Crappy Kit Lens To DIY Macro Beauty

by DeJeR on Wed Mar 11 2009

+1 by DeJeR

meeping DeJeR.

LOL, I try this all the time, for some reason it went through... Vas?


Apparently I'm full of magic.

'Tak - You'll have to let us all know how the rebuild goes, from an engineers perspective I don't think this would be too difficult.

It wouldn't be difficult for anyone who can solder and work with epoxy. I'm going to make mine a little more aesthetically pleasing, though.

'Ha(ve) enough sense to have a bulletproof fully manual 35mm camera that can produce kickass pictures from a bowl of fruit in a dim kitchen to horses crossing the tape for a photo finish. (Film+f/stop+shutter speed) come on people you start drilling and have wires soldered on connectors in a camera is a recipe for disaster. Plus if anyone gets a glimpse of your creation of the making of, they'll swear you're either certifiable or wacked out on drugs. Well cause you probably are now stop it! '

The author is an excitable fellow...

...and for the record, the 18-55 kit lens is not a bad lens. Well, it's not as bad as a lot of people on the internet would have you believe.

These are 100% crops from two images I took last summer while out playing golf. Click for bigger.

As you can see, this lens can take some very nice photographs if you know how to use it, which is exactly why I'm not destroying mine to make this macro lens.

Besides, there are plenty of people out there selling broken ones. There are three on ebay right now for under $10. It seems that with the low cost of this kit and the popularity of it, there are plenty of dipmeeps running around dropping these things.

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/180-canon-ef-s-18-55mm-f35-56-ii-test-report--review

Actually the lens is basically meep. Upgrade and you'll know what I mean. My buddy is a wedding photographer and his kit includes a 50D, 5d MkII, and all 'L' glass; you would be amazed at the difference it makes. Technology is king of precise photography.

I have upgraded several times and I still keep this lens in my bag. I don't care how many meep reviews I read about it on the internet, it still takes great shots when used within the confines of what it's capable of. Just like any lens, you have to use it within it's capabilities and you have to know what the meep you're doing with a camera.

My favorite lens is the 50mm f1.8 and my highest quality lens is the 28-105 f3.5-4.5 II USM.

I have several others as well and I prefer older Canon lenses. I also use an old Nikkor 24mm f2 that kicks meep.

I don't buy into the 'L glass or nothing' bunk. I've seen as many meepty shots with L glass as I've seen with any other lens. The gear doesn't make the photographer...

'Any good modern lens is corrected for maximum definition at the larger stops. Using a small stop only increases depth...' --Ansel Adams, June 3, 1937, in a reply to Edward Weston's request for lens suggestions, page 244 of Ansel's autobiography. Ansel was telling him to stop worrying about lens sharpness, since all the ones he was considering were sharp. This was the 1930s. Today even crappy lenses, including plastic lenses on most disposable cameras, are sharp when used properly.

^ Read the whole thing. Ken Rockwell knows his meep.

• Weddings
• Sports
• Concerts

All of which require a fast lens, so you can't just say 'Each lens is corrected for maximum definition at larger stops.' (God bless A.A.'s soul) when the fight is between ISO noise and an aperture.

If you're doing still life or portraiture where you can set up proper lighting or have multiple chances to get the shot right this is no problem, but the majority of what I shoot is moving and you only get one shot.

...and Ansel Adams was the king of long exposures. He practically invented the science of large format majestic photos. meep, he designed most of his camera kit himself.

If you're doing still life or portraiture where you can set up proper lighting or have multiple chances to get the shot right this is no problem, but the majority of what I shoot is moving and you only get one shot.

Maybe you should be using a video camera?

Your bait, it is not well researched and it is not properly placed.

'No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit.' -Ansel Adams

Here are the cliff notes to get you started.

Please enjoy.

We can talk about those amazing super-speed lenses and uber awesome cameras later.

I'm sure you have years of experience to share with us all.

...and when either of us (or anyone we know) can sport a gallery like this with the 'buy L only' theory, I'll be all ears.

...^ THIS... meeping html.

it's a shame rockwell is a complete meepnozzle of a guy, and while there's some good shots in his gallery, there are some meep ones too, but then i'm sure Adam's had plenty of stinkers too.

It's true about lenses though, you can get the same great shot on a $80 lens that you can on an $800 lens, thats not to say the top end lenses are a waste of money, there a perfectly good reasons why they cost more

^ There certainly is. It's because they have less limitations that they cost so much more.

I seriously think you want to meep Ken Rockwell in his camera eye. And I respect Ansel Adams for what he's done for photography, but 95-99% of his work was landscape photography - his portraiture sucks.

Ha ha, I used to know a guy that knew a guy that called himself a wedding photographer too. Does that make me expert?

Buy some L's and put some meep up for us meepers to critique, luva boi.