Instead of talking about expensive cameras today, I thought I would address an economical way to add a new dimension to your photography. If you haven’t explored the world of macro photography because you just couldn’t afford to buy a new lens, you might want to consider buying some lens accessories that will turn your existing lenses into macro powerhouses. The average price of a good macro lens will set you back around $400 or more but you can achieve similar, if not better results by using accessories like extension tubes and close-up filters.
An extension tube is basically like a spacer between your lens and your camera. They come in varying sizes which are typically measured in millimeters. The more common sizes are 12mm, 20mm, and 36mm. The longer the tube, the greater the magnification factor (up to 1:1). The tubes are best used with lenses that are 35mm in focal length and longer. A wide angle lens will have such a short focusing distance that you will be right on top of your subject. You can buy extension tubes for most make and model cameras and they can run anywhere from $60 for the Kenko 12mm to $140 for the Canon 25mm tube. You can also purchase sets of tubes with varying lengths that can be used individually or stacked for greater magnification.
Another great way to jump into macro work is by purchasing a close-up filter. Close-up filters also come in varying magnifications but tend to be a little more expensive than extension tubes. This is because they are usually high quality glass that works in concert with the lens. The filters/lenses can have some advantages over tubes. Because they screw onto the front of your lens, they don’t interfere with any of the communication functions between the lens and camera body. They also result in less loss of light so exposures can be slightly shorter than tubes. They do, however, work similarly to tubes in that they allow you to shorten the minimum focus distance of your lens so that you can move closer to your subject, thereby increasing the size of the subject on you sensor. Close-up lenses usually come in magnification factors like +1, +2, +3, +4. They can also be stacked, strongest to weakest, to increase the magnification factor. The other difference is that they are usually screw threaded onto your lens which means that you have to purchase a specific thread diameter. So if your favorite lens to work with has a 68mm filter thread, this is the size you would use for the close-up filter. The big downside is that if you want to use different lenses that have different filter thread sizes, you will have to buy multiple filters. This is why I prefer to work with a zoom lens so that I can have a range of focal lengths to use with just one filter. Also, just as with most glass filters, the larger the diameter, the higher the price. For example, a B+W 40mm +3 filter will run you about $26 whereas a Hoya 72mm +3 filter will run about $237 (B+W is one of the least expensive brands to explore). So whether you are thinking of tubes or filters, I can bet on one thing for sure. Once you start shooting macro, you won’t want to stop.
These images were taken with a Canon 500D close-up filter with a Canon 50D and the 18-200mm zoom set to 200mm.
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Thanks for the article. I didn’t know about these close-up filters. Do you have any idea about loss of image quality using these filters? They really sound interesting and something like this could give a new perspective to the long and dark winter nights.