Macro Lens Not Working

[kuul13]

Hi

I got my Bower Digital Macro Lens 67mm for my Nikon D80 18-135mm kit lens. It is actually a Macro +10 lens. I don't know how to make it work.. I screwed it to my lens, but i was not able to focus on any object with any distance. Not sure where am i wrong.. Please help me to make this work.. otherwise I need to return it..

[codewarrior00007]

Stupid question: Did you read the manual?

[CiiVii]

What that is is a diopter. It reduces your minimum focusing distance so you can get something very close to you in focus. That should get you started, now you should probably read the manual

[inkista]

You don't focus with the camera. You focus by subject distance. Move the camera closer/farther until your subject's in focus. With diopter filters and extension tubes, you can only focus at certain subject distances. You have very little freedom to frame your subject. This is why true macro lenses are more desirable.

[kuul13]

Guys, I would have read the manual if I had one. They didn't send the manual with the macro lens. Thanks Inkista for explaining me that.. I tried everything but I am not able to see macro.. I mounted it to my camera and then went closer to the subject, the subject looks the same as with my normal lens. I am sure I am doing something wrong. I am not getting the concept of it ...

This is the lens that I bought.
Amazon.com: Bower 67mm +10 Digital Macro Close Up Lens: Camera & Photo

[CiiVii]

Also, put your lens/camera on manual focus.

Try this: Put an object like a coin or your lens cap in front of you. Move closer and farther away from it until you see how far away you need to be in order to get it in focus. I don't know how to do the math, but it think distance you need to be from the object will be from 3-6" in general. From there, you can zoom in and out but the distance you move in and out in order to focus will only change a tiny bit.

[kuul13]

CiiVii, I don't know what's wrong.. I attached the lens to my kit lens and tried to focus on an object on table that would be around 3-6'' as you mentioned. Still I am not able to get the subject as close (18mm focal length) as I expect from macro lens. I got better magnification by standing at a distance (135mm) and getting my zoom to work.. When I remove the lens and see through it, it gives a magnified image but not with the lens on.. the lens has inner thread aswell, so do I need to reverse it? I want to make it work soon.. please help.

[Aegea]

The working distance will be a function of the strength of the added lens. IIRC, a 10-diopter lens will have a focal length of 10cm. Simply stated, the 10-diopter lens will make an object 10cm away appear to the camera as if it is at infinity. So I'd expect your working distance to be 10cm or a bit less, depending on where you have the camera lens set. To get down to, say, 2cm, you would need something like a 50-diopter lens.

[kuul13]

Aegea

I am feeling so stupid that I am not able to make it work yet.. I am sure I must be doing something wrong..

Just to show the results I have clicked some pictures with close-up and one without closeup. I tried all these with manual focus setting on the lens.

Picture with my new closeup lens (10+ diopter), The distance was the closest that I could come to the subject. EXIF: F/5.6, 1/20s, ISO-200 and 18mm focal length.

From Drop Box

This is without closeup lens but from same distance as above and without any zoom. EXIF: F/5.6, 1/20s, ISO-200 and 18mm focal length.

From Drop Box

This is without closeup lens but from same distance as above but with max zoom. EXIF: F/5.6, 1/20s, ISO-200 and 135mm focal length.

From Drop Box

And the result for me seems that the last one was the best i.e. without closeup lens. Why? When i can get the same shot better with zoom then why I need closeup lens? I thought that the closeup lens will get me much closer than what the zoom can't. But I am not able to focus if I go much closer. Please guide me.

[Nicole]

Have you tried it at max zoom with the closeup lens? I see your last shot is without it at the max zoom, and the rest of your shots are at 18mm. That would probably be your best bet for getting as close as possible.