Island Capture (aka Silverph or psilver)
Macro comparison
This was shot handheld, ISO1600, natural light coming in from a small window. I expect sharper and cleaner results when taken properly with a tripod and lower ISO.
Since my website isn't up yet, I'll post this here. (I'm waiting for pinayako to set it up. lol!)
I thought that by buying the close-up filter, I could go down to 1:1 magnification on the Tamron 28-75mm 2.8. I was wrong by a long shot! dougalug lent me his Tamron 90mm 2.8 Macro so I was able to compare both the quality and maximum magnifcation.
Hoya Close-up Filter Kit 67mm
I bought this at B&H to replace the Phoenix MF 100mm 3.5 macro I previously bought. It comes with 3 filters with different magnifications, +1, +2, and +4 which can be stacked together to vary magnification ratio. My Tamron 28-75mm has a macro of 1:2.8 and I thought by using the close-up filter, I can go down to 1:1 and beyond. Nope, not a chance! Some fringing can occur too, depending on the light condition and sharpness is a tad less but still sharp enough unless scrutinized. On the upside, it's small, cheap and can be used on different lenses with different results. Autofocus works well with almost no hunting.
Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro
Impressive!!!! It definitely can go down to 1:1! Great to have... if you can afford it! Price has gone down in the last few months and can be used as a nice portrait lens with a great bokeh! It's lighter in weight than the lens/filter combo. Downside, it's another lens to carry and the autofocus hunts at 1:1 -- better to switch to manual focus which you're supposed to do anyway on macro shots. It's more expensive than the close-up filters but you get what you pay for. Odd thing I noticed though is that the maximum aperture goes down to f/5.6 on 1:1 ratio even though this is a fixed f/2.8 lens.
So what to buy? Depends on your budget. The close-up filters are good and cheap -- if you don't mind not going for 1:1 magnification. This is good for closing up on flowers as a whole but not on specific details of the flower.
Personally, I can live with the close-up filters for now then get a dedicated macro lens in the future when budget allows. To be on the practical side though, go for the dedicated macro lens if you can afford it or save for it and bypass the close-up filters.
View original size for detailed comparison.
Macro comparison
This was shot handheld, ISO1600, natural light coming in from a small window. I expect sharper and cleaner results when taken properly with a tripod and lower ISO.
Since my website isn't up yet, I'll post this here. (I'm waiting for pinayako to set it up. lol!)
I thought that by buying the close-up filter, I could go down to 1:1 magnification on the Tamron 28-75mm 2.8. I was wrong by a long shot! dougalug lent me his Tamron 90mm 2.8 Macro so I was able to compare both the quality and maximum magnifcation.
Hoya Close-up Filter Kit 67mm
I bought this at B&H to replace the Phoenix MF 100mm 3.5 macro I previously bought. It comes with 3 filters with different magnifications, +1, +2, and +4 which can be stacked together to vary magnification ratio. My Tamron 28-75mm has a macro of 1:2.8 and I thought by using the close-up filter, I can go down to 1:1 and beyond. Nope, not a chance! Some fringing can occur too, depending on the light condition and sharpness is a tad less but still sharp enough unless scrutinized. On the upside, it's small, cheap and can be used on different lenses with different results. Autofocus works well with almost no hunting.
Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro
Impressive!!!! It definitely can go down to 1:1! Great to have... if you can afford it! Price has gone down in the last few months and can be used as a nice portrait lens with a great bokeh! It's lighter in weight than the lens/filter combo. Downside, it's another lens to carry and the autofocus hunts at 1:1 -- better to switch to manual focus which you're supposed to do anyway on macro shots. It's more expensive than the close-up filters but you get what you pay for. Odd thing I noticed though is that the maximum aperture goes down to f/5.6 on 1:1 ratio even though this is a fixed f/2.8 lens.
So what to buy? Depends on your budget. The close-up filters are good and cheap -- if you don't mind not going for 1:1 magnification. This is good for closing up on flowers as a whole but not on specific details of the flower.
Personally, I can live with the close-up filters for now then get a dedicated macro lens in the future when budget allows. To be on the practical side though, go for the dedicated macro lens if you can afford it or save for it and bypass the close-up filters.
View original size for detailed comparison.