Does the diameter of a close-up filter affect image quality or magnification?
Asked 8/21/2014
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I’m being offered a set of close-up filters/diopters in either 58mm or 72mm, and those happen to match two lenses I already own. Does the filter diameter itself change the effect, image quality, or likelihood of aberrations? In other words, is a 58mm close-up filter inherently better or worse than a 72mm version, assuming each fits the lens being used?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
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Close-up lenses are just lenses reduced to their most basic. They will have all of the distortions and aberrations you would expect in a simple lens made from not-very-exotic materials, and those problems will get worse with increasing diameter. If you were using them on their own, they'd be horrible (and saved from being even worse by their relatively small "aperture", the fastest of which, here, would be the +4 diopter 72mm lens, which would weigh in at about f/3.5 and the slowest the +1 58mm at about f/18).
However, you won't be using them in isolation. They're essentially reading glasses for your existing lenses. When you put a 72mm-diameter close-up lens on a lens that has a 58mm filter thread (assuming a reasonable stack of step-up rings), you won't be using anything like the full diameter of the close-up lens. On the other hand, if you use a 58mm-diameter close-up lens on a lens with a 72mm filter thread, you're going to wind up with what can charitably be called "some vignetting".
The "macroness" of your images is going to be affected by three factors: the strength of the diopter, the focal length of the lens you're using it on, and the close-focus limit of the lens you're using it on. (The diopter essentially lets you move that limit a little closer.) Your 18-55 will focus closer and allow higher magnifications, but you will need to be a lot closer to your subject to get those magnifications (to the point of getting in your own way a lot of the time). You might find it more advantageous much of the time to use the 28-135 from a little further away so that you're not scaring your subjects away or blocking the light. Shooting from the same distance, a 135mm lens will have a much greater magnification than a 55mm lens (about 2.5X), and that distance has an enormous practical impact on the kinds of pictures you can take effectively.
So, your call. The 72mm set will be "worse" than the 58mm set for some value of "worse", but it will also let you take some kinds of pictures that the 58mm set will not.
Originally by user28116. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user28116
11y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The diameter mainly affects compatibility, not the close-up effect itself. A 58mm close-up filter isn’t inherently stronger or weaker than a 72mm one just because of size.
In general, close-up filters are simple optics, so they can introduce aberrations and distortion. Larger simple lenses can be harder to keep perfect across the whole surface, but when used on a camera lens you’re not necessarily using that entire surface. So in practice, the biggest concern is usually fit, not diameter alone.
If a filter matches your lens thread, it should work as intended. A larger filter can often be adapted down with step-up rings and may still perform fine, since the lens may only use the central portion of the filter. A smaller filter on a larger-thread lens is more problematic because it may not fit properly and can cause mechanical vignetting.
So: choose based on which lens you want to use it with most, or choose the larger size if you want more flexibility via step-up rings.
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