Photo Short #19 - Budget Macro Photography

Today's Photo Short is this macro shot of my eye. I took it standing in front of the bathroom mirror, viewing the cameras rear screen in the mirror, (oh for a flip screen). I've always enjoyed macro photography, but I don't own a macro lens. So, a few years ago I bought some cheap magnifying filters from eBay to see what kind of results I could get. I bought a pack of four to fit my 50mm lens. They are basically little magnifying glasses you screw to the front of your lens. Each one is a different strength +1, +2, +4 and +10. This is one of the first photos I took with them, a test shot with the +4.

Location	Stroud, UK
Camera	Nikon D300S
Lens	Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 (With +4 Magnifying Filter)
Settings	50mm \| ISO200 \| 1/30 sec \| f/2.8
Post Processing	Adobe Lightroom And Photoshop \| Nik Collection

As with most things in life, you get what you pay for, and in terms of image quality these filters are no comparison to a real macro lens. But I bought them for a bit of fun, and in that respect they have been worth every penny. The +1 and +2 don't do much, and I never bother with them, it's the +4 and +10 that are the most fun. I've got the best results with the +4, the +10 get you much closer but it's difficult to use. You have to get the subject bang in the centre of the photo to get any sort of decent quality, anything around the edges gets horribly distorted and there's a lot of chromatic aberration.

I like playing around and experimenting with different techniques in photography. It's not always about buying the most expensive kit. Before I bought these filters, I used to just hold a big magnifying glass in front of the lens for my macro shots. It's tricky to get good results, but I enjoy the challenge. For me there's something very satisfying about getting a good photo with cheap substandard kit. I guess I'm a sucker for an underdog.