close up lens?

gracenrich

Good or bad idea to get the Canon 500d close up lens
to use on my Nikon 18-200 vr lens?
Thank You:dunno

20DNoob

It's definitely the cheapest way to get into the macro world to see if it's something you'll stick with.

Here's a gallery for you to check out, it just so happens the person is using that very lens.

Here's some more also.

Good luck.

pathfinder

I own a 500D in 72 and 77mm diameters. They work fine, not a replacement for a real macro, but certainly do allow much closer focusing.

The 77mm version is heavy, and the little plastic case it comes in is rather fragile, and will break if dropped on a hard surface. Damhik:D

Extension tubes will be a little cheaper, and will probably allow you to get closer, but require lens removal to install.

A 500D or extension tubes can also be used later on a real macro lens as well.

Glenn NK

For some dumb reason that escapes me, I bought both the Canon 500D closeup lens and a set of Kenko extension tubes, and I wish I still had the money I spent on the 500D.

There are three tubes in the Kenko set which can be combined to provide six different magnifications - the lens is good for one (both based on a prime lens). On a zoom lens, the tubes will still provide six times as many options than will the lens for any given focal length.

I can probably drop the tubes and they will survive; I wouldn't even want to drop the 500D on a carpet.

If I touch the 500D, it's cleaning time - I usually hold the rings on one of my fingers when picking the combination I want.

Lastly, the tubes are full of high quality air - no more glass to degrade the image.

Tommyboy

I bought a 500D a while back and never really used it beyond testing it after purchase. It's very high quality. I was thinking about selling it.

Then the other day, when shooting some 1:1 stuff, I needed to get a wee bit closer (not as close as an extension tube would bring me) and it turned out perfect.

It's a high quality optic and a very handy accessory.

Glenn NK

Tommyboy wrote:

I bought a 500D a while back and never really used it beyond testing it after purchase. It's very high quality. I was thinking about selling it.

Then the other day, when shooting some 1:1 stuff, I needed to get a wee bit closer (not as close as an extension tube would bring me) and it turned out perfect.

It's a high quality optic and a very handy accessory.

I don't disagree. But with the tubes, and now the 100 macro, the 500D is a wee bit redundant for me.

ziggy53

Extension tubes may not be indicated, depending on the lens in question. The problem is a matter of "convergence".

Many complicated lenses, zoom lenses in particular, are designed to converge at only the focal plane. Any shift forward and you may encounter problems with field curvature and/or chroma aberration.

Simpler lenses, primes close to "standard" focal lengths and true "macro/micro" designed lenses in particular, tend to do much better with extension tubes.

Diopter accessory lenses, and the Canon 500D is a very good example, tend to work better with complicated zooms, but you still need to be concerned with "optic coupling". Optic coupling is that ability of the two mating pieces to work in conjunction or to work cooperatively, in an optical sense. I haven't tested the Canon 500D series so I can't comment on how well it works on any particular lens or type of lens. It is very possible that it will work much better on some lenses than on others.

Nikon makes a similar product called the 3T, 4T, 5T and 6T, with the 3T and 5T most similar to the Canon 500D.

I have both Minolta and Sony 2 element positive diopters that are very high quality, and the Minolta in particular works extremely well and provides a true macro capability used in conjuntion with a 105mm prime that I own.

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=34881

I tried the Sony close-up adapter on several lenses with less than desirable results, however it worked extremely well for the Sony F828 digicam for which it was designed.