Extreme Macro

There’s a world of details that are too small for even a dedicated macro lens to record – here’s how to get amazing close-ups on a budget

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You don’t need loads of expensive kit to shoot extreme close-up images – there are plenty of budget ways to get even closer to your subjects than you could with an expensive macro lens.

One of the simplest and cheapest options is to simply attach a lens to your camera backwards. this may sound mad, but bear with us… to use this technique you’ll need an adapter ring that allows you to reverse your lens. these low-cost adapters, widely available online, have a bayonet mount on one side and a filter thread for your lens on the other.

As the low price would suggest, these adapters don’t offer an electronic or mechanical connection between the lens and camera, so you’ll have to forget about using any automatic features. there are also some limitations when using the lenses designed for most current DSLRs. these lenses don’t have any form of aperture control, so while you can easily fit them to a reversing ring you won’t be able to choose the aperture.

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