Has anybody had experience with this close-up attachment?
My initial attempt yields no review or rating information.
It was recommended to me because the Canon D500 (or 500D) is too frequently out of stock.
My question relates to how effective one of these supplementary front close-up attachments will be at getting me toward macro magnification with the Nikon 300 f4 AFS. That is all I am after: Some information on what the magnification ratio will be.
Maybe I need to find a chart that shows the ratios for various lenses with different extensions or close-up attachments.
a 300mm telephoto is not and will never ever reach a reproduction ratio of 1:1 It won't even hit 1:2. Nikon specs it as 0.27x which is around 1:4, which isn't in the macro range.
A +3 diopter will reduce the 300/4 AFS MFD from 57.6" to 10.7". That should result in a final magnification ratio of 1.47x lifesize if my math is correct.
I don't know anything about this particular close-up lens. I think it's a fairly new release. As long as it's achromatic (multi-element) it should be good. In the past, Hoya made a couple of good close-up lenses and bunch of junk ones. They are capable of making one as good as the Canon.
Thanks for the responses. Honestly, I do not know quite how to respond back to your comments right now.
Initially, I was looking at the practicality of getting this lens closer, i.e. using it as close-up lens too.
Elan: Please explain.....how did you arrive from 57+” to 10+” (or 1:47 life size)?
Zebraboot: If you read my post again you will see that I did not say I expected it to get to macro.
Regarding me just getting a macro......your suggestion is well-taken. That may be what I should do instead of trying to get this lens to perform two functions.
Now, I do believe that the lens will get to 1:1 with 300mm extension. Is that right? Is anyone going to put on 300mm extension? Nope. Let us go a step further by saying that any lens can be made to go 1:1 with enough extension. That’s right.....any lens....
Yes, I cannot believe this filter is multi-layered. And I now see that not enough people have bought it for ratings yet.
Zebrabot wrote:
There's no way the Hoya +3 is more than a single piece of glass if it's 77mm.
The Canon 500D is 77mm and achromatic. I'm thinking this Hoya is also, because of the thickness. But this needs to be verified. You understand that the two element could be laminated?
bs kite wrote:
Elan: Please explain.....how did you arrive from 57+” to 10+” (or 1:47 life size)?
This is the formula I used:
1/ Current MFD (1.45m) = 0.69
Diopter (+3) + above = 3.69
Inverse of above = 0.27m, or 10.7" -- That's your new MFD.
If someone sees a calculation error above, let me know. The result doesn't surprise me though. Diopters are very effective on tele lenses.
Don't fall for the often raised "Another piece of glass in front of your lens" argument, and how tubes are pure because they don't change the optics. The people that raise it don't understand the optical design of a good achromatic close-up lens. These are specifically designed to go in front of your lens and correct the field curvature that is inherit to common lenses and is further exaggerated at macro range. They are also very bright, typically 2.0 or brighter, so they don't rob your lens of any light.
Tubes take light away, 50% for each focal length. So if you take a 100/2.8 macro lens, fully extended it's already a ~60/5 lens, add 60mm of tubes and you have yourself a very dark f/10 (t/10) lens. It would take a very bright supplement light for you to focus at f/10.
Elan II wrote:
The Canon 500D is 77mm and achromatic. I'm thinking this Hoya is also, because of the thickness. But this needs to be verified. You understand that the two element could be laminated?
Well, I looked at the hoya site (yeah, it's pure junk and must be taken lightly) and only their +10 stuff brags about two element. B&H carries a 77mm +3 hoya and it's only 3mm thick, which sounds too thin to be anything than the standard singlet for something like this. This is the B&H item
the amount of extension you'd need to get 1:1 is sort of a tricky question.
If your 300mm lense was some magic textbook lense, the distance from the center of the lense "nodal point" to focus at infinity to your film/sensor would be 300mm. To focus on something up close at 1:1 you need 600mm between the nodal point and the film plane. Why is it exactly double the focal length? I have no idea.
That's how focal lengths of lenses are measured.
Real lenses are not just a single chunk of glass with the nodal point in the middle.
Telephoto lenses throw the nodal point outside the lense- hence the "tele" in telephoto. That's how telephoto lenses can be physically shorter than their focal length. So the mystery is where is the real nodal point in your 300mm telephoto. I have no idea, and can't tell you how much more extension you'd need to double it either. I suspect Elan II could answer both questions though.
There are telephoto lenses for view cameras - I have a 400mm f/8 Fujinon. Even slight amounts of tilt cause all sorts of weird behavior. It's really tricky to use and regular view camera math gets even stranger with these things.
Zebrabot wrote:
Well, I looked at the hoya site (yeah, it's pure junk and must be taken lightly) and only their +10 stuff brags about two element. B&H carries a 77mm +3 hoya and it's only 3mm thick, which sounds too thin to be anything than the standard singlet for something like this. This is the B&H item
I think the B&H description is incorrect. This is what the actual filter looks like. You can almost guess from the curvature of the element that there's an element with counter-curvature behind it. Otherwise the images would look like a circus mirror.
Kite, how hard did you look for a 500D? I just checked and found it at Optics Planet for the normal price. Several HK ebay sellers are also offering it for the same price. I would actually take a chance on the Hoya though, as long as you buy from a shop with a good return policy. The difference between +2 and +3 is significant.
but even uncoated Tiffen diopters have a concave rear surface.
If I had to buy one of these, I'd get the Canon as it IS two elements for sure. The hoya is unknown, and I get the feeling they'd brag about it and call it a digial pro multi hyper ultra posi DMS-LD-XQDD-F super if it was more than just a singlet.
Well, we won't know until someone buys one and gives us a full report. I agree that the Canon is a safe choice. We know it's achromatic and we know it's a good performer.
I will know in the next few days (maybe tomorrow) if this new Hoya is being sent to me. I balked at the advertised price of about $230....!. I said that I would not buy it unless the price was reduced to what a few others have this new close-up attachment listed at......about $180? We will see soon and I will let you know. Otherwise I am going to find the Canon 500D. We know of its fine reputation. TAYQ....I did not hunt that hard for the 500D this time around. In the past I have window shopped for the 500D and noted that it was always difficult to find. Anyway, if I do get this Hoya I can always send it back. Yes Zebrabot, I would also guess that they would brag about it if it was all of that. Am now thinking about ordering the 500D too. I will keep only one.
BTW.....I am told that this Hoya was given to Nikon techs to test and was told that they raved about it. Again, we will see....that is, if I get it. I am curious.
Yes, I am aware that tubes suck up huge amounts of light. I always thought I would prefer the front close-up lenses if they could be perfected or improved to the point where their performance was outstanding. I guess that time has arrived with at least the 500D.
I talked to the California distributor and was told that this lens is achromatic. I asked for clarification and was told that it consisted of two elements to correct distortion.
However, this link simply does not hold enough information for my curiosity.
Also, I commented that I can find no ratings for this lens because it was new on the market. That is when the guy (disagreeable person) told me that it has been out for 6 years! Huh?
That is all I know now. Have not closed the door on it but am sceptical at best.
The two elements are to correct aberrations, not distortion. And this lens has not been out for six years either. Probably more like six months. Too bad THK is so sloppy, but then that's nothing new.
I still say take a chance and get one. It's $180 with free shipping at the B&H link in Zebrabot's post above. They'll take it back with no fuss if you decide you don't like it. I'm looking at the ground glass on this thing and it reeks of quality to my eye. Call it a hunch, but it's an educated hunch.
Btw, Amazon has it listed for $137 now by one outside seller. Don't buy there unless you can call someone and verify beyond doubt that it's listed correctly. I think it's actually the old 10x.
