I was thinking of getting a PIXCO Macro Reverse Ring 46mm from eBay (I'm in Australia).

Cheap as chips, free postage.

Just wondering if anyone has had much experience using these, specifically with the Panasonic pancake primes (20mm and 14mm)? I'm using an E-PL1.

I'm not worried about the money in this case, but just want to make sure there's no danger to my lenses or camera by doing this... And to make sure it will work.

Will it just operate as if it were a manual lens? Will I need to do things like set the aperture, remove the lens with the camera still on, reverse mount it, then take the photo, etc?

Is there a way to calculate what the magnification/focal length will be when you reverse a lens?

Thanks in advance... :)

The Panasonic lenses are "focus by wire" lenses which means that they need an electronic wire (for communication...but even more importantly in this case.....power) to control them. None of the old school contrivances for accomodating vintage lenses will work for them. There is no way to circumvent the fact that they need power to change their aperture and such. Now you "may" be able to "mount" them and shoot "through" them in whatever setting they were last in, but there is no way to change them while they are mounted, so they don't really work as the old manual glass does.

Ahh yes. Didn't think of that.

Thanks very much for that, answers some of my questions... and I guess it means I don't need to answer the others!

Guess I'll look for a decent manual lens, or wait to see what comes out in June from Olympus (my birthday is coming up too!).

Cheers,
-Iain