Horseman press release: Direct Source Marketing (DSM), the sole U.S. distributor of Horseman photo products for professionals and high-end consumers, today announced unique multi-coated conversion lenses for DSLR cameras. [Of course they should work on any film body, too. — ed] "What makes the Horseman lenses unique is that they provide wide-angle and macro photography [...]

There’s a nice roundup of DIY macro photography hacks for above and blow sea level at MAKE Blog.

Check out Flickr member Muzzlehatch‘s instructions for making a "light bouncer/diffuser for a camera-mounted external flash to use on macro shots". Here’s the first step, be sure to view all the steps in the MuzzBounce™ Ghetto Flash modifier set. Via Strobist

"The following is a tutorial on how to create an extension tube / reverse mount for a standard 18-55mm lens using common plumbing supplies found at your local hardware store… Reversing the lens using a ‘reversing ring’. This special adapter attaches to the filter thread on the front of a lens and makes it possible [...]

From Nikon’s press release: "Nikon Corporation has launched the AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED, the world’s first macro lens equipped with Nikon Silent Wave Motor (SWM) and Vibration Reduction (VR) systems. "The new lens offers a host of Nikon’s advanced optical features and technologies such as Nano Crystal Coat, Extra Low Dispersion (ED) glass [...]

Ring flashes are circular flash units that mount around the lens and produce flat, even lighting. They’re generally used for macro photography and were popular for fashion photography in the 90s. As they’re quite expensive, these two articles on how to make your own are quite handy. Both have solid step-by-step instructions. First is a [...]