{"id":56706,"date":"2020-06-09T18:35:51","date_gmt":"2020-06-09T16:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.procamera-app.com\/?p=56706"},"modified":"2020-06-10T20:25:04","modified_gmt":"2020-06-10T18:25:04","slug":"diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/","title":{"rendered":"DIY iPhone Macro Lens from a DVD Drive"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h1><b class=\"\">How to Turn One Piece From an Old Computer Into a Strong Macro Lens<\/b><\/h1>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2><b class=\"\"><span class=\"\">This hack allows you to recycle one tiny component from a CD or DVD drive and transform your smartphone into a powerful macro camera<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]During these last couple of lockdown weeks, the entire ProCamera team has been working from home. Team member <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nicolaiboenig\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nicolai Boenig<\/a> found this to be the perfect time for a fun little do it yourself photo project. This challenge allowed him to take photos at home, sort out a no longer operational laptop, and dive into an exciting new genre of iPhone photography.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=&#8221;56739&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; add_caption=&#8221;yes&#8221; css_animation=&#8221;none&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<strong>Q:<\/strong> Why is there a macro lens inside a regular CD\/DVD drive?<\/p>\n<p><strong>A:<\/strong> Inside a CD\/DVD drive or player is a movable component that reads data off the spinning disc. Somewhere in there is a magnifying lens that ensures that the laser is correctly focused. Luckily for us, this little lens is about the size of the current iPhone lenses. By placing the stripped off piece of glass in front of your smartphone camera, you are suddenly able to focus on objects less than an inch away.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=&#8221;56755&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<strong>Q:<\/strong> How did you get a hold of the tiny lens?<\/p>\n<p><strong>A:<\/strong> Since I was stripping an old, broken down laptop that I was going to recycle anyway, I didn\u2019t need to be super careful to not break anything. Most of the work was removing loads of minuscule\u00a0screws. First, I opened up the laptop case, then detached the actual DVD drive, and finally took apart the reading head inside the drive.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=&#8221;56808&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<strong>Q:<\/strong> What did you do next?<\/p>\n<p><strong>A:<\/strong> Step by step, I came across various little glass bits of different shapes and sizes inside the drive. The biggest one of the round shaped elements was the right one for my iPhone 11.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;56777&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;56781&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<strong>Q:<\/strong> How did you attach the little lens to your iPhone?<\/p>\n<p><strong>A:<\/strong> There are various options reaching from adhesive strip to modeling clay \u2013 but in the end I went for more of a \u201eMacGyver fix\u201c: I clamped the lens into a regular bobby pin and simply taped the clip to the back of the iPhone. This enables me to quickly remove the macro lens in case I wanted to take a regular, non-macro photo. This approach also doesn&#8217;t require any plastic tape above or underneath the lens, which would degrade the optical quality. In the end, it\u2019s most important to find a solution that keeps the macro lens exactly in the right spot (which is a matter of a fraction of a millimeter) and doesn\u2019t scratch or harm the built-in iPhone camera.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=&#8221;56729&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<strong>Q:<\/strong> Is there anything to consider when shooting with the DIY macro lens attached?<\/p>\n<p><strong>A:<\/strong> It\u2019s definitely a different experience \u2013 but it\u2019s a lot of fun![\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>First, you have to get used to getting so close to your subject. My fingers on the back of the iPhone would usually touch the subject when taking a photo. Make sure not to bang your lens on your subject (scratches, cracks, residue,\u2026).<br \/>\nTo give you an impression of the magnification and resolution: this is a close up photo of my computer screen displaying the small ProCamera logo up here on the website. You can see that each white pixel of the logo graphic is actually made up of bars of red, green, and blue (RGB).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;56763&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Also, shadow is a major issue. Since you are so close to your subject, you are likely to cast a harsh shadow with your iPhone and\/or your hands. Therefore, it\u2019s favorable to shoot in very bright environments, so that there is a lot of indirect light bouncing around. You can try to add in light from external light sources, but then you are more or less limited to back lighting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;56769&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;56773&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Yet the most challenging aspect is nailing focus, because you are working with an extremely shallow depth of field. Delicate macro subjects \u2013 like flowers \u2013 tend to move in the wind which doesn\u2019t make it easier. You will find yourself constantly moving your iPhone around. Still, getting anything in focus isn\u2019t enough \u2013 most often you will want to have a very specific part of the image in focus, like an eye of a fly or a stamen of a flower.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=&#8221;56721&#8243; img_size=&#8221;large&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<strong>Q:<\/strong> Do you have any tips on how to focus?<\/p>\n<p><strong>A:<\/strong> Besides a steady hand and a lot of patience, ProCamera\u2019s manual focus feature comes in very handy. I generally like to pre-focus on a specific distance and then move the iPhone back and forth to get the desired part in focus. As you can see in the screenshot, the focus magnifier of the manual focus helps you check sharpness before taking a photo. Bear in mind that you can only focus on a certain short range, this means many subjects are simply too big to get enough of them in focus to make them recognizable or photographically interesting\u2026[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;56821&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;56791&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<strong>Q:<\/strong> All in all, did you enjoy this DIY macro challenge?<\/p>\n<p><strong>A:<\/strong> Quite a lot! It allowed me to explore an exciting and beautiful new miniature world that holds a lot of big surprises when viewed up close. Photography can be quite an expensive endeavor, but for this project everything I needed I already had at home![\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=&#8221;56748&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<div class=\"\">For me, the fascination goes beyond the mere magnification. There is something about the dreamy look this tiny lens helps produce. The optically achieved minimal depth of field is very atypical for a smartphone camera. The edge softness and the bokeh \u2013 the aesthetic quality of the out of focus areas \u2013 reminds me of vintage lenses which create unique explosive effects towards the outer parts of the image.\u00a0I\u2019ll definitely keep this little piece of glass and tape it to my iPhone from time to time!<\/div>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator border_width=&#8221;2&#8243;][vc_column_text]Nicolai, thank you for sharing your tips and images with us! To explore more of his photography, go check out his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nicolaiboenig\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Instagram account<\/a>\u00a0(@nicolaiboenig).[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to turn one component from an old computer into a powerful macro lens for your smartphone&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":56796,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[1070,1764,1765,385,979,1761,1762,1763,389],"class_list":["post-56706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-diy","tag-flower","tag-hack","tag-iphone","tag-lens","tag-macro","tag-makro","tag-micro","tag-photography","category-46","description-off"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>DIY iPhone Macro Lens from a DVD Drive - ProCamera App<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Recycle one tiny component from a CD or DVD drive and transform your iPhone into a powerful macro camera\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DIY iPhone Macro Lens from a DVD Drive - ProCamera App\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recycle one tiny component from a CD or DVD drive and transform your iPhone into a powerful macro camera\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ProCamera + HDR - Turn your iPhone into a powerful digital camera\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ProCameraApp\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-06-09T16:35:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-06-10T18:25:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.procamera-app.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/200520_Macro_DIY_Lens_Featured_Image.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Team ProCamera\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ProCamera\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ProCamera\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Team ProCamera\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/\",\"name\":\"DIY iPhone Macro Lens from a DVD Drive - ProCamera App\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.procamera-app.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/200520_Macro_DIY_Lens_Featured_Image.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-09T16:35:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-06-10T18:25:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/f5fd497c3870f674eedc2ad21b095a88\"},\"description\":\"Recycle one tiny component from a CD or DVD drive and transform your iPhone into a powerful macro camera\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.procamera-app.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/200520_Macro_DIY_Lens_Featured_Image.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.procamera-app.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/200520_Macro_DIY_Lens_Featured_Image.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"iPhone DIY Macro Lens - Nicolai Boenig\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/home-2-3-2-2-2\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"DIY iPhone Macro Lens from a DVD Drive\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/\",\"name\":\"ProCamera + HDR - Turn your iPhone into a powerful digital camera\",\"description\":\"ProCamera + HDR is an iOS photo, video, selfie and editing app bursting with state-of-the-art technology!\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/f5fd497c3870f674eedc2ad21b095a88\",\"name\":\"Team ProCamera\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/author\/procamera\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"DIY iPhone Macro Lens from a DVD Drive - ProCamera App","description":"Recycle one tiny component from a CD or DVD drive and transform your iPhone into a powerful macro camera","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"DIY iPhone Macro Lens from a DVD Drive - ProCamera App","og_description":"Recycle one tiny component from a CD or DVD drive and transform your iPhone into a powerful macro camera","og_url":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/","og_site_name":"ProCamera + HDR - Turn your iPhone into a powerful digital camera","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ProCameraApp","article_published_time":"2020-06-09T16:35:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-06-10T18:25:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/www.procamera-app.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/200520_Macro_DIY_Lens_Featured_Image.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Team ProCamera","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ProCamera","twitter_site":"@ProCamera","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Team ProCamera","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/","url":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/","name":"DIY iPhone Macro Lens from a DVD Drive - ProCamera App","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.procamera-app.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/200520_Macro_DIY_Lens_Featured_Image.jpg","datePublished":"2020-06-09T16:35:51+00:00","dateModified":"2020-06-10T18:25:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/f5fd497c3870f674eedc2ad21b095a88"},"description":"Recycle one tiny component from a CD or DVD drive and transform your iPhone into a powerful macro camera","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.procamera-app.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/200520_Macro_DIY_Lens_Featured_Image.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.procamera-app.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/200520_Macro_DIY_Lens_Featured_Image.jpg","width":1080,"height":1080,"caption":"iPhone DIY Macro Lens - Nicolai Boenig"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/diy-iphone-macro-lens-from-a-dvd-drive\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/home-2-3-2-2-2\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"DIY iPhone Macro Lens from a DVD Drive"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/","name":"ProCamera + HDR - Turn your iPhone into a powerful digital camera","description":"ProCamera + HDR is an iOS photo, video, selfie and editing app bursting with state-of-the-art technology!","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/f5fd497c3870f674eedc2ad21b095a88","name":"Team ProCamera","url":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/blog\/author\/procamera\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56706"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56706\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56834,"href":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56706\/revisions\/56834"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/procamera-app.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}