How To Repurpose Your Old DVD Player Into A Macro Lens For Your Phone
Maybe you’re replacing an outdated model, or maybe you’reupgrading to Blu-Ray, but if you find yourself with an unwanted DVD player that’s just gathering dust or sitting half-forgotten in the deep recesses of your home it might be worth salvaging it for parts. Or rather, one specific part. Assuming you have an interest in taking extremely up-close photos with your smartphone and don’t want to buy any attachments for it.
It turns out the optical lens in your (or any, really) DVD player can be removed and repurposed as a macro lens for most smartphone cameras, and all you need is a screwdriver and some mounting putty (3M, Scotch, etc.). The catch is that the DVD player being used as a donor will be out of commission for good — since it will no longer possess a critical component for actually reading discs. So before you attempt this DIY salvaging project make sure that the DVD player in question is definitely not going to be missed.
You don’t have to worry too much about the phone, though. As permanent as the process may be for the DVD player, it’s a lot simpler to undo or switch back and forth with your smartphone. However, a little bit of care is still recommended as you’re dealing with somewhat delicate lenses and electronics and all that.
Dismantling the DVD player
The first thing you need to do is open up the DVD player so you can extract the optical lens. The particular placement of screws and layout of internal components will differ based on the make and model of the player you’re working with, but there are a few basic steps to follow.
Once you’re finished you can get rid of the DVD player, but please be mindful of your state’s laws concerning the disposal of electronic devices.
Using the lens
With the DVD optical lens free of its constraints, using it with your smartphone camera is simple. It essentially stacks on top of one of your phone’s other lenses, so the camera is being filtered through the optical lens. This is where the mounting putty (or adhesive putty) comes in.
While this will allow for some very up-close photos due to the extremely short focus distance, the downside is that the camera is basically seeing whatever the optical lens is seeing — meaning you won’t have as much control over the image focus and zooming in and out won’t accomplish much.
