Cheap Macro help?

tris_drinkwater

tris_drinkwater

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Tristan
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hey guys,

I have a sigma 17-70 DC macro lens that I'm more than happy with. It produces some fantastic images, but I'd like to get a little closer.

Since the ring size is 72mm and the Raynox DCR-250 only goes up to 67mm what are my options??

I should state that I have next to NO budget so it has to be cheap. Also the min focusing distance on my siggy at 70mm is less than an inch!!

Any thoughts??

Cheers in advance :)
 
Tubes or if budget can stretch to a Nifty Fifty (50mm f1.8) and a reverse ring from ebay (£6) that will also work.

Personally, I use tubes on the 50mm and get some brilliant results. Picked up a set of tubes from Jessops for about £12 a few years back.
 
Cant you get step up rings for the Raynox so it fits your lens. Im sure I read you could.
 
cheers for the replies guys.

extension tubes - I've tried these before and I got a really crap set that let loads of light in so where no good at all.

I have a 50mm and I've found that with my 17-70mm at 70mm an inch from the subject it isn't quite as maganifed as the 50mm with tubes, but the quaility is loads better. mainly because the AF still works. I'm then able to crop down to 100% and get decent images.

I can't use tubes on the 17-70 as the focusing distance would be somewhere inside the lens!

I've also tried reversing rings before and found them tricky with ap and AF.

I know it's not the done thing but using the AF seems to give me more keeper shots so I'm thinking I want to stick with it.

That only leaves the raynox and it's step up ring. all in about £70ish. More than I wanted to spend.

I guess what I'm really asking is, is there another product like the raynox dcr-250 that I've missed??

cheers agian :)
 
Canon do a screw in lens fillter called the 50D (go figure) which is supposedly very good, but quite hard to find, and probably not much cheaper than a raynox.
 
I have a set of these from FleBay, item number; 220502902046, '72mm Macro Closeup Lenses' @ £13 inc! You can put 'closeup lens' in to Flebay search as well, to bring more up options.

My finding was the x4 lens was the best. Not perfect but like you I did not want to spend to much, macro is not my first love, but I do enjoy wandering around the garden clicking away.

Sample, this one was on a G1-14-45 lens (52mm)
1800MarigoldrwP1000055.jpg


Its certainly a cheap option, but not the full answer to the "macro maidens prayer". You will certainly need a tri/mono pod??? and lots of patience:thinking:

CJS
 
The downside to the raynox on your lens will be vignetting, its only around 46mm diameter, so even using step down rings you will only get the centre of the shot and I doubt be able to zoom past the vignetting.

If you don't like the tubes or reversing ring then save more pennies and look for a second hand EF mount macro lens, or you could look for an M42 one and use an adaptor.
 
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