Close-Up(macro) filter?

[LittleMan]

my lens is the Canon 50mm f1.4

I want a filter(or something) that will make it a good macro lens.

What should I get?

 

[Arch]

I'v got the set of three Hoya close up filters..... havent done much testing with them.... but they seem ok on my 50mm 1.8.... the dof is a bit shallow... but the results can be good.
Not macro.... but i used the +2 here for some shots of my niece.... that allowed me to get alot closer..... but you can see what i mean about the shallow dof, as only one eye is in focus...... i believe you can stack them for macro stuff.

Alternitivly (or aswell as) you could go for some extension tubes with that lens.... shortening the focal distance..... allowing you to get closer in.... however if you dont go for both and only choose one.... i'm not sure which would give you the best results of the two.

 

[bigfatbadger]

I've got some Kood ones which I really like, mostly because they were cheap! Depth of field is very limited, so you have to use small apertures and so aren't great in low light or handholding, but otherwise I think £20 for a set of three isn't bad! You won't get the same quality as a macro lens, but IMHO, to the casual observer, it wont make much of a difference

 

[thebeginning]

you could try macro filters or extension tubes. extension tubes will not effect image quality, as there are no glass elements. It just shortens the closest focus distance. Check out kenko's extension tube set of 12mm,24mm, and 36mm. each one of those gives you a different 'magnification' (of course), and they work surprisingly well. I've tried all three of them stacked with a 50mm 1.8. it was insane

 

[Torus34]

Gentlemen! There is a real difference between a close-up lens and a filter.

 

[DepthAfield]

Gentlemen! There is a real difference between a close-up lens and a filter.

I agree!

My question is:
Are there any benefits to a dedicated macro lens over the use of extension tubes? Besides cost of course.

 

[Torus34]

I should think that one 'benefit' would be that the macro lens operates in the automatic exposure mode. Even 'automatic' extension tubes, when the lens is reversed for close-up ratios above 1:1, require manual settings.
Bellows require manual settings at all times. Note that as the lens-to-film distance increases, exposure correction based on the image ratio [degree of enlargement] becomes significant.

If there is a difference in sharpness, it will be due to the lens itself -- the specific lens design, the degree to which the glass surfaces approach the theoretical design computations and the care in assembly of the lens elements. DOF is a mathematical function of fl and should not differ.

I use extension tubes.