Cheap ringlight for FZ18 and others

[Doggle Avaddit]

Came across this LED magfnifier in Maplin Electronics for £4 including batteries:




Remove the 4 screws, and the magnifying lens pops out.



Screw back together and put it on the camera - the pink rubber band you can see in the second picture gives it a nice tight fit.



Here's a quick snap of a dead wasp!

[Simples]

What a great idea - and judging from the pic it appears to work! I'm all for money-saving tips

[Chukie]

Thanks for that I will nip in my local for one

[Jason Green]

Evening (What is it? I'm sure you've said... sorry! )

I'll always applaud such ingenuity, it's a great idea and it works too! Does it provide enough light to boost the shutter speed much? I've used a singular LED to try and illuminate a close-set subject but couldn't provide enough. Obviously your idea looks to be up on that!

It would be good to see the resultant photographs taken in woodland, say of an insect at ground-level on a wet day - my worst photographic scenario! I only get 1/10th sec at such times. I'm sure your DIY ringlight would help. I think I'll look into it myself

Take care,

Jason

[Doggle Avaddit]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

Evening (What is it? I'm sure you've said... sorry! )

I'll always applaud such ingenuity, it's a great idea and it works too! Does it provide enough light to boost the shutter speed much? I've used a singular LED to try and illuminate a close-set subject but couldn't provide enough. Obviously your idea looks to be up on that!

It would be good to see the resultant photographs taken in woodland, say of an insect at ground-level on a wet day - my worst photographic scenario! I only get 1/10th sec at such times. I'm sure your DIY ringlight would help. I think I'll look into it myself

Take care,

Jason

Well its certainly worth experimenting with, at that price, Jason.

With this particular camera, getting the best macro shot means getting within a few millimetres of your subject, which invariably means the camera blocks most of the ambient light and the photo is not possible. The LED ringlight makes the shot possible.

[Jason Green]

Have you tried photographing the subject with the original magnifying lens in place - with the glass lens you removed still housed within the LEDs as per the original state you purchased it in?

I once used a magnifying glass placed in front of my prosumer's camera lens housing, as a DIY macro lens. It worked when using the camera's zoom, and I ended up with much closer photos (albeit with CA) and a better working distance between camera and subject.

Let me know if you're interestd in that and I'll dig-out my thread of it.

I only suggest that in case you'd like to try bettering the working distance, as I did.

[Doggle Avaddit]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

Have you tried photographing the subject with the original magnifying lens in place - with the glass lens you removed still housed within the LEDs as per the original state you purchased it in?

I once used a magnifying glass placed in front of my prosumer's camera lens housing, as a DIY macro lens. It worked when using the camera's zoom, and I ended up with much closer photos (albeit with CA) and a better working distance between camera and subject.

Let me know if you're interestd in that and I'll dig-out my thread of it.

I might just give that a go Jason.
Having to get so close to your subject is really rather limiting.

Thanks.

[Jason Green]

Pleasure! Once the Maplin lens is in front of your lens (touching the housing), then use your camera's zoom to about 80% of full deployment. Now just move the camera to about an inch or two of your subject (Still got that wasp?) and and just carefully bring it forwards or back untill you have the insect/other in focus. Be aware of a narrower-than-usual DoF than you're used to! I use manual focus frequently, though Automatic is OK after practice.

The photos may show minor CA, so jut be aware of that. Achromatic glass is best, but not always attainable for the diameter of your camera's lens - it wasn't for me, and would have worked out more expensive than a screw-on lens.

If you really like the results and wish to improve on the quality of resultant images (assuming they're the same as mine were - your camera may get better images ) then consider an Opteka or Raynox screw-on (assuming your camera has a screw thread - if not you may still be able to secure it somehow!) lens - though I think you're the experimental type like me!

Still use your LEDs, the extra lighting will help with focussing/assessing DoF in low-light situations.

I'll find that thread soon.

[Jason Green]

This is one comparison image I took - the first side is with the camera's standard zoom, and the second shows it with the zoom and magnifying glass in place:



...and an Aphid shot:



Generally the thinner the glass you place in front of the camera, the less deformed and sharper the resultant image. Inverted binocular lenses work well too - some are cheap and use achromatic glass.

Whilst they won't always produce the best-quality photos (though all cameras may handle additional glass differently), they're good to play around with, and offer a more workable operating distance between camera/subject than standard macro-modes with the added benefit of closer images in the absense of achromatics.

One last image, subject about 5mm:

[Doggle Avaddit]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

Pleasure! Once the Maplin lens is in front of your lens (touching the housing), then use your camera's zoom to about 80% of full deployment. Now just move the camera to about an inch or two of your subject (Still got that wasp?) and and just carefully bring it forwards or back untill you have the insect/other in focus. Be aware of a narrower-than-usual DoF than you're used to! I use manual focus frequently, though Automatic is OK after practice.

The photos may show minor CA, so jut be aware of that. Achromatic glass is best, but not always attainable for the diameter of your camera's lens - it wasn't for me, and would have worked out more expensive than a screw-on lens.

If you really like the results and wish to improve on the quality of resultant images (assuming they're the same as mine were - your camera may get better images ) then consider an Opteka or Raynox screw-on (assuming your camera has a screw thread - if not you may still be able to secure it somehow!) lens - though I think you're the experimental type like me!

Still use your LEDs, the extra lighting will help with focussing/assessing DoF in low-light situations.

I'll find that thread soon.

Hi Jason,

I tried the lens from the magnifier but it is useless, since it is really only a very cheap piece of plastic.

However, I dug out my Olympus Zuiko 50mm and held it backwards onto the FZ18 lens to get these shots.
Probably a bit too zoomed in and too small a depth of field, as you suggested, for the subject.

This one is as far as you can get without vignetting:



This one is at maximum zoom.




Shots were taken with the on board camera flash, with a sheet of A4 paper sellotaped to the camera and looped over the subject. (the 2 lenses block all direct light from the flash at this distance).



Thanks for the hints and tips!