First attempt with +4 Macro Filter

Now that I know how to try to use my new +4 filter
I thought I`d post the first reasonable shot I got with it and my initial thoughts as it`s my first `significant` type filter.

Main Pro`s :
Boy does it get up close, looking forward to making tiny flowers and little bugs look ok instead of needing to be major crops with lots of quality loss,
makes a huge difference to subject options compared to the more restricting distance the lens on it`s own works at [ 70-300 Tamron with Macro option ]



Cons :
Completely unforgiving of the slightest movement, so without a heck of a lot of practice and zero breeze, a tripod will be a must most of the time, outside at least.
Lighting seems to need a lot more effort to compensate for but that`s more a challenge to improve on rather than a problem as such ?
Things which would not fill a frame, [ as in lots of surplus area in shot ], on standard macro won`t always fit within the +4 focus range ie a largish flower won`t all fit in the frame - so will have to be creative with angles, but again creates a challenge to work toward rather than being a particular problem, [ and, if I want a shot of a whole flower or whatever the subject is as well as a closer-up, I can just take the filter off ]


This first shot was taken hand held in a fair breeze so it`s not as sharp as I`d like, [ was in too much of a rush to get the tripod out, literally just had a few minutes spare to try it out in daylight today ], the light itself was dull which did`nt help the subject which is not strongly coloured itself so the shot is perhaps a bit weak / insipid but my priority initially was just to figure out the focus distance as a starting point.

The shot is `as is` straight from the camera, no pp and not cropped, I just wanted one shot to post to use as my own base line for starting out with the filter, [ and macro in general ], then when I have more time to spend on getting a shot of the same subject I can try different settings [ and tripod ] for comparisons and hopefully showing improvements as I get used to working with the filter, especially if I can end up with a much better shot that does`nt need any pp to look nice [ don`t hold breath for that one, it will take a while before that happens I reckon ]

As always, all help/tips most welcome, I will put comparison shots on the same thread when trying out any suggestions and if anyone would`nt mind doing pp and crops at any time, especially arty type crops as I`m not confident doing those yet I would love to see what you would do to make the subject itself look more interesting



Thanks for looking

Like it Patch!

Thanks for detailing all your steps / thoughts- very useful.

Well done Patch.

I took some close up filter pics for you yesterday after your previous post but didn't get around to posting them.

Nice go! Post some more.....

Very useful post Patch - nice to read about your findings - sounds about the same as I found ETs.

I really like the shot too - I love the soft edges - very nice.

xx