are close up filters really that bad...

mastertrinity

mastertrinity

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Luke
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ive got two weeks off for easter and seen as the flowers are coming into bloom i was going to shoot some flowers, however my 50mm f1.7 or my 55-200mm can get close enough. now i am planning on getting a macro lens but due to having troubles with trying to get a part time job along with gcse's i am unable to afford one so my question is should i just get a basic +2 or +4 off ebay that can be used every now and then until i break up in 2 months and try to afford a macro lens?
 
Screw-in close-up filters are pretty good if you get a good make - Hoya used to produce some I think that were pretty funky. Jessops do them also but they're quite bargain in smaller diameters and do have a tendency to have a bit of ugly CSs when there's a strong light source around.

I take it your lenses have something small like a 55mm or 58mm filter thread so cost won't be high. Yes, tubes will be better but filters are pretty good, providing you're not expecting the quality you get from a dedicated macro lens. I've shot stuff using them and had them on magazine covers before with no questions asked - suppose it's all about application and if you're happy with the results then that's all that matters :)
 
specialman said:
Screw-in close-up filters are pretty good if you get a good make - Hoya used to produce some I think that were pretty funky. Jessops do them also but they're quite bargain in smaller diameters and do have a tendency to have a bit of ugly CSs when there's a strong light source around.

I take it your lenses have something small like a 55mm or 58mm filter thread so cost won't be high. Yes, tubes will be better but filters are pretty good, providing you're not expecting the quality you get from a dedicated macro lens. I've shot stuff using them and had them on magazine covers before with no questions asked - suppose it's all about application and if you're happy with the results then that's all that matters :)
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my filters with be used on a 50mm so it will be pretty standard 49mm thread, i have heard about the hoya versions and they seems thhe best option and only cost around £15-25 for the whole set.
 
Mrs_C has a Hoya close up filter (+2 dioptra) and the results are actually rather good! I have used it on the AFS 105 f2.8 for a further magnification to good effect.
 
You can get some really nice images with the filters if you're creative with the DOF.

Looking forward to your shots. :thumbs:
 
I'm a big fan of close-up lenses for the kind of thing you want to do. They are so cheap and easy to use, and the image quality is fine - check out the Raynox DCR-250 on Flickr, even at a hefty +8 diopters it gives great results.

Close-up lenses are not the best solution optically, but they only show their shortcomings if you shoot critical flat subjects like documents, stamps or coins with important edge detail.

In practise, most macro subjects are close to the centre of the image, where close-up lenses are sharp, and three quarters of the image is out of focus anyway so you never notice any potential problems. In addition, since you often want to use a higher f/number to get decent depth of field, optical performance is further improved.

You might get best results using your 55-200. Because of the way they work, minimum focusing distance is the same whatever lens you fit them to. +1 dioptre has a focal length of 1000mm, which means that whatever lens to put it on will focus at 1m with the lens set to infinity - and obviously closer as you focus closer. +2 diopters is 500mm, and +4 is 250mm, and so on. With the zoom, you should get a good range of magnifications and focusing distances.
 
so it seems that the macro filter will be the way to go, i will have a look out for the hoya ones. i dont need quality to be honest as i am only use it to get a bit closer to the flowers i shoot so it doesnt have to be a 10+. im off to ebay to see what i can get.
 
I got some off ebay but have hardly used them. the +2 is pretty good, +4 not too bad but not great, +10 is unusable, not sure why they bothered to be fair.

For a tenner though I can't complain.
 
mastertrinity said:
so it seems that the macro filter will be the way to go, i will have a look out for the hoya ones. i dont need quality to be honest as i am only use it to get a bit closer to the flowers i shoot so it doesnt have to be a 10+. im off to ebay to see what i can get.
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It's not a filter - it doesn't filter anything. It's a supplementary close-up lens ;)

Dman said:
I got some off ebay but have hardly used them. the +2 is pretty good, +4 not too bad but not great, +10 is unusable, not sure why they bothered to be fair.

For a tenner though I can't complain.
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Those ebay cheapies are just pushing it too far. You can get away with maybe +3 diopters with a 'singlet' close up lens, but after that you need a bit more correction to be fair.

The Canon close-up lenses +2 and +4 are doublets and the +8 Raynox DCR-250 is a triplet - three glass elements cemented together. They are all coated too.
 
i wish that the raynox would work with a 49mm thread because i would have tried to save up however i think its going to be "supplementary close up lenses" for now. im guessing that the hoya ones are doublets?
 
Just looked again and it goes from 52 onwards.......

Plenty of 49mm to 52mm filter adapters on ebay for about £3
 
mastertrinity said:
i wish that the raynox would work with a 49mm thread because i would have tried to save up however i think its going to be "supplementary close up lenses" for now. im guessing that the hoya ones are doublets?
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Hoya 1-5 are singlets, and the +10 is a doublet.

Edit: the DCR-150 might be a good choice. You can unscrew it from the adapter, which is a 43mm thread, then use a 43-49mm stepping ring.
 
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