Macro Filters

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Jasonward330

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Jason
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Hi, I am a total newbie to photography other than taking holiday snaps with my old canon G10. I have just purchased my first DSLR a Nikon D3100 and I would like take some close up shots, I have seen macro filters and macro tubes advertised on amazon and as they are dirt cheap I thought I might give them a shot before splashing out on a dedicated lens. My question is: are they any good or am I wasting my money? Please remeber that I am in no way shape or form a professional!!!:)

Thanks in advance

Jay
 
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Macro filters are actually close up supplementary lenses and are very much the budget option. They can give reasonable results but are only a stop gap. Next up are the tubes which (when coupled with suitable lenses) do a very good job. Ideally, you'll want a set with the electrical contacts so the aperture controls still work (unless you plan on using a lens with "proper" aperture control on the lens), although the lack of AF isn't a real problem in macro work. Proper Macro lenses are the ultimate answer though but they tend not to be cheap, although some (the Tamron 90mm and Sigma 105mm) do very well in tests against the manufacturers' offerings. However, the latest versions of those 2 with AF and in lens AF motors aren't cheap! These macro lenses can be used as short telephoto lenses as well as for macro stuff and can also be mated to tubes to allow even closer focussing.
 
Thank you very much for you advice, I think I will try the tubes with the Af connectors then maybe upgrade to a dedicated lens if I am enjoying the results Im getting!

Thanks again for taking the time to help :)
 
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