Close up lenses?

[dslrchat]

I saw these (are they worth getting?)

Close-up set consists of +1 lens, +2 lens, +4 lens, +10 Macro lens.
High Quality Optical Glass
Brand New with nice soft pouch for carrying as you can see in the picture.
These close up lenses enable you to get much closer than the minimum focus of a standard camera lens - mere inches from the subject!
The Close-up Lens Set is for taking pictures of flowers, small collectibles, coins and stamps, insects, small creatures, or anything small that requires up-close detail. Each close up lens maintains resolution and picture clarity while magnifying image size. The set includes four lenses: +1, +2, +4 and +10 Macro. They can also be stacked to create +3, +5, +6, +7 and so on. Use the lenses individually or in any combination.

 

[Big Mike]

I have a set of Hoya close up filters. They are alright but not as good as an actual macro lens. As long as you don't pay an arm and a leg for them, they are an affordable way to get into macro photography.

Another option would be an extension tube.

 

[Valethar]

I saw that same one. I'd read somewhere else that using more than 2 together could cause vignettes. Does anyone else know if this is the case?

 

[Big Mike]

I'd read somewhere else that using more than 2 together could cause vignettes. Does anyone else know if this is the case?

On some lenses, yes, that will happen.

I've found that the edge sharpness isn't very good when using these things anyway...so it's best to frame you shot in the centre portion of the lens and crop the edges. You can chop off the vignette as well.

 

[Alex_B]

Unlike stated in that text, close up lenses do not really magnify, but they allow for a closer focussing distance, hence giving a larger image of the objects you take pictures of.

There are only very few close up lenses which do a decent job, being rather sharp and not suffering from too much CA. The Canon 500D is one of those few, and I think there is also a Nikon
close up lens which is not too bad?

 

[SBlanca]

ive seen photos taken with those and they looked really good, there was a guy from the UK on here and he gave me info on them once..

 

[dslrchat]

Well I have 2 sets coming (1 for me and 1 for a Friend)
Total of $30Us for both including shipping.

So I guess if they don't do a good job, we are not out that much.

 

[Socrates]

Well I have 2 sets coming (1 for me and 1 for a Friend)
Total of $30Us for both including shipping.

So I guess if they don't do a good job, we are not out that much.

For $15/set, you can't go wrong. I would think that using them with objects like flowers (no straight lines) would be OK. As previously suggested, keep the subject in the center so that you can crop around it.

 

[Helen B]

There are only very few close up lenses which do a decent job, being rather sharp and not suffering from too much CA. The Canon 500D is one of those few, and I think there is also a Nikon
close up lens which is not too bad?

Yes, that's right. There are Nikon equivalents of that Canon close-up lens (aka dioptre or diopter). They are the two-element achromats, and the Nikon versions have a 'T' at the end of the number - 4T, 5T, 6T. Leica also make two- and three-element achromats (or they used to...). Nikon have discontinued some of their T dioptres, but they are plentiful, if not cheap, on eBay.

In general it's best to stop down well when using dioptres.

In effect they shorten the focal length of the lens. You can calculate the new focal length by adding up the dioptres. The dioptre of your main lens is the reciprocal of its focal length in metres. A 100 mm lens has a focal length of 1/10 metre, and hence is a 10 dioptre lens. Add a 3 dioptre supplementary lens and you have a 13 dioptre lens. 1 divided by 13 is 0.077 metres, or 77 mm. You now have a 77 mm lens.

Best,
Helen

 

[AndrewG]

Close up lenses typically produce a reasonably sharp central image but tend to blur fairly significantly toward the edges; extension tubes can help to an extent and can work better when used in conjunction with a single close up lens, rather than a stack.
Save up for a true macro and experience the difference!