How to get really close up macro shots using your Nseries camera
For a while I have been wanting to try our something I initially read about at James Burland's Nokia Creative Blog: using a small magnifier to "boost" the macro capabilities of an Nseries camera. Steve Garfield had a go at this too.
The 5 mega pixel camera in handsets like the N95, N82 and 6220 Classic is capable of taking close up shots using the "close up" - or "macro" - scene mode. But the macro capabilities are limited - both in terms of how close you can get and the motifs that can be captured. Sometimes it is simply impossible to get the camera to focus on the object you want to close in on. or macro shots at quite close ranges.
A bit of warning: This is seriously geeky stuff - my girlfriend walked in on me as I was tinkering away with this and asked me what I was doing. I told her I was experimenting with attaching a magnifier to my phone using rubber bands so I could get even more close up for macro shots. She basically just shook her head and left. I think what little confidence she had in me evaporated just there and then…
The magnifier not only works great with still shots, but also when using the camera in video mode. Normally, the 5 mega pixel camera has a focus range of about 10 or 15 centimeters, making it impossible to capture smaller details - like the screen of a mobile phone. As can be seen in the video embedded below, it is possible to use the magnifier for a sort of "video macro mode" that enables recording such details.
About the magnifier used for the shots and video in this post. I was unable to get same kind of Linen tester James Burland used. I tried to find one in three different book shops, without any luck. It would appear I was looking in the wrong places - I should probably have tried my luck in a camera equipment shop. I have later found several different kinds online, including one for cartography and one for stamp and coin collectors - if you want something more professional, take a look at the "Universal Mobile Phone Camera Zoom Lens".
Instead I purchased a credit card sized magnifier that probably does not provide the same level of magnification as the ones listed above (but it is very portable). I think the credit card magnifier only yields something like a factor 2 magnification.
Credit card sized magnifier
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Yes, I am a dork
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The credit card can be used by simply holding it in front of the phone camera lens. If you are prepared to sacrifice some all dignity, you can also use a couple of rubber bands to keep it in place.
Close up mode only, no magnifier
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Magnifier used with close up mode.
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The two images above illustrate how the magnifier can be used to capture the finer details of an object. Both images were shot at the same distance from the object - namely the shortest distance possible using just the close up mode.
Camera is unable to focus on the right object.
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With magnifier, the camera focuses as desired.
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These next two images show how the magnifier can be used to "focus" the camera focus. Without the magnifier, the camera is unable to focus on the desired object (spider) - even using the close up mode. With the magnifier, it becomes possible to get "close enough" to the object for the camera to focus properly.
Lastly, here is a video of how the magnifier can be used with the camera in video mode. In the past, I have been annoyed by not being able to record mobile phone displays.
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August 3rd, 2009 at 21:14
Very cool!