Waching daily Feb 20 2019

In this video I'm gonna look at some alternatives to getting extreme close-up

shots without a macro lens.

Macro photography is something I really enjoy doing. Getting in close and

creating compositions on a very small scale.

It's fantastic, because it's nothing like what our eyes traditionally see

If I want to reduce the focal distance and get closer to my subject, I'm either

going to need an extension tube or some macro filters.

An extension tube in its simplest form is simply moving the lens further away

from the sensor and reducing the focal distance allowing you to get closer to

the subject. I've got the Canon EF 12 II extension tube, which has no glass optics

in it. It allows me to use all of my EF and EF-S lenses and it communicates

metadata autofocus and TTL flash information all to the camera. As it has no

glass optics getting in the way you retain the full image quality of your

lens because it isn't introducing any additional elements. It's lightweight

compact and very easy to keep in your camera bag at all times when you need to

do a quick macro shot without having to do a major setup change.

Another alternative to a dedicated macro lens are macro filters. These are

essentially magnifying glasses that you attach to the filter thread of your lens

and depending on the strength will determine how close you can get to the

subject. These particular macro filters are from Polaroid and there are 1 x 2 x

4 x and 10 times magnification. I really like these filters because like the

extension tubes, I can always have them in my bag and I can get different levels

of macro to suit the shot I am after. As you are putting a filter on the front of

your lens you will lose some sharpness but it really isn't anything to jump up and

down about.

It's all well and good saying that there are alternatives to having a dedicated macro

lens but how do they look in terms of image quality. This is our control image.

To take this control image I've borrowed a Canon 100mm F 2.8 macro lens and

this is how close I can get subject using that macro lens.

Next is the extension tube on a Sigma 17-50 F2.8.

And this is as close as I can get to the subject.

And now the filters.

I think macro filters are a great accessory to have in your kit bag but I

wouldn't use the 10 X one because of how much it does distort the image

but the 2 X and 4 X filters are ones that I've used on commercial projects.

In terms of ease of use the extension tube is far easier for me to

grab and get a shot with because it's so small I can just keep it in my pocket if

I wanted to so I can get a closer shot when I need to. But do they outperform a

dedicated macro lens? For me the answer especially with the lens that I've

tested them with is no. I don't see a huge difference apart from the distance

from the subject to the camera. It's just not worth it for me to go out and spend

money on a dedicated macro lens especially if I've got either the

extension tube or a lens filter hand. But a macro lens can be used for so much

more than just a close-up. They make great portrait lenses and really good

short telephoto lenses. So there is a lot more to them than just macro photography

Thanks for watching if you've got any questions, pop them in the comments down

below and as always, I will see you in the next video.