Turn Any Manual Lense to Macro Lenses (with 3D Printer)

If you ever wanted to try macro photography with your SLR or DSLR and you did not want to buy specialized lenses or expensive tubes, this instructable is for you!

As you probably figured out, some D/SLRs are better when you want to attach some of the old(er) manual lenses, even though they usually can be purchased at a very low price. One of my friends is envious of me for a few years because I was able to buy an old Japanese 200mm tele-lenses with fixed f/4 for 20 USD and mount it up to my Canon camera, since it has an m42 mount and right focus distance... Each camera manufacturer has a specific distance from the chip/film to its lenses so the image can be properly focused. So does every lens manufacturer (or mount type). So some camera bodies are more versatile than others.

Good news is that this will not apply in macro photography!!!

Side note:

This is my first ever instructable. I will appreciate any comments and constructive critiques. I want to share what I have learned so other people can enjoy creating, using, and in this case taking photos in a new and exciting way!

Supplies

For this to work, you will need:

manual lenses
d/slr camera
3D printer
3D model for your camera, some selection is foundable on ThingiVerse, but there are others

In this instructable, I will specifically use:

Canon EOS 40d (released 2007)
Canon EOS 250D (released 2019)
Helios m42 58mm f/2 manual lenses
Adapter m42 to Canon (without chip)
Anet A3 (Prusa i3 clone)
3D printed macro tube designed by SkyRzn

Step 1: Learn From My Mistakes

I will start at the end, and sum up what I would do differently:

DO NOT prin the tube in color, use black and white. You will assume you will have time to print it again, or coat it. But it needs to be a bit worn out after printing, and that takes some time.
Learn what type of old lenses are good for your camera type (like Canon - m42 or C mount) and pick the one that can cover your chip. There is a lot of good cheap lenses on the internet! Especially eBay.
It is better to combine more of the shorter tubes, then print the long ones. The print will also have better quality.

Step 2: Lenses With Adapter

Try out your lenses with an adapter. The goal is to try out if your camera will allow you to shoot in some of the automatic modes, or you will need to shoot in manual mode. This will be different for each model.

Some of the adapters come with an integrated chip, so your camera can load up some spooked info like shutter. However, this will not be available during macro shootings.

Step 3: Print the Tubes

Select out the printable tube that comes best with your camera, and print it 2-3 times. You will be both able to select the best print and have a possibility to extend your tube.

Most of the 3D printable tubes I have found had instructions for print settings, so it is best to use them.

Step 4: Tube and Lenses

The first thing after you print a few of your extension tubes is to clean them and combine them a few times together. You will not want a small filament part jumping in the insides of the camera body.

After that, you can try to put the tubes first on the lenses (with adapter), and then connect the whole thing to the camera body. IF IT DOES NOT GO SMOOTHLY, clean the print a bit more, and try to wear up the mechanical connections using the other printed parts.

The general rule is, the further the lenses are from your camera (the more tubes you use), the bigger the magnification you will get.