Cheap DIY macro lens

A cheap super-macro lens for a digital camera - this one in particular fits the olympys 2020-Z digital camera; although you can get by by just holding the maco in front of a camera lens. Just.

Assembly

The assembly is simply a reversed standard 58mm lens off an old 35mm camera with suitable step-down rings and a back-to-back ring (i.e. thread at both ends) that enables the lens to be attached in reverse.

Components Parts

• Standard 58mm lens for a 35mm camera with 52mm filter thread at the end
• The back-to-back stepdown from 52mm to 46mm (original home-made one from two broken filters glued back-to-back and another step-down)
• 46mm to 43mm stepdown ring
• 43mm to 41mm step down and adaptor (from olympus to fit 43mm filters to a 2020 camera)

A few notes

• It's front heavy. Very.
• Set the 58mm to infinity and wides aperature
• The subject need to be a few centermeters from the lens
• Get as much light onto the subject as possible to highest F-stop on the digital camera to maximise the depth of focus
• Zoom as much as possible to reduce vignetting
• It's easy for the lens to cast a shadow onto the subject
• The depth of focus is narrow  

Results