Macro lens on S3

[sentientpuppets]

Hi all...I have not bought it yet (neither the lens adaptor nor the S3 =p) but just wanted to ask those who have.

For me, I think the zoom is quite long so would it be good to have the macro adapter thing on all the time to enjoy the wider view and just take it off when the need for telephoto arises? Actually does the picture quality drop with extra stuff added?

thanks!

[boogle]

Originally Posted by sentientpuppets Hi all...I have not bought it yet (neither the lens adaptor nor the S3 =p) but just wanted to ask those who have. For me, I think the zoom is quite long so would it be good to have the macro adapter thing on all the time to enjoy the wider view and just take it off when the need for telephoto arises? Actually does the picture quality drop with extra stuff added? thanks!

Err...I got the Lensmate adaptor and Raynox DCR250 macro lens. With that macro lens on, the focussing distance is pretty short and the depth of focus is drastically reduced (most of the time less than a couple of cm at most). So besides macro shots, you can't really do much else in that configuration. Also, with the 250, you'll need to zoom in quite a bit before the vignetting disappears as it is quite a small diameter lens.

Not sure about other macro converters or the macro filters though.

If what you want is a wider view, mebbe you should be looking at a wide converter instead.

[cerebrus]

Originally Posted by sentientpuppets Hi all...I have not bought it yet (neither the lens adaptor nor the S3 =p) but just wanted to ask those who have. For me, I think the zoom is quite long so would it be good to have the macro adapter thing on all the time to enjoy the wider view and just take it off when the need for telephoto arises? Actually does the picture quality drop with extra stuff added? thanks!

Err.... sorry, am a bit confused by your question. Like boogle said, with a macro filter on, you cannot really shoot anything else. You will need to take it off if you want to take 'normal' photographs. I too have the Raynox DCR-250.

[NightZ88]

Originally Posted by sentientpuppets Hi all...I have not bought it yet (neither the lens adaptor nor the S3 =p) but just wanted to ask those who have. For me, I think the zoom is quite long so would it be good to have the macro adapter thing on all the time to enjoy the wider view and just take it off when the need for telephoto arises? Actually does the picture quality drop with extra stuff added? thanks!

i agree.. do not really understand wat u're askin. i'm usin e canon 250D close-up lens neways.. quality drops alittle as per normal for addin in extra accessories to ur camera.
yeahz.. wif e macro lens on, u canT take normal scenery shots and all. nid to remove it before u can take such pics..

[sentientpuppets]

My bad! Guess I got confused between macro and wide-angle lens..sorry! thanks for trying to help though..

let me rephrase...i believe it should be the wide angle lens (a canon adaptor thingy is needed as well i think) which would half? the zoom range so i guess it would be better for shooting landscapes, seeing more stuff etc?

does this reduce quality or something?

thanks once again! sorry for the confusion...not that used to all the terms (there's a macro lens as well is it?or is it a macro mode on the camera?)

cheers

[NightZ88]

Originally Posted by sentientpuppets My bad! Guess I got confused between macro and wide-angle lens..sorry! thanks for trying to help though.. let me rephrase...i believe it should be the wide angle lens (a canon adaptor thingy is needed as well i think) which would half? the zoom range so i guess it would be better for shooting landscapes, seeing more stuff etc? does this reduce quality or something? thanks once again! sorry for the confusion...not that used to all the terms (there's a macro lens as well is it?or is it a macro mode on the camera?) cheers

hmm.. even wif e wide-angle converter on, u can still zoom up to 12x if i'm nt wrong. but y wld u wan to zoom anyways? u wan it to be as wide as possible so if u zoom, u defeat e purpose of usin e wide-angle. and as i've said, as long as u add accessories to enhance e quality of a prosumer camera, u haf to compromise img quality.. not really significant though. and yes, there is a macro lens for it as well as a macro mode on e camera..

[sentientpuppets]

Thanks NightZ88!

i think it's more of a being lazy thing

so like leaving the wide angle lens on most of the time and still taking photos normally (effectively having a lens with 12x zoom but a lower starting range and inferior quality?)

And only taking the additional lens off should the need arise for the further telephoto activity.

i guess what i'm asking is sort of like buying a UV filter to cover a dslr lens? where you just leave it on all the time to protect the lens instead of putting the lens cover...resulting in one being able to take photos anytime without the need for taking things off...am i right? so something similar i guess?

[lastboltnut]

Even with the UV filter, you still need to have the lens cap on for protection. The UV filter is there just in case you scratch it, you can replace it cheaply relative to the lens or the S3 in this case.

But please that note that the coating on the UV lens is very vunerable, once scratched, you pic won't be nice. It is definitely not to be a lens cap substitute woh....

Originally Posted by sentientpuppets Thanks NightZ88! i think it's more of a being lazy thing so like leaving the wide angle lens on most of the time and still taking photos normally (effectively having a lens with 12x zoom but a lower starting range and inferior quality?) And only taking the additional lens off should the need arise for the further telephoto activity. i guess what i'm asking is sort of like buying a UV filter to cover a dslr lens? where you just leave it on all the time to protect the lens instead of putting the lens cover...resulting in one being able to take photos anytime without the need for taking things off...am i right? so something similar i guess?

[cerebrus]

You cannot zoom all the way out with most Wide Converters. They work fine on the wider sider of the camera. Look at the lensmate pictures. So you cannot leave it on all the time.

[sentientpuppets]

Thanks last boltnut and cerebrus! get it now ...only put it on when needed then! i suppose leaving the lens adapter on is ok but not the wide angle lens or a filter!

by the way, what is the difference between the 52mm and the 58mm? from the website cerebrus mentioned 52mm seems to be a better fit/produce better pictures than the 58mm...especially with their lens

but if assuming manufacturers know their product (they do..well enough yah? ) , they only have 58mm lens adapters and lenses is it?

[jbma]

Originally Posted by sentientpuppets Thanks last boltnut and cerebrus! get it now ...only put it on when needed then! i suppose leaving the lens adapter on is ok but not the wide angle lens or a filter! by the way, what is the difference between the 52mm and the 58mm? from the website cerebrus mentioned 52mm seems to be a better fit/produce better pictures than the 58mm...especially with their lens but if assuming manufacturers know their product (they do..well enough yah? ) , they only have 58mm lens adapters and lenses is it?

I think you are confused liao. The 52 - 58 is the thread size. One does not produce better picture then the other.

[cerebrus]

Originally Posted by jbma I think you are confused liao. The 52 - 58 is the thread size. One does not produce better picture then the other.

I think I know what he is talking about. There are two versions of the Wide Conveter, the 52mm and the 58mm. Think the 52mm is a better one for the S2/S3 IS, if you look at what Lensmate has said. Raynox also has 55mm and a few other different sizes.

[zh2908]

hm.. one thing i dont understand is why 52mm seems to be better when the original adapters and lens from canon are 58mm...

[cerebrus]

Originally Posted by zh2908 hm.. one thing i dont understand is why 52mm seems to be better when the original adapters and lens from canon are 58mm...

The Canon wide converter is 58mm. So all their adapters are 58mm. Canon seems to like 58mm for their d/SLR lenses also. Raynox makes lenses that are meant for many different cameras, so they have a various thread sizes.

[lastboltnut]

Hi,

I am quoting Felixcat8888 post #413 from the S3 Accessories Thread, he was explaining why the lensmate website says the 58mm WC is not good compared to a 52mm:

Originally Posted by felixcat8888 Bec the 58mm is a tad shorter than the 52mm. This is in comparison with a lensmate adapter in use with the lenses. But the results on the raynox website says otherwise. Canon adapter is another animal. I think the raynox website assumes that you are using the canon adapter, but not the lensmate site as it uses its own adapter to compare with the lenses. The Canon should go well with Canon i presume, as it would have been tested by Canon TC-DC58B i have never used so cannot comment.

Originally Posted by zh2908 hm.. one thing i dont understand is why 52mm seems to be better when the original adapters and lens from canon are 58mm...

[sentientpuppets]

All in I guess different adaptors with different lenses would produce varying results? =) mayb I should just get the camera first and play around with it before buying anything else...who knows mayb it's sufficient on its own?

think it costs bout 750sgd now right from one of those shops like cathay/alan photo and all? read that in one of the really long S3 threads or mayb i'm mistaken

[cerebrus]

Originally Posted by sentientpuppets All in I guess different adaptors with different lenses would produce varying results? =) mayb I should just get the camera first and play around with it before buying anything else...who knows mayb it's sufficient on its own? think it costs bout 750sgd now right from one of those shops like cathay/alan photo and all? read that in one of the really long S3 threads or mayb i'm mistaken

Yeah, it is a good idea if you get the camera first. Most people find that it is good enough for them.

Think it is around SGD$750 now.