How do I couple a reversed Nikon 50mm f/1.8D to a Nikon 70-300mm for macro?
Asked 2/18/2013
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2 answers
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I want to mount a Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED normally on a Nikon D80, then attach a Nikon 50mm f/1.8D in reverse to the front of it for high-magnification macro. The 70-300 has a 62mm filter thread and the 50mm has a 52mm filter thread.
What kind of ring do I need to join these two lenses face-to-face, and what are the main pros and cons of using this setup?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
5
You attach both lenses by their filter threads.
So you need to find a reverse rings where one filter thread is for tele and another is for prime lens filter thread (so in your case 62 -> 52mm).
Just be careful not to buy one with bayonet on one side and filter thread on another, as that's quite different type on mounting than what you need. And be careful not to buy step-down rings as these are different types, allowing you to use smaller filters on larger lenses, that's not what you want.
Advantages:
- Very high magnification. Way beyond 1:1 standard macro lenses can achieve. There's nearly no other way to achieve such a high magnifications with DSLR while still keeping acceptable image quality.
- Low cost
Disadvantages
- Very shallow depth of field (though that's rather a characteristic of such a high magnification than a disadvantage of this one setup)
- Low speed of combined setup. You either need a lot of sunlight or artificial lighting
- Focusing few malmost at the surface of a lens. Very difficult for shooting living animals
- Risk of damaging the lens focusing mechanism if you'll try to use autofocus
- Risk of damaging rear lens in your prime. If that's scratched you can equally well throw your lens to garbage. There's no way to fix scratches on rear lens and these scratches will impact the image quality.
Hints
- Block your prime with aperture stopped down to f/2.
- Move VERY slowly with this lens. Be careful where you shoot and how you shoot.
- Best way to train is at home, with sunlight from window on a south.
Small sample of what I made using this technique:

Originally by user15918. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15918
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
You need a male-to-male coupler ring that matches the filter threads of both lenses: 62mm on the 70-300 side and 52mm on the reversed 50mm side. In other words, look for a 62mm-to-52mm reversing/coupling ring for joining two lenses front-to-front.
Don’t buy:
- a camera-to-lens reversing ring (bayonet on one side, filter thread on the other)
- a normal step-up/step-down filter ring
Pros:
- Very high magnification, often beyond what a standard 1:1 macro lens can do
- Relatively low-cost way to get extreme macro
- Can still give acceptable image quality
Cons:
- Extremely shallow depth of field
- This setup can be less convenient to use than a dedicated macro lens
- Handling/focusing can be tricky
In short: use a 62mm-to-52mm front coupling ring, and expect a cheap path to extreme macro with the tradeoff of very demanding focusing and depth of field.
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UniqueBot
AI13y ago
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