Getting Up Close And Personal
This Grasshopper image was created with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens,
Canon 500D Close-up Lens and the Canon EOS-50D. ISO 400. EV 0: 1/100 sec. at f/6.3.
With some light cloud cover during the day, I packed up my gear to do something a little different and to test out a new accessory that I have been wanting to try out since I got it. The Canon 500D Close-up Lens is a fantastic piece of glass that screws onto the front of your lens that will turn it into a macro. Not to be confused with a Close-up Filter which are of very poor quality and will degrade an image as well as loose sharpness. These filters are to be avoided at all costs.
What's great about this close-up lens is that unlike extension tubes where you loose light, this close-up lens doesn't and also does not degrade your sharpness at all. The 500D Close-up Lens is made for lenses over 200mm, although you can put them on shorter lenses and even wide angle lenses. I purchased it to do macro work, and when used on my 70-200mm f/2.8 it performed flawlessly.
Even before I got out of the driveway I spotted my first subject which was a grasshopper that was beside the garage. It was a bit tricky to get used to using the close-up lens at first, since you will loose infinity focus just as you do with extension tubes, so a sweet-spot of distance is necessary to find to know just how close you can get to your subject.
Then it was off to the beach to go to the rocks at low tide to see what was exposed and to look for patterns, textures and colors. There was no shortage of subjects as I really enjoyed seeing what this close-up lens can do. The end results were very sharp and very contrasty just as I had hoped for and it is a keeper.
This Soft-shelled Crab image was created with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens,
Canon 500D Close-up Lens and the Canon EOS-50D. ISO 200. EV 0: 1/160 sec. at f/8.0.
This Barnacles image was created with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens,
Canon 500D Close-up Lens and the Canon EOS-50D. ISO 200. EV 0: 1/160 sec. at f/8.0.
This Limpet image was created with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens,
Canon 500D Close-up Lens and the Canon EOS-50D. ISO 200. EV 0: 1/200 sec. at f/8.0.
This Sea Snail image was created with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens,
Canon 500D Close-up Lens and the Canon EOS-50D. ISO 200. EV 0: 1/160 sec. at f/8.0.
This Limpet image was created with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens,
Canon 500D Close-up Lens and the Canon EOS-50D. ISO 200. EV 0: 1/160 sec. at f/8.0.
This Barnacles image was created with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens,
Canon 500D Close-up Lens and the Canon EOS-50D. ISO 200. EV 0: 1/160 sec. at f/8.0.
Combing the awesome Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens with the Canon 500D Close-up Lens is one rocking combo for some killer close-ups that fill the frame very nicely. It saves from having to take just one more lens to the beach and has proven to be very sharp and versatile. Highly recommended!
Want to learn more in-depth composition and how to take your images to the next level? Then join me for the most comprehensive course taught on the internet about composition today! Click here to learn more about "Must Know" Fundamentals of Composition.
Robert La Follette
www.robertlafollette.com
