close-up filters

[terry]

Has anyone any experience in using these things?

According to the guy at Fletchers (Burwood) it should work well with my 70-300mm Nikkor lens?

Thanks for your input

Terry

[Glen]

Hi Terry, I have the Nikon 6T close up filter, there is a thread on it under bargains called "close up filter" (what else). With links to photos. I am happy with it

[Onyx]

It's to compliment the Nikkor, which does not have very good macro capabilities, compared to the Sigma and Tamron competitors.

[Matt. K]

Hi Guys
I don't recommend you spend good money on close-up filters. They are a second class way to go. For about the same cash outlay you can get a set of extension tubes that will fit between all of your lenses and the camera and give you much better quality. Because they have no glass elements in them then they don't compromise the quality of your expensive Nikkor lenses. You will lose your metering and autofocussing but that's no problem with digital photography. Take a couple of pics and check your histogram for exposure...and use manual focussing. The rings come in a set of 3 and aby adding or removing rings you can change the magnification. They are metal and will never wear out.

[birddog114]

I all agreed with Matt, I have the Tamron 90 + 180 Macro lenses for macro purposes on flower, bug, bees in my garden.
But tempted myself a Canon close-up filter 500D/ 77mm, I asked Onyx get for me one and he did last week, he'll bring home with him and I'll try it on the 70-200VR or the new lens 300/2.8 VR (when it available).
I think the Canon 500D on the 70-200VR will helps me with faster autofocus and quick locking the subject (butterfly, bee, etc..).
The macro lenses is slow on autofocus, hunt alot, but if you want a real macro 1:1 then manual focus is a must and a tripod is your friend.

[Onyx]

Birddog's 500D is about as expensive as close up filters get (cost more than a Nikkor 50/1.8 or 70-300G!), they are a 2 element design, and quite heavy (if that's an indication of quality), compared with other cheaper brands of close ups, eg. Nikon's 6T and Hoya and B&W sets.

While I feel privilledged to have in my posession Birddog's Canon 500D filter, I guess we'll have to wait a month or so until Birddog himself could provide us with sample pics, as I don't have a lens that could utilise the filter thread size.

For those that have used close up filters - is there a need for exposure compensation? I mean, it's extra elements of glass in the way, and it seems to work in the same principle as teleconverters, which reduces lights by a whole stop or two...