Hey, it’s Mehmood from Camlense and I welcome you to our blog. In this post, I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using a macro filter. I will review and tell you whether it is suitable to use macro filters or not.
In this post, we will not be capturing bigger scenes but will be looking for smaller details and will review some macro filters also called close-up filters that fit my camera.
Table of Contents
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using a Macro Filter
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Advantages of a Macro Filter |
Disadvantages of a Macro Filter |
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Cheaper in Price than Macro Lens |
Low-quality pictures as compared to Macro lens |
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Recommended for a hobbyist photographer |
Not recommended for Professional |
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You can have multiple filters with different magnification |
Photos are blurry on very high magnification |
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Macro filter Easy to Use |
You can add some money and buy extension tubes |
So, we’ve got a +1 magnification, +2 magnification, +4 magnification, and a +10-magnification macro filter and now we are going to find a nice scene and test each of these out and see whether they are worth it or not.
We’ll see if they make it with good value for money or can you rely on it or should you go straight to a macro lens. Right, let’s go and find something.
I’ve been looking around for a little while now and I’ve really been hoping to find some nice fungus or something like some nice mushrooms and so far, I have found nothing. So, I’m going to keep looking, hopefully, I’m going to come across something soon.
Example 1 of Using Macro Filters
I’ve seen some quite nice mosses on dead tree branches and trunks so that might have to be plan B. Okay, so just two minutes ago I said that I was struggling to find anything and then I came across a lovely little outcrop of little, tiny mushrooms.
They’re growing out the side of a tree stump and there’s sort of some nice moss and so if I had a dedicated macro lens, I’m sure this would make an awesome shot, but I am not sure how they’re going to come out with these cheap filters.
I purchased them from Amazon, and we’ll try each of the magnifications, and let’s see how the shots come out. So, I’m going to be using my Nikon Z6 camera. It has got the standard 24 to 70 kit lens on it so here’s the first shot I’ve set up.
For the picture below, I’ve gone for one-tenth of a second, it’s an f/4 and iso 800, the histogram isn’t clipped. So that’s great and I’ve turned off the in-body stabilization because I’m using a tripod and I’ve also set a two-second timer because I don’t want to risk any camera shake when I’m sort of taking a close-up shot like this especially.
I have fitted the filters, so I’m going to go ahead now and take the shots and I’m going to try each of the filters and look at the results.
So, I’ve tested +1 and +2 filters so far and I’ve noticed there’s a definite softening of the image so I’m going to try and do a bit of focus stacking to see if it will help improve the detail that I’m getting from the image.
Example 2 of Using Macro Filters
So, I found another little composition I want to take it’s a single mushroom growing on a tiny little tree stump. So, this is a sort of perfect opportunity to test out how these close-up filters are going to perform.
So, I’m just going to set up my stuff now and then I will run you through the settings I’m using for this one. So, I don’t know if you can see but I’ve had to set my tripod upside down just so that I can get the right kind of angle on this shot.
Again, going with f/4 run about 140th of a second exposure time, and iso at 800 again, I have to be careful here because the light keeps coming through and it’s hard to get a really decent exposure. So, I’m trying to wait till the sunlight dispels a little bit just so I can get a nice clean shot without too much shadow.
Okay, so I’ve put on my plus one filter, and I’ve got also got my shutter release cable on here because I’m causing quite a lot of shake and it’s quite hard to get to the screen and any other buttons so putting the shutter release cable on to help me compose my shot a bit better and reduce any chance of camera shake.
So, I’m now going to go ahead and take the shot and we’ll see how these come out in a moment. So, I’m going to take the same shot again now I’m going to try out my filters.
I have got the plus one the plus two the plus four and a plus ten exactly the same as last time only this time obviously this is a slightly different shot.
Do I Recommend these Macro Filters?
So, the big question is would I recommend these to anyone? Well, I guess that depends on who was asking. If it was a hobbyist just looking to learn or get a little bit of experience in macro photography, then I think these are a great way just to test the waters and see if Macro Photography is something that you would like to do more often or not.
But if it’s someone with a bit more skill, a bit more experience, more of an understanding of their camera, then I don’t think I could recommend these. I would probably say go straight in for a macro lens or an extension tube.
There are good alternatives to Nikon and Canon lenses out there you know Sigma for example make some great macro lenses so don’t be afraid to give it a go if you are short on the pocket but don’t be surprised if you’re not 100% happy with the results.
Conclusion
So, if you liked what I’ve been talking about today, then I’d love it if you could comment below, on what you think about our review. We have also discussed the uses, advantages, and disadvantages of both macro lenses and extension tubes which are going to help you a lot in your career in Macro Photography. Be Sure to Check out.
