Close Up Lenses, What Do I Need To Know?

[Lancer]

I picked up a book a few weeks ago discussing Marco photography and it said one of the easiest and cheapest way to move in that direction is close up lenses.


Is there any particular brand that I should look out for that is better then another type? My camera is a Nikon D3000, the only lenses I currently have are the standard lenses that came with the body and a Nikon <span style="font-size: small;"]55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkorlenses that I also purchased.


Just looking for some helpful advice or opinions.

[thekingb]

The Canon 500D close up lens is well regarded. Here is Bryan

[andnowimbroke]

I think they were talking about the 500 or 500d (which is sharper with its double glass) made by canon but can fit nikon too. It works off of the filter threads from your zoom lens that you have.

[neuroanatomist]

The two

[andnowimbroke]

I really am a slow typer. I think your lens is 52mm so you

[Dr Croubie]

or the advice i

[Daniel Browning]

Tubes have no optics, only air inside, so there's no effect on IQ;

To say there is "no" effect on IQ may give someone the wrong idea. Extension tubes allow the lens to focus closer, which means light from the subject is now going through the lens at different angles than what it was designed for, so aberrations (C.A., etc.) will be different than without the extension tube. Different lenses respond differently to that. Some, like macros, take it very well. Others take it very badly. For the latter, the aberrations caused by the extension tube are worse than the aberrations added by the close up lens, even though it's air-vs-glass. (Or, "glass used out-of-spec vs. glass used within-spec and additional glass.")


Another good option for novice macro is a tele-extender, since working distance is valuable and it's multi-purpose (though probably wont work with the op's lenses in this case, AFAIK).

[Dr Croubie]

(ps, another cool thing i found: a 50 f/1.8 with a 52-37mm step down ring doesn't vignette at all on APS-C crop, so i can put my 37mm lensbaby close-up lenses on that...)
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and I had no intention of providing an example, but then it stopped raining, sun came out, and this guy was having a nom on a flower stalk.


7D, ISO200, 1/60s, f/5.0, ef 50 f/1.8 with 52-37mm step down ring, and lensbaby 37mm +10 macro lens, no extension tubes. Focussed about 10cm away (and once again me on hands and knees in the wet mud with my gorillapod).


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Second one was ISO100, 1/50s, f/5.6.


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.


My advice on buying macro close up lenses is:


actually


...


run


...


run away, run fast. don't get into macro or you'll never stop...

[neuroanatomist]

Check out this tutorial on extension tubes and close up lenses.

[Jayson]

Most everyone has given you advice on a Canon lens lineup because that is what they are mostly familiar with. I see that you have a Nikon set of equipment. I would guess that the Nikon version of the 105mm 2.8 macro is a pretty good lens. I have friends that have this and love it. Also the Tamron, Sigmas or any of your other 3rd party companies carry lenses in Nikon mount also. Look at some of Bryan