Sakar 52mm Close-Up Filter Set (+1, +2, +4 and +10 Diopters) Magnification Kit - Metal Rim by Sakar
|
Our Price: $10.35 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Digital Camera See more digital camera details and other models |
|---|
Digital camera reviews of Sakar 52mm Close-Up Filter Set (+1, +2, +4 and +10 Diopters) Magnification Kit - Metal Rim
Digital camera Review: Great diopters
Summary: 5 Stars
I used to have a set of diopter lenses and they enabled me to take great photos of flowers - one of my favorite subjects. I have no idea why I went so long before buying a new set once I went digital, but it has been about 10 years since I used my previous set.
These lenses are great. They come in a very handy pouch, which makes storing and carrying them around very easy without worrying about damage. The quality seems great. I've gotten some excellent super-close-up flower shots again with the +10, and the +1 is great for giving me very very narrow depth of field in photos of objects a foot or two away.
These are absolutely worth the money - I'm very happy with them.
Digital camera Review: Great for playing around
Summary: 4 Stars
I ordered this and was a little concerned that the product title did not mention the +10 filter, but the description said it was included. Thankfully, I received all four filters (+1 +2 +4 +10).
The very first thing I noticed about these filters is that they don't really cooperate with the AF on my Nikon D300 and Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF-D. I'll have to press the button three or four times before (maybe) getting the focus right. If you like to rely on the AF, get ready for frustration. I've been able to circumvent this issue by simply focusing to the lens's normal closest focus point and then physically moving the camera until the subject is in focus (thereby providing maximum magnification).
On the +1 and +2 filters I'd say that the image quality is superb. The +4 is alright and the +10 is mediocre. I stacked up all four filters and took a shot of a ruler (see customer images) and only 2 cm fit on the frame. Unsurprisingly, however, the chromatic aberration was horrendous (visible at only 900px by 598 px!). I can't think of many situations, however, where I'm going to need to photograph something smaller than 2 cm and care about the quality at the edges-- I'm not into macro photography at that level.
I had been eyeballing a Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens for $300, but for 1/30 the price I'd say you get 1/10 the image quality. The image quality "fraction" is completely arbitrary, but the way I see it, for 30 times the price of these filters you can get a nice, fast, macro lens which (I assume) was made with a nice AF system.
Overall:
If you don't have the money to splurge on a full-blown macro lens but want to take pictures closer to your subject, buy these. If you have >$300 to kick around, buy a macro lens.
Digital camera Review: Great for the price
Summary: 4 Stars
Really great product for the price. Only marked down because, well, you get what you pay for.Digital camera Review: Great starter set
Summary: 5 Stars
This was my first macro filter set; the case is a little iffy for durability, but in my camera bag it feels safe ;)Digital camera Review: Hard to beat for the money if you want to do Macro
Summary: 4 Stars
If you don't have a dedicated macro lens, or something like a 70-300mm lens with a macro mode, this is an awfully tempting deal. And for less then $10, it really is a good deal. The quality of the glass is more than adequate, and they do exactly what they are intended. The only problem I encountered was that my lens' autofocus would generally not work with the +10 macro filter. However, if setting up macro shots, you should have no problem manually focusing by hand. The case the filters was shipped in was also not of great quality, and could see it scratching the glass if they had not been individually wrapped in plastic beforehand. This is a non-issue for me, as I have dedicated filter wallets, but for someone who will be using this to carry these around, use caution.
PROS:
+ Good quality glass filters
+ Great deal for macro photography
CONS:
- It's still not as good as a macro lens
- Included filter wallet is sub-standard