The $11.89 Alternative To A DSLR Macro Lens

In June, the urge to have a macro lens for my Canon Rebel T3i popped up again. Not able to afford a brand new lens at this time, I though I’d browse through eBay and see what was available on the used market.

What I found was a brand new kit of filters that simulate the effect from a macro lens. Macro closeup lens filter kits popped up all over the place on eBay and Amazon. Typically a set of four, the sets came in +1, +2, +4 and +10 range. Even better, these filters were stackable with the four equalling +17. The filters are threaded, just like any other filter for your camera.

The reviews weren’t a resounding yes. People complained of images never quite in sharp focus. The solution to that seems to be turning off auto-focus. However, enough good things were said about this product that, for the low price of $11.89 (USD), I had to give it a try. Afterall, that price included taxes and shipping!

I tested the filters on some garden flowers around the house. The first four images included here were with the +10 filter attached. The final four are with all four filters stacked. All images are straight out of the camera – no enhancements (except for the watermark) and no cropping.

I’m not a huge fan of buying products from China and I do try to buy local as much as possible. Therefore, it was a bit of a moral struggle to buy these macro closeup lens filters off an eBay seller from Hong Kong. With the price of $11.89, including shipping, I wasn’t expecting much.

I ordered the product on June 24, 2014 and, frankly, wasn’t expecting to see the shipment until after August. To my surprise, the filters showed up less than two weeks later. The link to the specific product I ordered: Macro Close Up Lens Filter Kit

The product arrived in great condition and they even came in a handy carrying case (shown below). For the price, it would be hard to get the same filter case alone at a camera shop in North America.

The above image of the cluster of purple blossoms might not seem so impressive. However, each individual blossom is about the size of the fingernail on your baby finger.

What I found while testing out the filters was that, indeed, auto-focus was pretty much useless. Stacking the four together also meant that sunlight was an absolute necessity. Wind was definitely not my friend. The window of perfect focus is so slim that any movement made things next to impossible.

Trying to get images of bugs works well with the individual lens but trying to capture anything that is not stationary with the stacked filters is out of the question. With the filters stacked, you need to have to lens nearly touching the subject.