Macro Photography Equipment – Choosing A Diopter / Close Up Filter
Macro photography has sometimes been associated to expensive macro photography equipment. However, that is not always the case. There are a number of ways to get into macro photography without having to spend an arm and a leg.
Close up filters – An economical macro photography equipment
One piece of inexpensive equipment that you can add to your macro photography kit is a close up filter set. In contrast to the extension tubes, these close up filters have an optical/glass component to them and they operate like the UV filters that are screwed onto the end of your lens. These close up filters usually come in a set and will provide you with a number of different magnification options (eg. +1, +2, +4 , +10). If you choose to, you can even screw them all together to further increase your magnification.
In the video below by Mike Browne, he shows us how we can use a macro photography close up filter / diopter to get closer to our subject. Watch as he changes from a lower magnification filter / diopter through to a more powerful filter / diopter and see how much closer he can get to his subject each time.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT2IIijxwFs
Since the close up filters have a glass/optical component to them, it may degrade the quality of your photos if you use a poor quality close up filter. When choosing a close up filter, it is recommended to use a popular and highly regarded brand. Generally, as a rule of thumb, the quality of a close up filter is directly proportional to the cost of it. For example, the more expensive the close up filter is, the higher the quality of the close up filter. Sounds like everything else in life right?
Having said that, to enter the macro photography world without having to purchase a macro lens and to see if close up filters are for you, now might be a good time to consider adding a close up filter set into your macro photography equipment.
In order to select the appropriate close up filter to fit your lens, you will need to know the diameter of your lens (eg. 52mm, 58mm,, 62mm , 67mm, 72mm or 77mm). This is printed onto the bottom/side of your camera lens.
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