jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I can get a reversing ring from Hong Kong for $2.99 with free shipping, or I can buy a Nikon BR-2A ring for about $40.

There must be more of a difference than just plastic or metal, but what would it be?

Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

Precision and durability. This may be important if the cheapie is sloppy or wears and your lens falls off. Oh: and there's probably a prettier finish on the BR-2. I'd not go near cheap plastic for a reversing ring, especially at $2.99.

Cheers,

R.

nyweb2001

I bought a cheapie from Amazon for a couple dollars, made of metal. Seems to work fine.

Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

Light alloy, presumably? Yes, it should survive any normal use, though of course it will wear faster and may bind easier. But I thought the OP was referring to plastic.

Cheers,

R.

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

High-end Reversing rings are made of coated brass, intermediate grade are made of anodized aluminum, and cheap are most often made of plastic.

effrant Loc: New Hampshire

Get the cheap one, you won't use it enough to wear it out....

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Great idea! If I like the results, I can get a "real" one later.

ardensphotos

You will probably never see your reversing ring or $2.99
again. Think about it $2.99 & free shipping ?
From hong Kong the shipping would be more than the ring.
There aint no bargains,Get a good one from a reputable dealer.

Sensei

Takes forever to get some things out of Hong Kong. On the other hand I found items at radio shack for $175, and at a spy shop for $125. That were on line for $39 and $25.

Chances are it won't get much use. The cheaper doesn't seem like much of a risk. Check the deal on shipping, packaging and US duty. You can always get the better one later.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Take a look below.

On a separate, but related, note, I just got a 77mm UV filter and a set of extension tubes for $11.86 (free shipping). Yes, I know shipping from China can take a while, but I placed this order on Dec 3, and received the items on Dec 9. Not bad. My previous China order took ten days.

I could have spent $79 for a Hoya filter, but I'm not taking pictures for National Geographic. I just want something to protect my lens. As usual, when I get a new filter, I'll take a bunch of pics with and without the filter and see if it does any harm.

katie mae Loc: Albany NY area

2 Questions: What is a reversing ring??? Is it for SLR cameras??? Inquiring newbies are....well....inquiring!!! :)

As to China: I'm a beginning beader as well as a beginning photographer. I've been buying beads, via eBay & PayPal, from China for over a year now. I love the 1c auctions with free shipping!!! Average delivery time is most often less than 10 days. :thumbup:

TJ28012 Loc: Belmont, NC

I have purchased stuff from China w/free shipping without any problems. Sometimes gets here quicker than from USA.

Heed effrant's advice. Some plastics are very tough. And since you will be "manual everything" with a reversing ring, you will soon end up with a real macro lens and possibly extention rings.

Whatever you decide, plastic or metal, try to get a BR-3 Ring also, to protect the rear lens element that sticks out enough to invite damage at the close distances you will be at. It allows you to use a filter also. I think these only come in 52MM, as I once tried to find them in a larger size.

henrycrafter Loc: Orem Utah

Let me put it this way:
Suppose you ride a motorcycle.
If you have a ten dollar head buy a ten dollar helmet!
POINT--- The best quality that you can buy is always the least expensive in the long run.

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

A reversing ring has camera body attachment mount on one side, and is threaded on the other, to mount on your lens where you normally mount your filter.

Now you can mount a lens in reverse position, which dramatically increases magnification, but loses all automated function. You must manually focus and adjust both aperture & shutter speed for exposure.

Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

No, not always. If you're not going to use it much, cheap may be OK. I've even known GOOD workmen who prefer to replace cheap tools regularly rather than buy good ones occasionally, because good ones get lost, stolen or covered with cement (a euphemism) before they wear out. Personally, I prefer top quality, but I know I've overbought on many items. It gives me a sense of security, but unless I buy REAL rubbish (Chinese putty metal) it won't break or wear out under the modest usage I give it: I don't really need the Craftsman tools I use to work on the Land Rover a few times a year.

As for the motorcycle analogy, it's diminishing returns. The polystyrene liner in a helmet would be all you'd need in 90% of accidents. A plastic helmet will work in 99% or more. A decent glass helmet goes to 99.9% or more. The logical end of that argument is "Don't ride a motorcycle at all, because it's too dangerous." How much time do you plan to spend riding, and how much falling off?

I speak as one whose wife would be dead without a half-decent helmet (and half-decent was all that would have been needed -- but DON'T ride in Italy, home to the worst drivers in the world); who has been riding since 1966; and who has put over 200,000 km on his BMW R100RS, including 6,000 km on a round trip to Estonia in June this year.

Cheersd,

R.