is there a cheap way of...

[captain-spanky]

taking REALLY close up pictures? My eos 1000fn just doesn't seem to get as close as i'd like... is there a way of improving the range without spending major money on new lenses?

 

[Artemis]

Umm...i not sure wha u mean, but nothing less than going rly close and switching to micro mode.
The little flower is how to make it take small things, so try that

 

[captain-spanky]

yeah i know that but with my lens (which is 28-210 vivitar thing) i have to be a few feet away to get a decent amount of focus and then it doesn't get very close... something needs to be about 10-15 cm big to fill the shot if you know what i mean? so i cant take pics of insects or tiny flowers or something without having to do something like fill the rest of shot with dof blurryness...

 

[markc]

Either a macro lens (very expensive)
or screw on auxillary close-up lenses (a little expensive).
They screw on to the threads on the end of a lens like filters do. You will usually see them labeled like +1, +2, +4 for various strengths. The real macro lens will do a better job, but is a lot more expensive.

 

[Big Mike]

Macro mode is a digital camera option. Unfortunately not available with typical SLR lenses.

To get close up or macro shots there are a few options. The best option is usually to get a macro lens. They are fairly expensive though. You could get a reverse mounting ring which allows you to mound one lens backward onto the front of another lens.

For not a lot of money you can get close up filters. I think they are called diopters. They just screw into the front of the lens like any filter would. I have a set that has three...+1, +2 & +4. They can be used one at a time or stacked for extra magnification. They work pretty well but it can be hard to get clear pictures because the DOF is very, very short while using them. This is typical for most macro photography though. There are better or worse brands of close up filters...you get what you pay for. If you don't plan on making huge enlargements...you won't have to spend big bucks. My set is average I think. They are Hoya and I paid about $60 CDN for the set.

edit: oh ya...and extension tubes. I for got to mention those.

 

[malachite]

Look for compatible extension tubes for your existing lens. They turn a normal lens into a macro lens at the expense of about 2 f/stops. And not a teleconverter, but an extension tube. Ebay always has a bunch for cheap.

 

[captain-spanky]

had a look for diopters and there's nothing that would work
also had a look for extension tubes but there's only one Canon Eos compatible set available to the uk and they're £50!
ah well.
Thanks muchly for your help everyone, i shall keep looking....

 

[voodoocat]

had a look for diopters and there's nothing that would work

Do your lenses not have threads? Diopters work with all lenses.

 

[markc]

Some more info

and more

Here's a bunch available at B&H

I think the Canon 500D set is supposed to be pretty good. Here's a review.

 

[captain-spanky]

aww thanks! you lot are so helpful
sorry voodoocat, I meant i couldn't find an 67mm ones.. i guess i just wasn't looking well enough...
Theres a set on markc's link that looks ok... bu I'll still have to save up
and i kinda like the idea of those extension tubes... what would be the difference between the tube and diopters? any negative effects?

 

[voodoocat]

Well there is no extra glass when you use the extension tubes. It's basically moving the lens closer to the subject and away from film plane. The problem is you lose light which is an important thing when doing close up work.

 

[drlynn]

In addition to losing light as Voodoo suggested, you may lose autofocus capability, depending on which lens/camera you are using.

Check your camera manual to see if it is fully compatible with extension tubes. Also, check the minimum f/stop required for autofocus to work. If you're using a lens with maximum aperture of f/4 or f/5.6 and you add an extension tube, you may cross the autofocus threshold for your camera.