Here are some photos I took using the Olympus C-2040z zoom camera. The first three are close ups of red ants, which I raise in an artificial nest.  (They are about 5 mm long.) The last two are of small moths. I photographed them next to a light outside my building. At midnight!

I used a simple lens placed over the Olympus C-2040's zoom lens.  I just used a section of tube from a roll of paper towels and glued the lens to one end. Then simply slid the other end over the camera lens, like a sock. This also worked with a microscope, although there are a lot of problems with glare and I only managed to get a couple usable photos through the microscope.

Interestingly, my older 1.3 megapixel Olympus D-360L takes better quality photos through the microscope, but the Olympus C-2040z, which is a 2.1 megapixel camera, really does well in the macro arena.

Comments to the author David Young are welcomed.

Note on making a homemade adaptor for the Olympus C-2040z: The paper towel tube the author used was just the right diameter to fit easily over the camera lens.  A couple of layers of paper or tape can be used to adjust the inner diameter of the adaptor for a tighter fit. This is a simple but effective adaptor and a lot cheaper than factory made adaptors!
Warning: Before attaching adaptor, the camera lens must be in the telephoto position, with camera already turned on, i.e. as if you were going to take a regular photo. The adaptor must be removed before turning the camera off.   Otherwise the paper tube may get caught between the lens and the camera housing as it retracts back into the camera. Potentially causing damage to the motor etc.

 
 

Images by the author.

(Editor's note: To fit in the web page, the author's master images have been resized
and sharpened a little to correct softness introduced by resizing.)

 

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