advice on macro

[jglovac]

i've been searching through all the forums trying to find an answer to my question, but to no avail. so i'll just ask

I've been getting into macrophotography lately, but it's not very easy with the standard 18-55mm lens i have. I would love to be able to buy a nice macro lens, but i'm in college and so money is hard to come by. Is there anything else I would be able to use to help me get some good results? Would an extension tube help? Or maybe a close up filter?

 

[tirediron]

There are three "budget" options for getting into close-up work. You've mentioned two of them.

1. Reversing ring. Usually the cheapest, consists of a metal adapater with a bayonet fitting on one side and a male filter threads on the other. Mounts any lens (assuming the correct filter-thread diameter) to your camera. Cheap and gives good optical quality, but leaves the rear elements exposed and hangs the whole weight of the lens on the filter threads (which were only meant to support a filter).

2. Close-up lenses/filters: The mid-range solution (usually, depends on quality) glass elements which look like regular filters but allow you to focus much more closely. Usually sold in sets of three. Not terribly expensive, but tend to have serious sharpness and focus issues, especially torward the edge.

3. Extension tubes: IMO, the best option. These fit in between the lens and the body and have no impact on the image quality. The cheapest ones are simply spacers and provide no means for passing automatic metering, the better quality ones have a full set of contacts and allow you to have all the same lens functionality that you do without them.

 

[Overread]

on the filter front I can recomend Raynox macro filters - the DCR 250 filter is not that expensive and yet gives very good performance (often said to give the same/similar quality as using extension tubes:
more info here - Juza Nature Photography Forum • View topic - Lacewing