Customer Reviews

+1 +2 +4 +10 Close-Up Macro Filter Set with Pouch For The Nikon D5000, D3000 Digital SLR Cameras Which Have Any Of These (18-55mm, 55-200mm, 50mm) Nikon Lenses

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

While I have not used all of the diopters in the kit, I have used the +1 and +2 attachments. They are just what I needed for taking photos of wild flowers and other objects on nature walks through nature preserve adjacent to our home. I have used on both the 18-55mm and 55-200mm zoom lenses of my digital SLR. I would recommend that these be tried to see if they do what you want before buying a very expensive macro-lens.

I have the Nikon D5000 and I accidently saw this then bought it because the Macro Nikkor lens I would have needed was almost $600. These lenses screw right onto the standard lens I have and the 52-200mm lens also. Even comes with a nice cleaning cloth. So low profile, easy to put in the camera bag, easy to install. I have nothing bad to say about them. They're an awesome buy.

great item to have for your camera...although alot of cameras have macro, it's nice just to have this filter lens to experiment...pictures turned out great for a recreational photographer such as myself...it's not expensive...seems to be of good quality but just make sure it's tight on your lens...i have noticed that after attaching it to my lens...but for the little bit that i will use, i can handle that...and you can also buy other expensive filter lens set depending on your budget...but this seems reasonable in price...just buy it...

I like these filters but understand what you are getting before you purchase. They are a work around for actually owning a macro lense. That being said, they do what they are made to do. As you progress past the +1 and +2, vignetting becomes an issue but that is when software correction takes over. Nice addition to someone just wanting to play around with some filters! And who can beat the price. :)

I occasionally dabble in macro, but nowhere near enough to justify the outrageous sums dedicated macro lenses go for. So, I thought I'd pick these up.

First, a nice bonus was that it comes with a compact filter case with 4 lens slots. I ordered this product without realizing it came with that, so that was quite the pleasant surprise, as it's actually a pretty nice, albeit small, filter case. I actually connect the 1 to the 2 and the 4 to the 10 when I store them, opening up two slots, which allows me to carry a UV filter and a polarizing filter as well. Which is really nice when I'm just carrying a small camera bag to not need two separate filter cases. The lens cloth is reasonably good.

On to the actual filters. If you go into them with reasonable expectations, it's hard to be disappointed with them. Attaching them to my 55-200 nikkor telephoto lens results in pretty good, pretty sharp pictures. The more you stack them, the more your image will degrade, but you can still get reasonably decent images even with all four stacked. if you stack, stack from most magnification closest to the lens to weakest magnification furthest from your lens, otherwise your focus and depth of field will go crazy and you'll get all kinds of weird aberrations in your image). Also, make sure you regularly clean them, as any smudges or dust will, shockingly, get magnified.

Be aware that these will make your camera have a difficult time autofocusing, as the computer has no idea that these things are on the end of the lens, and thus its normal tricks don't work as well. However, if you're doing macro, you want to use manual focus anyway, even if you have a dedicated macro lens you want to use manual focus, so that's not really a negative in my eyes.

Also, be aware that like any macro filters, they reduce depth of field, meaning you'll want to shoot with as high of a number f stop as possible (that is your aperture as small as possible, high f/stop = low aperture), otherwise you'll find yourself with a depth of field that can only be measured in milimieters (literally, with a small (wide open) f stop, and all four stacked, your depth of field will be less than a about a half millimeter!)

Also, be aware that since things are magnified here, that any camera shake is magnified as well. Meaning that you'll want to use a tripod if at all possible. You can occasionally get good results hand shooting, but you'll get more consistently sharp results with a tripod. And a tripod will also be beneficial because, due to the high f/stop you'll need to get the depth of field you'll want, you may need both a high ISO and a long shutter speed.

If you buy these thinking you can just throw them on the end of your kit lens, use autofocus and BAM, get pro level macro photos, you'll be pretty unhappy. BUt if you know what you're buying, they're a pretty outstanding little set. I almost gave these 5 stars, because they're a great value, and you really can't expect anything more than what they give you from any macro filters, regardless of price. However, I didn't want to mislead. If macro photography is your thing you WILL need a macro lens to get the type of sharpness that field really demands. If you just occasionally dabble in macro when you happen across something interesting, they really are hard to beat.

edit: I think a lot of people newer to macro photography try these out, and thus, I see that a lot of reviews are complaining about things that don't really have anything to do with these filters, but just have to do with macro photography. Three complaints stand out as being complaints about macro photography more than these filters:

First, when you're zoomed in and magnified this much, you HAVE to shoot from a tripod. Any camera shake is going to be magnified. SO, I think a lot of the 'blurry' complaints stem from people trying ot use these handheld. Don't bother with macro if you aren't going to shoot with a tripod and a trigger release (remote control shutter button) or a timer.

Second, don't shoot macro on autofocus. autofocus isn't made for macrophotography. It has nothing to do with these filters. The camera just gets really confused by macro photography. Even a dedicated macro lens will only get you roughly in the ball park focus wise, and many of the best macro lenses don't autofocus at all. If you're going to do macro, then you need to use manual focus.

Third, your subjects need to be relatively still. Because macro involves relatively long shutter speeds, you'll need to shoot still subjects. Or at the very least, take a ton of shots and hope that the object stayed still in a few of them. Again, this has nothing to do with these filters, that's just the way macro photography is.

Good price,very good set range for close-up photography,next time use Digi Concepts product pictures online, excellent filters for close-up macro photography before buying macro lens,received order within time frame, fast prompt delivery.

I got these for my wife because she was showing interest in taking Macro pictures. She loves playing around with these. A must have for any beginner SLR user.

For the price and what it lets you do with your camera...very nice bag and lenses are solid. Worth getting!

I have a Nikon d3000 with a 18-55mm lens and 55-200mm lens. I was excited to try diopter lenses rather than buy a macro. I ordered from Digi Acc...but they left out important information on this product page. The lenses I received were not made by Clearmax, DBRoth, or Digital Concepts. They were made by Vivitar. There's no cleaning cloth (not that big of a deal...but it says it comes with one). The lenses are also limited to 52mm, therefore, you can't use them with a higher mm lens. This is NOT specified here or when you order. The write-up makes it sound like the diopters work with the lenses I have, but they didn't. I could only use one of the four lenses successfully. Thankfully, returns are easy.

I strongly suggest that, before you buy these, you talk to the company sender and make sure you are getting what the product page says you're paying for.

Little or no how-to use them included in the packaging, but plenty on line. No brainer as far as I was concerned, <$20 or $350 to $500 for an entry level macro lens. Lost the first macro filters I bought and replaced them asap. Still learning how to best use them, but use them all the time. But then I have been trying to get good macro photographs with all the cameras I have owned and this is a real step up from trying to take a picture through a magnifying glass :) which was how I started out many years ago. Nikon DSLR is the first camera I have owned that wasn't point and shoot and the first that you could use macro filters with. You could probably get better pictures with an actual macro lens, but way out of my price range so I have no experience with them. These are 52mm for Standard Nikon lenses 18x50 and 50x200, so be sure to look at the lens you are using and get the right size to fit.