Can someone explain some things to me about close-up lenses?

[wornways]

When I read about close-up filters, there are all sorts of lingo used to describe what it is they do--none of which is clearly defined anywhere I've been able to look.

For instance, one will say "3+ Close-Up" and another will say "3T Close-Up lens". Are these the same thing or is there something different about the "+" and the "T"?

Next, there seem to be three different kinds of close-up lenses, from what I can tell. There's the "step up" filter, the "teleconverter filter" and the "magnifyer filter". Are these just three different ways of saying the same thing or are these three different things that actually do something different from one another? Again, when I look this stuff up, I find that there are very few usable explanations--if any. It's a jungle out there where no-one seems to know how to express themselves clearly.

Any insight will be appreciated.

 

[WesternGuy]

Have a look here: Close-Up Lenses and here: Close-up lenses – Close-up and macro photography for entomologists .

Hopefully, these will answer your questions. If it doesn't, then post back with any further questions.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

 

[Edsport]

If you want something cheap for macro get some extension tubes without contacts, those close up filters are junk. Manual Macro Extension Tube/Ring for Canon Camera+Lens | eBay you can also get them with contacts but a little more pricy extension tubes | eBay

 

[MissCream]

If you want something cheap for macro get some extension tubes without contacts, those close up filters are junk. Manual Macro Extension Tube/Ring for Canon Camera+Lens | eBay you can also get them with contacts but a little more pricy extension tubes | eBay

Agreed. The filters are awful!!!

 

[enzodm]

By the way, "step up" ring is usually just a ring that allows you to use a larger filter than the diameter of your lens.
Serious teleconverters are not filters but optical additions to be put between lens and cameras, and they multiply focal length, with loss of aperture (of course) and quality.

 

[Overread36]

If you want something cheap for macro get some extension tubes without contacts, those close up filters are junk. Manual Macro Extension Tube/Ring for Canon Camera+Lens | eBay you can also get them with contacts but a little more pricy extension tubes | eBay

Agreed. The filters are awful!!!

Two points to consider:

1) Extension tubs. If you get the cheap tubes, without the metal contacts you lose all control over your lens, you can't auto focus (not a big deal as most macro is best done manually) but more importantly you can't control the aperture of the lens itself. This is a major limitation as shooting wide open with a lens means you've very little depth of field at all with most macro type situations.
Extension tubes with the metal contacts are the preferred kind, generally better built and certainly better for allowing you to retain creative control over your lens. Note that Canon and Nikon tubes tend to be very very overpriced for no gain, Kenko are about the best on the market for price vs quality.

2) Macro filters/diopters/close up lenses (common names meaning the same item) are not bad, nor are they good. What they are is a viable option for use on longer focal length lenses for getting increases in magnification. However there are a lot of cheap kits out there with poor, single element glass in them which degrade the image quality significantly; these are your cheap +1, +2, +3 type sets that you see for a few $/£. Avoid them!
Better options would include the likes of the Canon 500D and the Raynox series of close up lens/macro lens attachments. The DCR 250 from Raynox, for example, is an affordable and very popular starting point.


Of important note is the fact that both tubes and close up lens attachments degrade the overall optical quality - good close up lenses have very minimal degradation and tubes also degrade minimally - to the point where its mostly a case of not even noticing in the real world with processing - though with very highpowered close up lens attachments one can sometimes find better performance by not using the smaller apertures (effective aperture increases means diffraction kicks in earlier with softening the photo).

Extension tubes give more magnification (for a fixed length of tube) on shorter focal length lenses, whilst close up lens attachments are the opposite - note that that does not mean one can't use them on any focal length, the above is simply with regard to the maximum possible gained magnification. Generally speaking 100mm is about the dividing point between the two approaches.

By the way, "step up" ring is usually just a ring that allows you to use a larger filter than the diameter of your lens.
Serious teleconverters are not filters but optical additions to be put between lens and cameras, and they multiply focal length, with loss of aperture (of course) and quality.

Note that the most clip on teleconverters for the end of lenses are typically aimed at the point and shoot/bridge camera market not the DSLR market and as such are typically not the best of options for what you get - some work well but most are limited by simply pushing the existing point and shoot lenses too far; giving the effect, but with not insignificant quality loss.

 

[BekahAura]

You've been given a lot of great information. I would also like to recommend a book that will also help you out: Bryan Peterson's Understanding Close-up Photography. You can find it here: Amazon.com: Understanding Close-Up Photography: Creative Close Encounters with Or Without a Macro Lens (9780817427191): Bryan Peterson: BooksGood luck!

 

[Edsport]

If you want something cheap for macro get some extension tubes without contacts, those close up filters are junk. Manual Macro Extension Tube/Ring for Canon Camera+Lens | eBay you can also get them with contacts but a little more pricy extension tubes | eBay

Agreed. The filters are awful!!!

Two points to consider:

1) Extension tubs. If you get the cheap tubes, without the metal contacts you lose all control over your lens, you can't auto focus (not a big deal as most macro is best done manually) but more importantly you can't control the aperture of the lens itself. This is a major limitation as shooting wide open with a lens means you've very little depth of field at all with most macro type situations.
Extension tubes with the metal contacts are the preferred kind, generally better built and certainly better for allowing you to retain creative control over your lens. Note that Canon and Nikon tubes tend to be very very overpriced for no gain, Kenko are about the best on the market for price vs quality.

2) Macro filters/diopters/close up lenses (common names meaning the same item) are not bad, nor are they good. What they are is a viable option for use on longer focal length lenses for getting increases in magnification. However there are a lot of cheap kits out there with poor, single element glass in them which degrade the image quality significantly; these are your cheap +1, +2, +3 type sets that you see for a few $/£. Avoid them!
Better options would include the likes of the Canon 500D and the Raynox series of close up lens/macro lens attachments. The DCR 250 from Raynox, for example, is an affordable and very popular starting point.


Of important note is the fact that both tubes and close up lens attachments degrade the overall optical quality - good close up lenses have very minimal degradation and tubes also degrade minimally - to the point where its mostly a case of not even noticing in the real world with processing - though with very highpowered close up lens attachments one can sometimes find better performance by not using the smaller apertures (effective aperture increases means diffraction kicks in earlier with softening the photo).

Extension tubes give more magnification (for a fixed length of tube) on shorter focal length lenses, whilst close up lens attachments are the opposite - note that that does not mean one can't use them on any focal length, the above is simply with regard to the maximum possible gained magnification. Generally speaking 100mm is about the dividing point between the two approaches.

By the way, "step up" ring is usually just a ring that allows you to use a larger filter than the diameter of your lens.
Serious teleconverters are not filters but optical additions to be put between lens and cameras, and they multiply focal length, with loss of aperture (of course) and quality.

Note that the most clip on teleconverters for the end of lenses are typically aimed at the point and shoot/bridge camera market not the DSLR market and as such are typically not the best of options for what you get - some work well but most are limited by simply pushing the existing point and shoot lenses too far; giving the effect, but with not insignificant quality loss.

I'm not sure about Nikon but with Canon lenses you can control the aperture with the non-contact extension tubes. The way to do it is like this - Put the lens on the camera without the tube then set your aperture to what you want, hold in the DOF button and while holding it in unscrew the lens from the camera, the aperture is now set for when you use your extension tubes. I know it's a bit of an hassle to do this but it's the cheap way, i also recommend using the ones with contacts and it's still fairly cheap way of getting macro shots.

How do the extension tubes degrade optical quality?

 

[cgipson1]

I am not sure why the OP is even asking about these closeup filters.... he states in other threads that he has a Nikkor 200mm Micro lens, which is an excellent lens for macro.

 

[Overread36]

I'm not sure about Nikon but with Canon lenses you can control the aperture with the non-contact extension tubes. The way to do it is like this - Put the lens on the camera without the tube then set your aperture to what you want, hold in the DOF button and while holding it in unscrew the lens from the camera, the aperture is now set for when you use your extension tubes. I know it's a bit of an hassle to do this but it's the cheap way, i also recommend using the ones with contacts and it's still fairly cheap way of getting macro shots.

How do the extension tubes degrade optical quality?

Far as I know this trick only works with Canon, I think by default Nikon lenses, when removed, actually auto stop down to the smallest aperture. Though there are some older nikon lenses which retain manual aperture control on the lens itself so there is a workaround there with some of their older lens range.
However whilst there is the trick its cumbersome to work with and far better, if one is serious to push for the contacts in the tubes.

As for the degradation you're moving the lens away from its optimum position, with a typical 65mm of tube length (one kenko set) this degradation is very minimal, its present, but you'll likely only see it in side by side test photos in studio conditions before editing.

I am not sure why the OP is even asking about these closeup filters.... he states in other threads that he has a Nikkor 200mm Micro lens, which is an excellent lens for macro.

Ahhh but nothing stops you adding them to existing macro lenses and pushing the magnification higher still - in fact its a great way to get to high magnification photography without properly specialist lens/optics options.

 

[cgipson1]

I am not sure why the OP is even asking about these closeup filters.... he states in other threads that he has a Nikkor 200mm Micro lens, which is an excellent lens for macro.

Ahhh but nothing stops you adding them to existing macro lenses and pushing the magnification higher still - in fact its a great way to get to high magnification photography without properly specialist lens/optics options.

But don't the external screw on lenses cause serious image degradation, CA and distortion? Admittedly, I haven't tried these types of filters.... may have to check them out ( I am JEALOUS of that MPE 65mm you Canon users have! lol!)

 

[Edsport]

I use an extension tube that has contacts, i don't see any degradation so the ones without contacts has to be same. The only difference is no AF and aperture control (unless you do the method mentioned in my earlier post).

The OP is looking for a cheap alternative and the non-contact tube is cheap so that's why i suggested it. It's cheap and works great with all your lenses and is better than those close-up lenses...

 

[Overread36]

For those doubting the close up lens attachment you might want to read this:
My thoughts on MP-E 65mm | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

In short MPE 65mm macro lens is beaten by close up lens attachment (a Raynox). Again there are cheap ones and good ones, the cheap ones are the ones that are single element and very poor, but sadly also the ones more people get contact with (because of their cheap price) and fast find that they are very detrimental to the image quality. Good quality ones such as the canon and Raynox series ones are multi-element coated and, despite not being super expensive, are high quality glass; yes adding glass increases the chances of problems, but adding high quality glass which gives a viable bonus (polarizing filter; ND/ND Grad filters; teleconverters; close up lens attachments) is a worth while approach.

 

[cgipson1]

For those doubting the close up lens attachment you might want to read this:
My thoughts on MP-E 65mm | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

In short MPE 65mm macro lens is beaten by close up lens attachment (a Raynox). Again there are cheap ones and good ones, the cheap ones are the ones that are single element and very poor, but sadly also the ones more people get contact with (because of their cheap price) and fast find that they are very detrimental to the image quality. Good quality ones such as the canon and Raynox series ones are multi-element coated and, despite not being super expensive, are high quality glass; yes adding glass increases the chances of problems, but adding high quality glass which gives a viable bonus (polarizing filter; ND/ND Grad filters; teleconverters; close up lens attachments) is a worth while approach.

Overread.. I am just about to order a Raynox 5320 Pro setup based on your recommendations. Have you used this particular set of lenses? Do you have a better suggestion? I am trying to get better than 1:1 Macro.. and more than the extension tubes will give me. I plan on using it on my Tokina 100 2.8 macro... per Raynox, it would be compatible.

 

[Overread36]

Myself I've only used the DCR 250 - and I've specifically only really seen the 250, MSN 202 and MSN 505 being used and spoken about. The kit I've not read much more about, however in the review I've linked the +12 diopter that beat the MPE was originally part of a similar (no longer sold) kit; so I've no reason at all to question that they will be any different to the other quality options.

The 5320 gives you a +2 +3 and +5 diopter lenses; however I'd say that a +8 (ie the DCR 250) or a +25 (the 202) might be better bets for getting pure magnification gain out of a single optical attachment; rather than find that you're always adding all 3 of the lenses from the 5320 together. But then again it depends a lot on how much you want to gain.