Which close up lens

The maximum magnification will be somewhat more since the lens is focused at infinity for the above calculations. If the lens initially focused to a maximum magnification of , it will now be able to focus to about with the close-up lens. I believe this limitation to the lower power levels is related to the relatively simple construction of these lenses and the associated difficulty with controlling lens aberrations at higher power levels.

This concept is borne out with the fact that most standard camera lenses have four or more elements while close-up lenses typically have one or two, sometimes 3. Close-up lenses are best used in moderation as adding too much power to any lens will create a large increase in image aberrations and thus negatively affect the image quality. Close-up lenses can be stacked owing to the filter threads that are generally seen on both sides of these lenses. The resulting power is just the two powers added together.

If you do stack these lenses, it is commonly suggested that you place the higher power lens closer to the camera. In general, I would avoid stacking these lenses. Close-up lenses come in a variety of prices and quality. I have found that as with many other products, you get what you pay for with these lenses. The cheaper lenses tend to be single element lenses which can work fine if of sufficient quality. The more expensive lenses tend to have 2 or 3 elements that allow them to be corrected for color and spherical aberration.

When I started to test these lenses my gut feeling was that price would directly relate to performance. As expected, the Canon D is a outstanding performer as far as my testing went. The sharpness that it gave was less than no close-up lens at all see last column of table below. The cheap lens did show a mild improvement in resolution over no lens at all, but the drop in sharpness counteracts a lot of the usefulness of the slight improvement in resolution.

My advice with close-up lenses is to spend a little money on one and avoid the bargain basement ones. I find that this lens works extremely well with my short focal length lenses. The D works marginally for my mm lens and not well at all for my mm lens. It will generally provide about a 0. Written by Angela Nicholson. An extension tube is an accessory that increases the magnification of a lens. From how it works to compatibility, find out more about extension tubes here.

Lens extenders also known as teleconverters increase the effective focal length of your lenses. Find out how lens extenders can enhance your telephoto capabilities and prove helpful especially when you can't physically get closer to your subject. Expert advice from four photographers on the best Canon lenses for shooting macro, including the amazing Canon RF mm F2. Understand how to use your Speedlite off-camera and control it wirelessly for more creative flash photography. Canon Logo.

Find out about close-up lenses, which screw on to the front of your existing camera lens and make it possible to focus closer than normal.

Close-up lenses don't attach to your camera's lens mount, but instead screw into the filter thread at the front of a camera lens. Because of this, they are sometimes called close-up filters. However, since they do not filter light, this is not strictly correct. You will also see them referred to as supplementary lenses because they are used in addition to another lens. Whatever you call them, a close-up lens takes up very little room, yet can transform the capabilities of your other lenses, enabling them to focus closer than normal, much as if you attached a magnifying glass.

It is an ideal accessory to carry when you want to travel light. The double element kind are identified by the letter D. They also come in different filter thread sizes such as 52mm, 58mm, 72mm and 77mm, but not every permutation of focal length and thread size is available. The most important factor when choosing a close-up lens is performance, and this depends on the construction. Single element close-up lenses are relatively inexpensive and may be adequate for occasional use, but they are not as good as their double element equivalents.

In simple terms, all single element lenses show aberrations, usually chromatic. By adding a second element, the aberrations from the two elements can be made to cancel each other out. The resulting double-element or "doublet" lens may not be completely free of aberrations, but it will usually be a lot better than a single element lens.

The improved performance is particularly noticeable at the edges of the image. This means that if you are photographing a flower, where the subject is mostly in the centre of the frame, a single element close-up lens might be adequate. However, if you are shooting a flat subject that extends to the edges of the frame, such as a postcard or stamps, a doublet lens will give much better sharpness at the edges, especially at wider lens apertures.

When you attach a close-up lens to your camera lens it acts a little like reading glasses for a far-sighted person. The camera is no longer able to focus on infinity, but it has a clear vision of close subjects that were previously outside its focusing range.

For general guidance, the Type D close-up lens is designed for camera lenses with focal lengths from 35mm to mm. However, good results are possible using the close-up lenses with focal lengths outside of this range. The power of close-up lenses is sometimes expressed in dioptres. The dioptre power is calculated by dividing 1, by the focal length of the close-up lens. Working distance is the distance between the front surface of the close-up lens and the point of the subject on which the lens is focused.

Do not confuse this with the focusing distance, which is the distance between the focal plane and the subject.

Most cameras indicate this film or sensor position with a symbol — a circle with a line through it — on the top of the body. If you are shooting with a close-up lens on the front of a telephoto lens, the difference between the two distances can be considerable.

The focusing distance is needed in some close-up calculations, while the working distance lets you know how much space there is between the front of the camera and the subject, so you can position any lighting. It looks more like a filter and the circular versions screw into the thread on your camera lens just like any other filter.

For this reason close-up lenses are also called close-up filters or supplementary filters. It works by reducing the minimum focusing distance of the lens it is attached to.

As a result you can move your lens closer to your subject and get greater magnification. The strength of close-up lenses is measured in diopters, just like eye-glasses. The higher the number, the greater the magnification. The more powerful lenses can get you really close to the subject, but at the cost of a degradation in image quality.

Close-up lenses give you more magnification when used with telephoto lenses. The longer the focal length, the closer you can get to your subject, which gives you more magnification. But with longer focal lengths close-up lenses are more effective.

I made all the photos in this tutorial with an 85mm lens combined with a Canon D close-up lens. When it comes to close-up photography there are four main ways of getting closer to your subject. So why would you use choose a close-up lens rather than one of the other methods? Start your close-up photography journey now. Get five free lessons plus weekly tips and tips when you join our newsletter.

No spam, ever! Technically they are a lens themselves rather than a filter, but given that they function exactly like ND filters or polarisers, this is generally the category they slot into. Check out our video tutorial on how to use close-up filters to shoot macro-style pictures. Therefore, if you see someone referring to "close-up lenses" and someone else referring to "macro filters", there's a strong possibility they're talking about the exact same thing.

An alternative low-cost macro option is to use one of the best extension tubes. They're often available as sets, or individual lenses with adapters. With loads of name brand and no-brand solutions available online, photographers are absolutely spoiled for choice. It's also worth noting that most sets can also be stacked, meaning that the lenses can be used in combination to boost their creative potential further, maximising the potential for getting up close and personal.

The below images should give you some idea of how it works:. Polaroid suggests that the aluminium constructed set is perfect for photographing flowers, products, food and newborns. A dual-threaded design allows the filters to not only be attached to the relevant lens; multiple filters can also be stacked for extreme macro effects.