setting shutter speeds that will eliminate camera shake are other concerns you should be aware of. More on that later.

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M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro, In The Garden

Micro Photography: Image making with an Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro, in the garden, is that a begonia?

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The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 60mm f/2.8 macro lens is fairly lightweight (it weighs in at 185g) and has a fixed focal length equivalent of a 120mm lens on a 35mm film camera. It is of dust-proof and splash-proof construction, and its design incorporates 13 elements in 10 groups and uses ED (Extra-low Dispersion), HR (High Refractive index), and E-HR (Extra-High Refractive index) glass.

The lens is also equipped with a high-speed Imager AF system. Imager AF is acquired by way of contrast detection and generally focuses on the subject nearest the lens. This lens is designed for everyday shooting with an emphasis on macro photography.

Olympus E-P5, M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro

A small dial on the lens allows it to be operated in either traditional or macro mode. All said and done, this 60mm macro is easy and fun to use. Looking forward to another session soon.

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