Who Moved My Macro?

My Canon FD 35-105mm f/3.5 and 70-210mm f/4 both had macro functions. The DX 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 does not seem to have this function, and the manual makes no mention of it.


Turns out, at 85mm (127mm in the full-frame world) the minimum focus distance is about 7". This yields a slightly larger image than the 70-210 in macro mode, which in turn is slightly larger than the 35-105. But I would like to explore something bordering on photomicrography.

So it’s time for my third lens...

Nikon DX Micro NIKKOR 16-85mm f/22G ED

Picked it up new, for less than ten bucks. You won’t find this lens listed on the Nikon website, or anywhere else for that matter. It’s my DX 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED, reversed. Ten dollars bought me a 67mm reverse lens mount adapter. At full extension, it has a diopter of about 8, with a nice built-in lens hood and comfortable working distance. At the 16mm end (fully retracted), it has a diopter of about 42! And, the working distance is still pretty good. It is manual, and it doesn't have and adjustable aperture…yet. Hence the f/22.

First test: handheld, wide open; razor thin DOF

Yes, it works, and it works well. But I’m not too keen on a fixed aperture of f/22, nor having the rear element of my lens exposed (not to mention the CPU contacts). So, knowing how well this will work, I can spring for a Nikon BR-6…

This is a little doohickie that attaches to the front of the lens (previously the rear lens mount), and has a lever to hold the aperture wide open. It will also accept a standard cable release, which is used to control the aperture. Lastly, it has a 52mm filter thread, so you can attach a filter of your choice to protect the lens and CPU contacts. It’s pricey, about the same cost as a premium circular polarizer. But the nice thing is, I only have to buy one of them and it will fit all my Nikon lenses. And if I were to reverse, say, a 24mm f/2.8 prime lens, I’d have a very fast 28 diopter lens.

I do have such a lens, but it’s Canon FD. That would be one way at least of using a Canon lens on a Nikon body (it’s fairly easy to adapt Nikon lenses to Canon bodies, but not the other way around). But, it’s almost as difficult to adjust the aperture on a reversed Canon lens as it is to find the infamous “Macro Hood”, Canon’s version of the BR-6.

I can however use it with any Nikon prime lens, the wider the better as the shortest focal length yields the greatest magnification.

OK, so it’s not really a third lens. But for now, it will save me the cost of one.