What should I look for in a closeup lens?

[lathe]

What should I look for in a closeup lens? I've never worked with one so I'm not sure what I should be looking for:

What are the trade-offs between higher and lower diopters?
Does having a coated closeup lens really make any difference?
Is a multi-element closeup lens better than a single element lens?
How many diopters do I need to get a closer shot when my A640 is a full telephoto (4X mag) with a closeup lens than I already get without a closeup lens in wide-angle mode (1X mag)?


Thanks.

[downtrodden]

Lathe, in a close up/ macro lens set you should look for the Hoya Close up set. The reason is this, it works just like a filter, zoom in, and throw any of the 3 lenses on your adapter. they have three differnt diopters, +1, +2 and +4. you can stack them to get any strength up to +7. this is very versatile.

Now to answer some of your questions, smaller diopters, such as +1 have a larger depth of field than say +7. This means that it's easier to get a focused picture out of a +1 and more of the picture will be in focus (but less of the picture than in your normal camera alone) +7 will get you far closer, but the depth of field will be so small that this occurs:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/169/368318512_e5eec6fbe3.jpg
and by this, i mean that what you focus on will be in focus- it's hard to get a focus and manual focus is best used on large diopters and after time it will come easier- but notice how the edges of the icicle, which are only millimeters further from the focus point, are blurred heavily? That's what a large diopter does. Aside from getting you ULTRA close- so close you can see the weave patterns in shirts and cloth...

now even +1 will get you a much closer image than your full zoom because this is how you use Maxcro lenses- put them on your adapter, put them on the camera. Zoom to full zoom and set your manual focus now move the camera itself closer or further to get a manual focus. it's tricky but after practice, gets much easier. The more powerful you get, the closer you have to get to your subject.. Sometimes autofocus will work but it's hit or miss.

I will try to take some test pictures with the +1 lens later tonight to demonstrate. but, i get closer with a +1 than i can with macro... super macro beats the +1 in most instances (if light permits me being that close) but +2 then gets closer no matter what. I will domonstrate this later.

~Cory Lovon Daugherty.

[lathe]

Thanks for the information, downtrodden.

Hoya seems to get good recommendations from people. Raynox has a similar set. What do people think of that one?

[jonalta]

Thanks for the information, downtrodden.
Hoya seems to get good recommendations from people. Raynox has a similar set. What do people think of that one?
I have a Raynox Macro DCR-250. This is not a set of filters but a fixed converter that clips on any lens adapter. This lens gives very good magnification, detail and effects with my S3. I am not sure whether it will work well with your camera. It has very narrow DOF that really gives much challenge. As downtrodden mentioned the HOYA set is more versatile as you can stack and unstack them to your desired power and comfort.
here are some shots i took with the DCR-250 with my Canon S3is

[truflip]

hi!
im also a DCR250 user.
i think its a good lens.
takes a bit of time to get used to it
but once u get the hang of it..
the results are very rewarding =)
i think its versatile enough
u can zoom out if the magnification is too much
so its not so bad in my opinion
the images i get out of it are very sharp!
i like it very much!

here are some pics taken by my S3is with the Raynox DCR250.
it shouldnt be much different to your camera.
only thing is u might not be able to get much magnification since ur cam has 4x vs 12x on the s3.

heres a shot taken with the DCR250 with a bit of zoom
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/128/367480966_90e605da7a.jpg

heres my old watch. taken at almost full magnification i think
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/101/306935786_417f9fc5b0.jpg

this ones a lead pencil. u can see how shallow the depth of field is (the focused area on the lead)
also taken with full magnification (full zoom)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/87/245825258_fea3df9c76.jpg

hope this helps!

[nap]

For flexibility, I suggest buying the Hoya Macro Filter Set. I have the Raynox DCR-250 (+8) and it is great BUT it gives me less flexibility in terms of the following:

1. magnification - there are some times that I need less magnification but I don't have something in between. If I zoom out too much, vignetting occurs.

2. depth of field - the DOF of the DCR 250 is super thin! There are just times when you need a deeper DOF to capture more detail. I'll post something later to illustrate the narrow DOF of my lens. I just have to find the file.

[nap]

I took a photo at full zoom using the Raynox DCR-250 of a ruler with a 0.5 mm gradient at almost a parallel plane. Here's what I got:
19704

Based on my tests, I would say that the clear DOF of this macro lens at this setting is a little above 0.5 mm - half of a millimeter!

[lathe]

Wow. This is great information guys.

I just found out that Raynox has a set as well: the DCR-5320PRO. This set is a 2, 3, and 5 diopter lenses. Can anyone compare to the Hoya 1, 2, 4 set?

My first impressions is that the Raynox set allows up to stack them to get values from 2 to 10 diopters, but that you can't get every number between (though most of them). From the pictures above, it seems like 10 would be overkill. I think they are also 72mm.

[nap]

Wow. This is great information guys.

I just found out that Raynox has a set as well: the DCR-5320PRO. This set is a 2, 3, and 5 diopter lenses. Can anyone compare to the Hoya 1, 2, 4 set?

My first impressions is that the Raynox set allows up to stack them to get values from 2 to 10 diopters, but that you can't get every number between (though most of them). From the pictures above, it seems like 10 would be overkill. I think they are also 72mm.

When I was small (yes it's true!), my mom told me that if you put a +1 behind a +3, you will get a +2 (3-1=2). Is this true?

[downtrodden]

Nap... I was going to tell you know that's not true right off the bat, but i decided to try it out before i suffer from foot in mouth disease and someone prove me wrong.. so i staked my filters -cam, adapt, 1,2,4. Zoomed in and then removed the 4. and.. what your mom said was not true. even thought they're in the reverse order the magnification is still the same, no matter what order you stack the lenses, always +7.

~Cory

[nap]

Nap... I was going to tell you know that's not true right off the bat, but i decided to try it out before i suffer from foot in mouth disease and someone prove me wrong.. so i staked my filters -cam, adapt, 1,2,4. Zoomed in and then removed the 4. and.. what your mom said was not true. even thought they're in the reverse order the magnification is still the same, no matter what order you stack the lenses, always +7.

~Cory

Thanks for trying it! I can't believe that for the past 21-23 years, I've believed that macro lenses work that way. :o :o

[lathe]

For people who have a set of closeup lenses, do people typically use the +1 diopter lens (either alone or in combination with the larger sizes)? For example, if you own the Hoya +1, +2, +4 set, do you really use the +1 diopter lens much or do you just use the +2 and +4 more often?

[downtrodden]

All of my icicle shots are pretty much +1 or +2. I find myself using +1 the most and if that isn't close enough i'll try the +2 alone and if i need even closer i'll stack the +1 on the +2. I don't have any lighting lamp anymore, so i haven't given much try to stacking them all together. I did for a couple icicle shots but only cuz there was strong sunlight.

But yeah.. generally it's +1 and +2 and both at the same time.

~Cory