Journal Entry for Wednesday, Mar 14th

Taking Close-ups With a Macro Extension Tube and Close-up Filters Zeikos Close-up Lenses With springtime fast approaching, I have been thinking about taking macro close-ups of flowers and insects. The simple fact is that I can't afford a dedicated macro lens. A while back I purchased a set of four close up lenses that I have yet to try out. (Go to the My Equipment tab for details on this purchase) Close-up lenses are special lenses that screw onto the front of a lens like an ordinary camera lens filter. They're basically just a sophisticated magnifying glass that's placed between your lens and the subject. It's for this reason that they're also often called "close-up filters." A close-up filter is usually specified in terms of "diopters," which is a measure of their magnifying power. Higher numbers yield more relative magnification on a given lens, but image quality also tends to decrease correspondingly. Typical values range from +2 to +5 diopters, although multiple close-up lenses can be combined to increase this further. Additionally, I decided to do some research to see if there were any other alternatives out there that might help without laying out a $1,000 for a dedicated lens. Interestingly enough, I found another inexpensive option that I was unaware of that might help; use of a Macro Extension Tube. Macro extension tubes move the lens farther from camera’s sensor. The further away the lens is, the closer the focus, hence the greater the magnification. This is particularly useful for macro photography where you want to be as close to the subject as possible. Without the extension tube your digital camera will uncontrollably blink numerous times to let you know your too close and you won't be able to take (focus) the photograph until you move further away. I have experienced this on numerous occasions in the past. These metal extension tubes do not affect image quality as there are no optics inside. However, there are downsides. The cheaper, generic extension tubes have no electrical contacts between the connection to the camera and the attached lens, meaning that you will loose automatic focus and exposure requiring you to take any macro shots in manual mode. (Aperture control is not available if you use a lens which does not allow you to manually adjust the aperture (a lens without an aperture ring). In spite of these limitations, these extension tubes are relatively inexpensive and I decided to order one and try it out.  Check out the My Equipment tab above to see what I purchased. I’m sure this poor man's solution to buying a true 1:1 macro lens won’t provide me with the same quality pictures of a macro lens, however, it might give me some satisfaction in the meantime. I will let you know how it’s working out in a future post. To learn more about close up and macro photography options, check out my photo tip titled, Macro Photography Equipment Options.