When photographers get into an experimental mood, they can sometimes come up with fun and unexpected ways to take photos. Today’s video of Swedish photographer Micael Widell doing macro photography with a microscope lens is a great case in point. Part satisfying his curiosity and part photography challenge, we’re sure custom camera gear makers will find this experiment extra interesting!

In his intro, Widell shared that one of his subscribers sent him a $20 microscope lens and a 3D printed adapter for mounting on a camera. While this combo is best suited for a studio set up, he decided to do it handheld out in the field like he usually does. The main challenge of this setup is the very thin depth of field. With his full frame sensor camera and the 4x magnification of the microscope lens, his widest possible subject is only 9mm. Hence, his decision to do focus stacking.

As he went shooting, he also shared a bunch of tips for those who would like to give it a try. There are definitely better ways to do macro photography than this DIY microscope lens setup. But there’s also no doubt that it’s an inexpensive activity anyone can do in the spirit of creativity and experimentation. What you make out of it is entirely up to you!

Got any macro photography tips and experiments like this to share? Drop them in the comments below, or in our group discussions if you’re already part of the Photofocus Community!