New to DSLRs, talk to me about lens sizes

[Red Squirrel]

I recently got a Nikon D7000 with a decent kit lens, 18-105. I was checking ebay out for fun to get an idea of what lenses are out there. Saw this neat lens that is basically an addon for an existing lens. It's a wide angle and macro lens in one. Was not expensive so figured what the hell. Well it came in... does not fit on the existing lens. I figured this was all universal but apparently not! It's too small. It says that it's compatible with the D7000 but I really don't know how. This is the lens: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/350747350419?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

So I'm guessing there are different sizes and it's something I need to watch out for when I order stuff. Where can I get more info on this? I figured this was all universal as long as my camera is listed. I'm guessing I can maybe get some kind of converter? Though I don't even know how well this works with the lens I have since holding it in front it's blurry and wont zoom. So I think it's one of those things where you get what you pay for, best to get a dedicated lens I guess.

 

[Spoooon]

It screws on to an existing lens with 52mm thread size (for the filter).

Different lenses may use different sized glass resulting in requiring different sized filters.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah but it does not fit on my existing lens. Is there something else I need to buy? Or do lenses have different sizes? The lens cap says 67mm, so I'm going to guess that's the case. So I'd have to look for a lens that says it is 52mm then? The part that connects to the camera is going to be universal (to Nikon) though right? Maybe I just need to find another lens that is 52mm. Or do they make converters?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Ok think I got it, so I guess I need one of these then right?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/67-52-MM-67-...t=US_Filter_Rings_Holders&hash=item33719c2bcb

Actually this may be better as it covers more bases for future purchases:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/7x-Step-Up-...t=US_Filter_Rings_Holders&hash=item2ec8b84b65

Think this is probably what I should have gotten, that would work right with my existing lens right?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/67mm-Macro-...8024630?pt=Camera_Filters&hash=item3cc7acbe36

 

[slashbinslashbash]

Yes, that will work. Yes, the set of adapters would be good to have on-hand. Yes, the 67mm size lens would have worked originally.

I'm not sure how good the results will be since some of the lens will be blocked by narrowing down from 67mm to 52mm. However, if you are shooting in good light then your lens will have its aperture stopped down anyway, so it should not interfere. But in low light situations, you will probably have some "looking down a tube" effect, which is called "vignetting" in photography. (Dark/black around the outsides/corners due to them being blocked.)

If your kit lens were the more basic 18-55mm, then the filter size on your lens would be 52mm, and you would not need the adapter.

The part that connects to the camera is going to be universal (to Nikon) though right?

Yes.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Good to know. At those prices think I might order both kits (wont need one with the other, but figured why not). This is just a side hobby so I'm not ready to get into the really expensive lenses yet. Still learning as I go.

 

[Berliner]

I would rather ship the original item back (or sell it) and not buy other stuff you won't need. To step down from 67mm to 52mm is a very bad idea, to put it mildly.

If you want to experiment with macro, get a cheap old (working) SLR-lens (e.g. 28mm) and hand hold it reversed in front of your camera.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Well figured it might come in handy anyway, lot of the stuff I'm finding is 52mm so if I come across other stuff in the future I'll be able to adapt. I'm aware of being able to hold the lens backwards and stuff but that's not practical if I decide to go out in a potentially dusty environment. I don't want to start using duct tape or other barbaric things on my camera body either.

Did end up ordering a 67mm kit though. I might give the original to someone else. No point in shipping back, it will cost more money. More than what I paid for it.

I don't think the wide angle lens works at all with my existing lens though, if I hold it in front it's always blurry. But the macro does work. The edges are darker because of the size but that may actually be desirable depending on the effect I'm trying to get. Could be neat for insect or flower shots.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

I don't think the wide angle lens works at all with my existing lens though, if I hold it in front it's always blurry. But the macro does work. The edges are darker because of the size but that may actually be desirable depending on the effect I'm trying to get. Could be neat for insect or flower shots.

Have you tried focusing your existing lens while the wide angle lens is in front of it? It probably needs to be focused to one extreme or the other (near or far).

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah it has auto focus, it's like if it needs to focus "more" but it's already at the end, if that makes sense. I will know for sure once I have that conversion kit though, it's kinda tricky trying to hold it in front. I also will be able to use the manual focus to see if that works. Not enough hands to do that right now.

 

[tdawg]

Both the 50mm and 35mm f/1.8 lenses are 52mm, so that adapter should fit no problem. I'm skeptical about the image quality with that addition though...

 

[ElFenix]

those are filter sizes, and your lens should have a filter size indicated on it. best to buy filters that match the lens filter size or larger.

 

[SecurityTheatre]

The image quality of screw-on lenses is usually abysmal, especially away from the center of the image.

I'd rather use some point-n-shoot than a screw on lens on TOP of a kit lens on a DSLR (cheaper too).

 

[blastingcap]

The image quality of screw-on lenses is usually abysmal, especially away from the center of the image.

I'd rather use some point-n-shoot than a screw on lens on TOP of a kit lens on a DSLR (cheaper too).

That's true of single element screw on filters, but two or three element ones exist that are quite good. See, for instance, Raynox DCR-150 and DCR-250:

http://www.lensmateonline.com/newsite/G7macro.html

It's why I never recommend macro lenses to newbies anymore. Most of the time they are better served by spending $60-80 on something like a Raynox macro filter and slipping it onto their kit lenses when necessary, than by spending big bucks on a macro lens that isn't going to be much better for their purposes.

OP's brand is not the old Vivitar. Some other company bought the rights to the name. It's probably not very good and it's probably a single-element flavor which is crappy like SecurityTheatre said.

It's difficult to make adapters for wideangles at a reasonable size and cost. I would avoid such adapters like the plague unless they were made by a very reputable company or meant for a specific lens like the adapter for the Sony NEX wideangle meant for one particular lens only.

 

[Red Squirrel]

The conversion ring came in, not too too bad, but I'm sure it will be better once the proper size lenses come in.

Couple shots I took:











They're all very blurry though if you go full size, but that might be a carbon interface issue.

Will see how it goes with the other kit I ordered.

Of course if I decide to do some real proper macro I might also just get a dedicated lens for it, which I'm sure is much better.

 

[blastingcap]

You know, if you are truly happy with it that's fine. Personally I would have gotten a Raynox DCR-150 or DCR-250.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Well I get whatever I can find off ebay. Though I just searched for that and found it. I had not found it originally when I searched macro lens. Was not looking to spend much though. I'm hoping the other lenses on the way are better than this one, but I'll see once it comes in. It's a kit with multiple lens and they stack.

Will be more fun in summer when I can get bugs and stuff too. I can always upgrade to something better in the future.

 

[iGas]

Try taking test shots with out the close up lens at minimum focus distant then crop to see which is better.

Shoot at 100 ISO, f8, and use tripod.

The below will produce better image and is cheaper, aperture control is limited however it can be done.

http://www.amazon.com/Reverse-Adapter-MagicFiber-Microfiber-Cleaning/dp/B00EP0EGVU/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1387077258&sr=8-11&keywords=67mm+reverse+ring+for+macro

 

[SecurityTheatre]

Well I get whatever I can find off ebay. Though I just searched for that and found it. I had not found it originally when I searched macro lens. Was not looking to spend much though. I'm hoping the other lenses on the way are better than this one, but I'll see once it comes in. It's a kit with multiple lens and they stack.

Will be more fun in summer when I can get bugs and stuff too. I can always upgrade to something better in the future.

Those images are very soft, blurry away from the center.

Plus the vignette. I still advise against the screw-on lenses. They are generally quite poor. Sure there are a FEW that are high quality, but those definitely aren't the cheapest ones.

The "good" macro lenses are $500+, because the optics of focusing that close aren't easy to do and take a lot of correction to be sharp across the frame and still have a flat focal plane.

But by all means, try it out. I don't want to discourage you... The results you got so far are.. interesting.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah was not expecting anything super good. I'll see what the other lenses do, they are similar except they are made for my lens size so I don't need to use that down converter. Looking forward to seeing them in the mail.

Depending how serious I get I may buy more expensive "real" lenses instead of add ons in the future. These pics were taken with a 18-105 kit lens zoomed in with the macro lens added, so it does generate some rather interesting results. So far I can't seem to get it to focus properly though, but that may be due to the lower quality of the add-on or I need more practice. TBH I was not expecting miracles considering what I paid. (like under 20 bucks shipped). The wide angle addon is total crap though, and the difference it makes is not even worth talking about. :awe: For it to physically fit, the macro lens has to be used too, which kinda counters the effect but I think it's needed so it can focus at all.


Some more that I took:












Quick question though, do macro lenses normally have such short depth of field or is this just a quality thing? Obviously this is not a high end lens.

 

[iGas]

DOF is very shallow in macro photography, hence stacking were developed to solve the issue.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

DOF is measured in millimeters in most macro photography.

Best way to focus when taking macro photos is to set your lens to manual focus, get it focused as close as possible, and then physically move the camera back and forth while looking through the viewfinder to see when it's in focus. Or if you have a tripod (always recommended) and you're shooting a still subject, set the tripod up so that it's pointing at your table or other surface, and move the object back and forth on the surface while looking through the viewfinder. Dedicated macro-ers have a set of macro "rails" that sit on the tripod and let them slide the camera back and forth while keeping everything sturdy. Useful for "stacking" as mentioned above, which is taking a set of photos with different areas in focus, and then using software to combine them all into one photo.

Auto-focus at macro distance is always a little "iffy". I manual focus most of the time even with my "real" macro lens.

 

[Red Squirrel]

My new lenses came in! Experimenting real quick they are better. It also came with filters, I'll have to read up more on those but I have a really general idea of what they do. Guessing they're more useful for outdoor photography, and at -30C and colder, it's not very fun doing that. Maybe once it's summer.

I'll post more pics later. Also, it does go WAY better with a tripod to do macro, I am able to get clearer shots and don't have to worry as much about light since I just lower the shutter speed.

Also, stuff is much more dirty than you ever think.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Some pics with new lens:












Much better than the smaller lens. Now I want to go deeper. Think this could get expensive if I want to get serious, but think I'll stop for now.

On a separate note, how do I get rid of those black dots on the right? They only appear when I crank the aperture (higher F stop). I've tried the self cleaning and all that, no go, I just can't figure out where these dots actually are. I've cleaned the lens itself, I don't think it's on the lens. They've been there since I got the camera.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

On a separate note, how do I get rid of those black dots on the right? They only appear when I crank the aperture (higher F stop). I've tried the self cleaning and all that, no go, I just can't figure out where these dots actually are. I've cleaned the lens itself, I don't think it's on the lens. They've been there since I got the camera.

That looks like dust on the sensor. Your camera should have a "dust removal" feature that shakes the sensor to hopefully get rid of it. If not then take it into a camera shop for a cleaning, or buy a cleaning kit online and do it yourself.

http://www.bythom.com/cleaning.htm