PC_Advisor_Issue_264_July_2017

Feature: Best photography techniques
A normal 50mm
prime can only
focus so close
22. No macro lens, no problem
Shooting small objects is problematic
because most standard lenses won’t focus
on anything very close. The answer is a
Macro lens, although even these have
limits as to exactly how close they will work.
A cheap workaround that offers amazing
results is a reversing ring that allows you
to attach a lens backwards to the DSLR.
These cost very little, less than £5, and can
allow you to capture stunning macro shots
without a macro lens.
The same 50mm lens with a
cheap expansion ring gets very
close, and very small objects can
look huge in the ultra-macro world
These rings work best with old manual
focus lenses. They can also be found very
cheaply online if you need one. The other
prerequisites include a good tripod, a shutter
release to avoid shake and a DSLR that will
still shoot when it thinks no lens is attached.
As the lens won’t be electronically
connected to the camera, focusing will be
manual, and you’ll need to adjust shutter
speed to achieve the perfect exposure. Top
get enough light into the lens wedge out
the aperture control with something stable,
a blob of Blu-Tack comes in handy.
The rest is about experimentation, and
dealing with having a very small part of the
object in perfect focus. Get all this right,
and you can achieve some stunning results.
23. Use a wide-angle,
prime or telephoto lens
It’s tempting when many DSLR cameras come
with a very good kit lens to just use that and
entirely negate the real reason for owning a
DSLR over a bridge camera. After the outlay
on a DSLR starter kit, further immediate
investment is often the issue.
However, having a decent wide angle,
telephoto and a good prime lens are essential
for anyone wanting to take photography
seriously. What many don’t realise is that you
can get good lenses for many systems at very
low prices, if they accept a few limitations.
Older lenses, some even pre-DSLR, will
usually fit onto a modern body, with the
Using a reversing ring
and some Blu-Tack the
lens can be flipped
90 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/features July 2017