Which close up lens is good?

Manfr3d

I want to buy a close up lens for my Canon 85mm/1.8 for
low light macro stuff. The only apochromatic lens that looks
good is the Canon 250D lens. Are there other options I should
consider, or is it good enough?

ziggy53

Manfr3d wrote:

I want to buy a close up lens for my Canon 85mm/1.8 for
low light macro stuff. The only apochromatic lens that looks
good is the Canon 250D lens. Are there other options I should
consider, or is it good enough?

The Canon 250D is the recommended diopter for a lens of 85mm focal length. I don't have that combination (yet) but I should think it would be pretty high quality.

DOF will be very narrow, even with pretty small apertures.

Manfr3d

Thanks. Will post some pics when it arrives later this week

Photoskipper

THe extension tube just a hollow cylinder to between the lens and the camera.

I got a Uniplus from Japan at 1/3 the price of 250D. It works well with the 100 mm micro. Not sure about the 85 mm lens.

Manfr3d

The lens arrived today and I tested how it performs on the Canon 85mm/1.8 lens.

Until f4 halos are pretty bad, at f4 things start to look pretty good.
Another thing I observerd was that the combination performs a tad
better when the lens is set to infinity instead to its closest focusing
distance of 85cm.

Here are some images:

Infinity focus, f1.8:

Infinity focus, f4:

Infinity focus, f5.6:

Infinity focus, f16:


I'm somewhat disapointed because I was planning to use the closeup lens
to shoot critters and fish in avaliable light aquariums (municipal type). If I
have to use f4 or f5.6 to get crisp images, I might as well use a macro lens
instead. On he other hand for 50 bucks (used) the lens is alot lighter and cheaper
than a macro lens... looks like I'll keep it anyway

BLUEThunder

ziggy53 wrote:

The Canon 250D is the recommended diopter for a lens of 85mm focal length.
DOF will be very narrow, even with pretty small apertures.

Ok, educate me here ziggy....i have been thinking about getting a macro lens for my XTi anyway....from the looks of this I can make my 85mm f/1.8 lens that I bought for photographing sports in poorly lit gyms a macro ALSO with the use of this diopter????

That sounds like it could be a LOT cheaper than yet another lens!

I am saving the pennies anyway to buy that 70-200 IS f/2.8 lens.....dang they are expensive!!

ziggy53

BLUEThunder wrote:

Ok, educate me here ziggy....i have been thinking about getting a macro lens for my XTi anyway....from the looks of this I can make my 85mm f/1.8 lens that I bought for photographing sports in poorly lit gyms a macro ALSO with the use of this diopter????

That sounds like it could be a LOT cheaper than yet another lens!

I am saving the pennies anyway to buy that 70-200 IS f/2.8 lens.....dang they are expensive!!

As Manfr3d just demonstrated, the Canon 250D close-focus diopter can allow close focus capabilities to a lens that would normally not possess that quality. It does not replace a true "macro" lens, but it has properties that make it desireable and it can often serve a similar purpose.

In particular the Canon 250D and 500D are high-quality 2-element optics and they are both relatively inexpensive and lightweight. They also take little room in a camera bag.

They have minimal impact on the light gathering qualities of a lens, but the performance varies by the host lens and how the diopter optically couples to the lens.

ziggy53

Manfr3d wrote:

The lens arrived today and I tested how it performs on the Canon 85mm/1.8 lens.

Until f4 halos are pretty bad, at f4 things start to look pretty good.
Another thing I observerd was that the combination performs a tad
better when the lens is set to infinity instead to its closest focusing
distance of 85cm.

...

I'm somewhat disapointed because I was planning to use the closeup lens
to shoot critters and fish in avaliable light aquariums (municipal type). If I
have to use f4 or f5.6 to get crisp images, I might as well use a macro lens
instead. On he other hand for 50 bucks (used) the lens is alot lighter and cheaper
than a macro lens... looks like I'll keep it anyway

Thanks for posting that review.

Yes, all diopters are designed to be used at infinity on the host lens, but sometimes they can also be used at closer focus. The closest focus distance will not be the same as the closest focus without the diopter.

Photoskipper

Just playing with the new 25 mm extension tube with the 100 mm F2.8 macro lens.

This is my first time getting the compound eyes.