Customer Reviews

Canon 500D 72mm Close Up Lens

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It really does the work it is advertised to do... and it really does it well!!

It's Bokeh is very good and very pronounced (just as a macro lens would) and it does soften images just a bit (it's Ok for my standards).. The lens is quite heavy and realy picks up handshake though, so it will require a tripod for sharp images...

It produces amazing close ups that I wouldn't have been able to do with my nikkor 18-200 VR lens..

Bottom line: If you have the money to buy a macro, then please do and forget about this lens, but if you are somehow in a budget, then this little piece of glass really shines!!! Highlly recommended!!!

I bought this close up lens to go on my Nikon 18 - 200 mm Vr lens. It makes my lens even more versatile. Since I keep my zoom lens on the camera most of the time, the close up filter allows me to quickly take close ups by just screwing it on the end. It's so convenient, and a whole lo cheaper than buying a macro lens. It also fits easily in my bag.

After considering extension tubes and finding macro lenses so expensive, with Nikon not making a close up lens any longer, someone in a forum mentioned this close up lens. It works superbly and is of high quality. Works great with my 18-200 vr zoom lens and the photos are focused and crisp. Autofocus works great with the product.

I use this on my Nikon 18-200mm lens. It does a very nice job, but remember this a "magnifying glass". Don't expect this to turn your lens into a Macro. The 500D is a nice option to have if you need to travel light and would like to have the option of coming in a little closer to your subjects. It won't bring you as close and give as nice a bokeh like the Nikon 105mm macro lens (for example), but then it's merely a fraction of the weight and size of the 105mm.

The build quality of the 500D is excellent and it comes in a nice clear plastic, padded case.

Addendum May 31, 2011
I've never revisited my own product review and stumbled across this one. After re-reading my old post I decided to add this after having used the lens for a bit. A recent review posted by Jeff Burkey questioned the value of the 500D on the 18-200mm as it only increases magnification by 21% (something like that). Now, I do partially agree with Jeff's logic. I can get fairly close to my subject with a standard Nikkor 18-200mm on a Nikon D90 and capture an image with enough resolution to crop in 21% thus giving the same effect of using the 500D, without apparent denigration of picture quality (to me at least). I post process all of my photos to improve their quality (sharpness, contrast, saturation, etc.) so now days I rarely find the need to use the 500D on my 18-200mm.

HOWEVER, the usefulness of the 500D really sings on my Nikkor 70-300mm. The addition of this lens enables me to focus at very close distances, otherwise I would have to back up quite a distance from the subject. More impressive is the magnification which is wonderful. Enough to make a material difference in what I can shoot and thus make the 500D useful for me to carry again as long as I'm using the 70-300.

I do use pro grade FX glass, but haven't tested the 500D on those yet. When ever I'm in "pro" macro mode I use the Nikkor 105vr 2.8 macro, which can deliver vastly superior results.

Crystal clear and sharp. No problems there at all (Canon makes decent lenses just like Nikon). I use it on a Nikon 70-300 VR with a 67mm-72mm step-up ring. Images are amazing on my D90. The focusing distance is ideal for bugs and the magnification is UNREAL! However, the narrow depth-of-field is a bummer. I knew this when I bought it but I got it anyway - and I'm glad I did.

This lens works nicely for close-up images. Its easy to use and is very clear. It is just that little extra you need for some shots. This is one lens I carry when out looking at an area I haven't walked before, you never know when you might want to shot something close-up and this lens makes it easy and fast. My everyday lens is a 18-200 so it gives a great range when out on a walkabout.

My apparatus: Canon T3i, 18-200 zoom lens. I setup up a ruler and tripod to test the magnification and focus length. Using full zoom (i.e. 200 mm), my field of view is .7789 cm. Keeping the camera in the same location but adding the 500D, my field of view is .6117 (about 21.5% magnification). My focal length was about 15 inches. Adding the 500d also allowed me to get about a half inch closer to the measure, yielding a field of view of .5884 cm (or a usable magnification of slightly less than 25% to having no 500D).

Is it worth it having to hassle with putting this filter (quasi lens--beefy filter) on/off for 25% magnification? Hindsight, I wouldn't do it, unless I was going to shoot a lot of maximum macro pics with that lens. Save the money and buy a true macro lens, otherwise it's a little spendy for marginal improvement. Sigh. Anyone want a 500D used once?!

I bought this close up lens after reading what Bryan Peterson said about it in this book on closeup photography and the mixed reviews I'd read. I have tried it out on my Nikkor 18mm - 200mm lens. At first I followed the instructions and used it at 18mm. This gave little if any benefit over using my lens with at 200mm. That explained the negative reviews of this closeup lens. I then ignored the instructions and zoomed the Nikkor lens out to 200mm with the close up lens on and that made a huge difference.

The lens does not fit on my 70-300mm lens, so I have ordered a stepup ring for that lens. I have read a couple of reviews that say the close up lens is excellent on that lens.

The main reason I bought this lens is that it will be easy to use when traveling. I cannot take a big macro lens on overseas trips, but this close up lens will fit in my pocket in its case.