I pretty sure most of us have an old DVD player lying around and collecting dust. I know I do. Well, if you want to repurpose the outdated, broken or unused DVD player, photographer Raj Khepar will show you how to use one of its parts and make a DIY macro lens for your smartphone.
The project is pretty simple and dirt cheap. You’ll need the DVD player, some adhesive putty, and a screwdriver. Start by dismantling the DVD player. The thing you’re looking for is a small lens which presumably focuses the laser onto the DVD. I remember cleaning that thing with a cotton swab every time a CD wouldn’t work, praying that it would solve the problem. Good times. Once you get the lens, roll some putty into a strip, wrap it around your phone’s camera, and attach the DVD player’s lens on top. The focusing distance with the lens like this is extremely small, and it can even show the cell structure of an onion. It reveals the whole new worlds in everyday objects (like pretty much every macro lens, for that matter). Of course, you can also always buy a snap-on macro lens for your phone, but where’s fun in that? : ) [Make a MACRO LENS for your PHONE! | Raj K Photo]
