canon 500d close up attachment

[marvin]

hi

can't find much on the net about this so thought i'd ask you guys.

i can get a new 500d close up attachment for £60 here CANON 500D 72MM Close Up Attachment | eBay

how much extra magnification will it give on a tamron 180mm and is the loss of iq likely to equate to more or less than the extra detail gained?

looking to go beyond 1:1 and would consider this rather than buy a shorter lens and tubes or a cheap wide prime plus reversing ring and tubes if it will make a significant difference.

many thanks for your thoughts/expertise

tim

[Firefox]

if your looking for a macro attachment, go for the raynox 250, it wont let you down. stunning image quality!

[marvin]

hi

thank you for that but i don't think they stretch to 72mm filter thread. would be pleased to hear if they do.

tim

[Lancashire Lad]

Originally Posted by marvin

....i don't think they stretch to 72mm filter thread. would be pleased to hear if they do....

I occasionally use Raynox 150 & 250 supplementary lenses to gain more magnification with my Sigma 180mm macro lens. - That too has a filter thread of 72mm.

Both of these Raynox lenses, when removed from the supplied plastic adapter, have 43mm threads, so in order to use them on your 72mm filter threaded lens, you would need to obtain a 72-43mm step down ring.

I also use the Raynox's with a 58mm filter threaded lens, so I needed to cater for both options. The way I went about it is described here:-
Sigma 180 Macro (+ Raynox), Field of View Tests

I can't vouch for the quality of the Canon item you mention, but I can certainly say that the Raynox's are capable of producing some very good results indeed.

Regards,
Mike.


Regards,
Mike.

[marvin]

thanks mike for a thorough and helpful response.

can't find the 72-43mm ring on the site you mentioned but will keep looking.

cheers
tim

[marvin]

sorry mike, just re-read the original post and realised you need three adapters to get from 72-43mm lol.

cheers
tim

[Lancashire Lad]

Originally Posted by marvin

sorry mike, just re-read the original post and realised you need three adapters to get from 72-43mm lol.

cheers
tim

Hi Tim,

You may be able to get a single 72-43mm step down ring from another supplier, or you may be able to find a combination that will do it with just two rings.

Regards,
Mike.

[Hobjob]

1.) I have used screw on macro lenses for many years. They have a bad press, but frankly for macro work you never notice a bit of spherical aberration, and anyway you can photoshop that out if you have to.

2.) I would imagine that having a step down from 72 --> 43mm would reduce the light markedly. That must be way over 50% reduction in terms of area.

You need all the light you can get with macro.

Which is why a well-known WABber never has his three ring flashes off his camera, and why I have spent a few hours making a screw-on set of circular 36 LEDs for same purpose.

3.) What I have used is a set of screw on macros
e.g. 72MM 72 MM MACRO CLOSE UP LENS 4 Filter Kit +1+2 +4 +10 | eBay

Hoya have the best reputation, but I think that is probably marketing, as I've bought cheaper versions and can't tell the difference.

I'm not clear from your link what power magnification you will get. But over 50 smackers seems a lot of dosh without good evidence.

4.) Beware that with either rings (optically the best) or screw-ons, you can no longer focus on infinity (by a long, long way!). I always found it tricky getting the distance to object right so that it would focus well.

This fiddliness is worsened by zooming in and out, and worsened if your lens changes length for focussing

And that is why I have shelled out squids this summer for a dedicated macro prime - and of course now I miss the zoom, but love the new lens
It is sharp +++ (Sigma 150) and so simple to use.

This lens also does not need me to get so close, and my ageing knees don't like me going horizontal.

5.) The raynox lenses are easier to put on and off, as I think they have a squeeze clippey sort of thing (bit like some lens covers) that makes a seconds work with the spare hand. This can also be done with lens hood on.

[Lancashire Lad]

Originally Posted by Hobjob

....2.) I would imagine that having a step down from 72 --> 43mm would reduce the light markedly. That must be way over 50% reduction in terms of area....

I suppose it depends on what subjects are being photographed as to whether any light reduction would be a problem. Certainly in the case of static subjects such as fungi, where exposures can be in the multi-second range anyway, it doesn't pose a problem. It is also worth noting that even when used on lenses with large elements such as the Sigma 180mm macro, results from these Raynox lenses don't show any signs at all of vignetting.

Originally Posted by Hobjob

....5.) The raynox lenses are easier to put on and off, as I think they have a squeeze clippey sort of thing (bit like some lens covers) that makes a seconds work with the spare hand. This can also be done with lens hood on....

I found the plastic attachment "tabs" on the supplied adaptor rather flimsy. Also, it could be attached slightly off centre with regards to optical axis. (And it didn't fit anything above 67mm either). For those reasons, I decided to get rid of it and use the Raynox lenses with metal stop down rings instead.

Regards,
Mike.

[marvin]

thanks again everyone.

tim