What closeup filter to get


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wdEvA

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Sep 1, 2006
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hey guys, i'm planning to get a closeup filter for the tamron 28-75 f2.8.

which should i get? +1 +2 +3 +4 ?

i heard that it + too much, it will be v. difficult to find the focus point.
 

Your working distance will decrease as well

Ryan
 

how about the hoya +10 micro close up??
i saw it on their web but anyone see it in singapore?
 

hmm,just looking for a closeup filter, just taking some basic home stuffs..

Would like to have nearer working distance to the object.
 

hmm,just looking for a closeup filter, just taking some basic home stuffs..

Would like to have nearer working distance to the object.
 

hmm, just need something low cost, to let me move nearer to the object.
 

me, I like my Olympus MCON-35... but it is only available with 62mm thread, and it is no longer produced... but should have some 2nd hand ones around (that's how I got mine)... :)
 

Oh, maybe I should add that my 62mm thread MCON-35 works great with my 77mm thread 70-200 lens (with the proper adapters of course) :)
 

I started off with a +4 close up. Then moved on to extension tubes... more flexible.
 

hmm with the +4 is it easy to find the focus distance? i had 1 +4 on my sigma 70-300, and it's very difficult to get it to focus..
 

When you shoot at macro level or beyond, AF will tend to hunt abit more
Usually most will try to shoot manual

Ryan
 

how about the hoya +10 micro close up??
i saw it on their web but anyone see it in singapore?

It is a dual element acromat by Hoya.
Picture is better than a single element
I have a copy to use on my 50mm before i finally got a 105mm micro :)

hmm, just need something low cost, to let me move nearer to the object.

Extension tubes can offer potentially better IQ than a close up filter.
And the dual element ones like Canon 250D are much more expensive than a simple extension tube.

Ryan
 

I started off with lens reversal and extention tubes in the film ages some 37 years ago. When I moved to dSLR I used diopter converters (close-up filters), macro bellows, extension tubes, lens reversers, macro converters and any combination of those.

I found the quality to be best if macro bellows / extension tubes are used.

Macro converter on a normal lens give amazing results as well, in fact better than bellows if used with a normal lens, but the light loss is considerably more than just using tubes / bellows. The advantage is that the macro converter is corrected for close up and macro, meaning it produces a flattened image needed for edge to edge sharpness. That correction is not done with bellows, since there are no optics involved.

Reversing lens gives also very nice results. Especially, if you don't have a proper macro lens, reversing a 50 mm prime gives about 1:1 magnification. Reversing a lens has the advantages of an icrease in working distance, compared to using extension tubes to get the same magnification.

There is another type of reversed lens technology, which I don't think is very good for dSLR lenses using plastic lens tubes. That is to use a longer tele lens abd reverse a wide angle lens on it. It gives high magnification, but also the weight on an expensive tele lens front element is high, so I would advise against.

Adding dioper converters (macro converters) is OK, but most often not a good solution, unless you have a good lens AND use a high quality diopter converter, like the Canon 250D or 500D. Unfortunately, these are not cheap. Also, it is better to use at least one size larger lens and then use a filter converter to downsize the diopter converter to your lens filter diameter. This to enable use of the best part of the diopter converter, the center part. Diopter converters are almost never good at edges, except if very high quality, but if you just take some occasional close-up shots, that is acceptable.

In all cases, for good macro, light is critical. You may need to consider off camera flash, or ring flash. The higher the magnification the more light is lost. Use the lowest possible ISO to get the most out of the details. Use of manual focus may be necessary, depending on the lens, camera, available light and the magnification. Don't expect the availability of infinity focus. That is lost as soon as you change the caracteristics of the lens in any way. The useful working distance is reduced, just like the focusing distance. DOF becomes literally hair thin, depending on the magnification. Zooms are the worse type of lenses for macro. Try to get a proper macro lens, even an old lens made for film can give very high quality results. Remove any additional filters. Filters, however good they are, may add flare and degrade image quality. That is not noticable in normal shooting but can be seen in high magnification macro.

Lastly, there is a whole macro subforum on CS, visit and participate, ask the experts over there.

Good luck. Macro is great fun.
 

If all you want to do is get closer to your subject, get an extension tube.
 

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