Customer Reviews

Fotodiox 58mm Filter Thread Lens, Macro Reverse Ring Camera Mount Adapter for Canon EOS 1d,1ds,Mark II, III, IV, 5D, Mark II, 7D, 10D, 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, 60D, Digital Rebel xt, xti, xs, xsi, t1i, t2i, 300D, 350D, 400D, 450D, 500D, 550D, 1000D

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It is a passive device. Remember that by default when you use the reversed lens, your lens is wide open giving you a very narrow depth of field. I used this with my MM F/1.4 where the focus is set to infinity. I can get real close (2/3 inches) from the subject and get a full frame shot of a point on your subject. Your lens should be MM filter size. You need to be careful with the following.
1. You are exposing the back of your lens. when you get too close to the subject, make sure you are not knocking anything off with the back element. (hope someone comes up with a back element protection filter {I am planning to make my own}).
2. Most probably you will be moving in and out to get the focus from the subject. If your light source is too close it can cast a glare. (Not sure you can find a lens back side hood)
3. Be careful with the lighting. TTL metering works, but if I experienced some blown out highlights when I was not careful with the lighting.
4. Macros of moving subjects is almost impossible (both to maintain the focus by moving the whole camera with the subject and not to scare away if it is a living object are going to be hard)
Check the pictures that I have uploaded. Image description starts with "Gayan's...". If you have time I have the full setup detailed on my site [...] | Reviews section.
Enjoy the real cheap macro photo accessory.
Please also note that this will not replace a dedicated macro lens. (that will give you distance from the subject, control over f stop (and DoF) and focus).

Works great with my cheapo 18-55 Canon kit lens for shooting incredible macro photography.

Great build quality.

I don't have the funds for a macro lens, and after seeing other work using this type of product, I decided to try this myself. Sure glad I did!

The first time I put it on, I was disappointed because I could not bring anything into focus. So I hopped online, searched for how-to's, and did some reading. The next day, I attached it again with my new understanding of how to work things, and behold - beautiful macro!

Things I learned from my online research that helped me:
- fixed lenses work best, I used my 50mm 1.4 on my Canon 5D
- dial down the aperture to your desired setting while the lens is attached to the camera normally, shut off the camera, remove the lens, then attach with the reversing ring... all electrical connections with the lens are lost when it is reversed, so you must set it how you want it before detaching
- be sure to switch to manual focus on the lens
- be careful, the glass of the lens is exposed when in reverse!
- shift your camera forward and backward to get the focus you want - manual focus only does so much, and then it's all about positioning
- take lots of shots, the *very* shallow dof can be just a tiny bit off but it's hard to see in the viewfinder, so a lot of shots ensures you greater chances of getting the shot you want
- use a tripod if you want stability, but I used my camera in-hand and had fine results

I'll add a picture I took of some red, white & pink heart sprinkles to the product photos above so you can see how all this came together! For the price and all the fun experimentation options, I would highly recommend this item.

let's you get real up and close to your subject and manually focus your lens to get great shots !!!

I had the opportunity to try out some real macro lenses from a professional friend of mine recently, and I found that this ring with a 18-55 KIT LENS reversed vastly *outperformed* my friend's $400 or something 100mm macro EF lens.

I imagine that a macro lens is a bit easier to use since you can electronically adjust the aperture and such, but A) Autofocus on a macro is silly and unnecessary most of the time anyway, since the DOF is so tiny you need to artistically choose the focus yourself most of the time. B) You can still set aperture on a reversed lens by putting it on straight, hitting aperture preview on the body, then unmounting it and reversing it. C) most importantly, the $400 lens only magnified up to life size (1:1), whereas I calculated at least 5X magnification (without any noticeable aberrations) using the reversed kit lens (at reversed 18mm)! The stamped date on a penny alone took up almost the entire frame on my T2i.

This item is fantastic and is NOT just a "toy" or "beginner's" version of a macro lens. It is better in many respects than the "real thing," and it costs FIFTY times less!! Yes, the sales tax alone on a 100mm EF Macro would cost several times as much as this product, for lesser results.

The only reason I can think of for needing a "real" macro lens is if you want to go take pictures of really shy, rare, living insects in the field, that require a longer focal length and speedier aperture, etc. But if you are shooting inanimate objects or dead insects, buy this item instead.

BONUS: This also makes a fantastic, strong, metal mount for homemade lenses. I sanded down the outside of a 1.5" PVC plastic pipe, and it fit right into this ring with gorilla glue, allowing me to make a great focusable, rugged, 170mm prime lens for under $20 that I could probably drop off the roof of my house with no problems.

Exactly as advertised. Well constructed. As long as you know its limitations, this is a fun gadget for toying around. Life size (1:1 macro) images are possible when used with a 50mm lens. Wider lenses provide more magnification. I tried it out with Canon's 18-55, 50 1.4, and 85 1.8. I don't think the adapter is designed to work with telephoto lenses, since the results with the 85 were miserable (but I had one handy so i gave it a shot). The best results came from the 18-55. The slow aperture of the kit lens helps the depth of field, and the zoom range is as good as it gets for the adapter's design. Plus, a light weight lens won't put much strain on the adapter. Working distance form the camera to the subject ranged from about 4 inches for the 50mm lens to nearly touching the subject with the kit lens at 18mm. Moving the camera back and forth to focus is a little tedious. Depth of field is remarkably shallow. I used a tripod and I think one is mandatory to get reliable results. Someday I will get a real macro lens for close shots of subjects larger than a postage stamp (24mm wide was the largest subject I could fit in the frame). Until then, I'm sure the Fotodiox adapter will be reliable although somewhat inconvenient.

I bought this ring after read a photography book, I used it with my canon 18-55mm lens and is amazing how close the objects can be seen. It's a must for macro photography. You will need a tripod also.

For $15, this cannot be beat. It allows me to actually get CLOSER than a true macro lens would. The only downside, is it is very hard to focus. For those who are worried about no aperture setting, I believe there is a way to change it, though I have yet to test this theory. The theory is, change your aperture using M or Av mode, hold the DoF preview button [Sorry, a little spider just stopped by for a photoshoot, so I got out my reverse lens and took some shots] (the little button below the lens removal button) while taking the lens off and it should lock in that aperture. Anyways, for the price, these cannot be beat. I love it. I plan on using it a lot.

You can spend hundreds or thousands of dollars in a macro lens, or you can spend less than $10 to turn your current lens into a macro lens. It's a good way to start playing with macro photography without spending a lot of money.

This thing is really easy to use: adjust it to your camera, then take your lens reverse it and insert it. Using your lens for macro photography is another deal: as it is reversed, you don't have autofocus, everything is manual. You might also want to get a tripod, as focusing small objects is hard.

So, in conclusion, if you're thinking of trying out macro photography, buy this first (if you already own a "normal" lens). I'm guessing that if you'll like it, you'll be buying a good macro lens in a few months....but if you don't like macro photography, your mistake will only cost you a few dollars.

58mm Reverse Mount Adapter for Canon EOS 1d, 1ds, Mark II, III, 5D, Mark II, 10D, 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, Rebel t1i, xt, xti, xs, xsi 300D, 350D, 400D, 450D, 500D, 1000D

Neat adapting ring to make your regular lens into a macro type lens. It gets extremely close up, so you have to play with it at first. Only objection I have is that you are not able to leave it attached to the lens and us a lens cap (or for that matter - any other lens attachment such as a polorizing lens) for regular shooting. In other words - have the ability to switch back and forth from regular lens shooting, to close up shooting by just reversing the lens.