NiSi Close-Up Lens Kit Review - Maximum Magnification & Image Quality Across a Range of Lenses.

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Күн бұрын

NiSi Close-Up Lens Kit Review - Maximum Magnification & Image Quality Across a Range of Lenses. - aka Project "Nigel".
Show notes, chapter time stamps & Links - click to expand this description box!
Patreon Membership: bit.ly/2SwaSZ6
NiSi NEW CUSTOMER ONLY CODE:
nisioptics.co.uk/?raf=ref0593870
Amazon NiSi Store Codes:
77mm Diopter: amzn.to/3aGtVLO
NM-180 Macro Rail: amzn.to/3tnzrJE
Neewer Step Up/Step Down ring set (10 of each 26mm to 82mm) amzn.to/3oTg8p3
95mm to 77mm ring for Nikon 200-500 amzn.to/3Q6X0zU
77mm to 62mm one piece step ring for Nikon 105 f2.8 macro amzn.to/3ey5aDj
11” Magic Arm (like SmallRig) amzn.to/3JzlnUr
Neewer Screw-on Cold Shoes for Magic Arm (x5) amzn.to/3P1Ud9I
The CLASSIC Manfrotto Super Clamp amzn.to/3Sqkj9g
Translum-style Polyester Diffusion material amzn.to/3P2y4ba
Time Stamps:
00:00 Intro
01:32 What's In The Box Andy?
09:28 Focus Distance vs Working Distance
11:23 Focal Length & Diopter Strength
12:47 "Wigan Kebabs and Meet "Nigel"!
13:57 The TEST SETUP & why this test is different
18:45 Sigma 180mm prime macro tests with the NiSi 77mm
27:19 Nikon 105mm f2.8 G ED prime macro tests with the NiSi 77mm
31:24 Nikon 300mm f4 prime (1987) tests with the NiSi 77mm
33:03 Nikon 70-200 f2.8 GII ED tests with the NiSi 77mm
36:37 Nikon 70-200 f4 G ED tests with the NiSi 77mm
41:00 Nikon 200-500 f5.6 tests with the NiSi 77mm
In this video I'll show you just how epic this diopter close-up lens from NiSi really is in either extending the performance of your existing macro lenses or enabling macro performance on your prime and zoom lenses from 70mm to 300mm focal lengths.
Having the ability to do 1:1 macro shots with your 70-200mm f4 landscape lens makes this NiSi product a real bargain at its price.
Focus stacking with a focus rail using non-macro lenses you already own is a way of stretching your existing lens capabilities.
NiSi UK sent me this equipment for my honest review. on the understanding that if I did not like it then I would say so! On this channel you will never see an equipment review of anything I don't use myself, and my reasons for doing the review are simply to let viewers know how the product works and how useful it is.
#NiSi

Пікірлер: 27

@AndyAstbury 9 ай бұрын

PET PEEVE - in a comment below, Dog mentions that step up and step down are terms INCORRECTLY deployed in this, and other videos/articles etc. And I have to say - he's 100% CORRECT! Back in the dim and distant past, if you had a 67mm thread lens and wanted to use a 77mm filter, you needed a 67 to 77mm STEP UP ring to step the lens filter thread UP to match that of the filter. But of course, since the advent of digital, and the ensuing tide of popular photo culture, some idiot decided that you needed to turn the situation around and look at it from the filters perspective - hence you need to step the filter thread DOWN to match the thread of the lens. If I used the 'correct' terminology in this video then most viewers would actually end up trying to use the wrong adaptor. I felt really bad perpetuating this load of garbage, but seeing as even the manufacturers seem to have adopted the 'new thinking' then I have very little option!

@dougsmit1 9 ай бұрын

My 77mm just arrived today. I fount it interesting that the adapters were correctly marked with 67-77 and 72-77 while on the more recently released 49mm they only wrote 67mm adapter not mentioning the 49mm part. Als, my little instruction book packed with the 49mm one was in Chinese while the 77 had English. Time for me to do some testing.

@markhorst3628 5 ай бұрын

I just purchased one. It’s not here yet, but your video encouraged me to look for more to get it. Your video is very practical and informative and you’re right it’s better than those just showing taking pictures with it. It shows what affect it really will have in focusing distance. Thank you for it. MH PA USA

@AndyAstbury 5 ай бұрын

Hope you enjoy it!

@AndyAstbury Жыл бұрын

NiSi UK sent me this equipment for my honest review. on the understanding that if I did not like it then I would say so! On this channel you will never see an equipment review of anything I don't use myself, and my reasons for doing the review are simply to let viewers know how the product works and how useful it is. While answering Yunxuans' questions below I realised I omitted to mention that when adding the diopter to a macro prime the working distance will be closer than the non-macro lens working distance band of 22-30cms - my bad! But remember that!

@jhmnieuwenhuis Жыл бұрын

Thanks Andy, I bought one a few days ago.

@mikewarrender9646 Жыл бұрын

Very interesting video Andy, thanks !

@AndyAstbury Жыл бұрын

Cheers Mike. A belated happy anniversary to you both too!

@ibp2007 Жыл бұрын

Brilliant Andy, Thank you.

@AndyAstbury Жыл бұрын

Cheers Ian 🍻

@AndyAstbury Жыл бұрын

Just heard from NiSi that they are having Macro Days for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th September 2022 with the NM200 discounted 7%, the NM-180, the macro close up 77mm and 58mm discounted 15% for the weekend. So head over to the NiSi Store nisioptics.co.uk/?raf=ref0593870 if you want to take advantage of these discounts.

@catsfpv603 Жыл бұрын

Darn, missed it by that much...maybe I'll wait for Black Friday!

@davidjervis7982 Жыл бұрын

Hi Andy, Great review. Just to let you know the adapter you have a link to, for the Nikon 105 macro is incorrect. The link takes you to a Step-down adapter where you actually need the 62mm to 77mm Step-Up Lens Adapter. This is on the same page but you need to find it in the grid.

@AndyAstbury Жыл бұрын

Thanks for that! Corrected

@yunxuanchai6051 Жыл бұрын

Nice video Andy. A little question: since you already used focus stacking to 'increase' the depth of field, why not using a larger aperture to reduce the diffraction? I'm curious about the trade-off you made between image quality, depth of field and the complexity introduced by focus stacking (i.e. number of pictures to take, or even lens breathing if there is?).

@AndyAstbury Жыл бұрын

Because widening the aperture will increase the number of steps/slices. Each slice needs to have between 30% and 50% overlap with the previous one - so at f8 you would be in the hundreds of slices. Nothing wrong with that IF you can guarantee the repeatability of the steps in the stack. The NM180 rail does not have any way of indexing your steps other than the millimetre scale on the side, and at these mags you need steps a lot smaller than 1mm. The new NM200 rail has an indexing scale that allows 12.5 micron steps - so this allows for accuracy of smaller steps/wider apertures. I don't understand why KZfaq has not rendered this video at the correct 2.4K - if you saw the full rez video you might not be asking the second part of your question! As for what you call lens breathing. by which I imagine you mean focus breathing, it doesn't apply for two reasons 1. it's a prime lens, at a fixed focus distance (on the focus scale of the lens) and does not change internal focus geometry, and 2. it's mounted on a rail, which is what moves the plane of focus, again, not changing internal focus geometry. Shooting beyond the sensors diffraction limit is something you can get away with on long focal length/high resolution lenses IF you know how to remove the diffraction in post - wide angle lenses in a landscape scenario are not the same thing as they are a lot lower resolution for starters, so I always generally discourage folk from shooting at smaller apertures - yet a lot of KZfaqrs still advocate it.

@yunxuanchai6051 Жыл бұрын

@@AndyAstbury I get it. Thanks for the detailed reply.

@yunxuanchai6051 Жыл бұрын

BTW., I'm also curious about the difference of image quality with/without a Close-Up Lens at the same magnification. For example, your 180mm macro (at MFD) to achieve 1:1 vs. your 180mm macro (not at MFT) + Close-Up Lens to achieve 1:1.

@AndyAstbury Жыл бұрын

MFT???? You mean CFT - closest focus distance on the lens focus scale? That CFT NEVER CHANGES - the only thing that DOES change is the WORKING DISTANCE - the lens is not refocussed at all. As I show a single frame both with and without the diopter the video does answer your question - though again, the KZfaq render 'cock up' doesn't help you see that fully. With the diopter attached you can get back to 1:1 be setting the lens focus scale to 0.7meters and a working distance of 18cms (roughly)! The one thing I now realise I omitted to say in the video is that the 'Nisi-quoted 22-30 cms" working distance band goes somewhat out the window when you stick the diopter on a macro prime, my bad!

@yunxuanchai6051 Жыл бұрын

@@AndyAstbury Ah that's a typo, I mean Minimal Focus Distance. The reason of this question is I'm curious whether it's a good idea to leave the close-up lens on the macro lens even when one doesn't need the extra magnification.

@AndyAstbury Жыл бұрын

Personally I would not suggest leaving it on due to risk of damage and it may also confuse your autofocus if you use AF

@dougsmit1 9 ай бұрын

I wish I could say that this was the best review of this item of the several I have heard/read which it is but there were a couple points that really bothered me. First is the fact that you repeatedly referred to the item as the 77mm II but never told us what the difference was between the II and the original (not with II on the box). Do I care? Is one better in some way in terms of chromatic or performance with lenses of a certain focal length? I don't know. No reviewer seems to care. Second, and a real pet peeve of mine, is the mixing up of the terms 'step up' and 'step-down'. I started photography over 60 years ago and learned the convention which you ignore or reverse at will. Adapters are usually given two numbers. The first number is the lens and the second is the accessory. That means that a 67-77 STEP-UP enlarges the 67mm lens thread to accept a 77mm accessory. Oppositely, my NiSi 49mm came packed with a 67-49 STEP-DOWN ring allowing the 67mm front thread of my lens to accept the 49mm accessory. Before you ask: the 49mm NiSi (+9 diopter) does not vignette using a lens about 100mm or more but really cuts the corners if you zoom down to too short a focal length. I have used it with a 400mm lens where it gives about 3:1 with zero depth of field so only good for stacking either with a rail or the focus bracketing Canon mirrorless bodies offer (I have not had a Nikon for over twenty years but I believe their latest bodies offer this???). NiSi is no help here since the provided rings are marked 67mm adapter without mentioning the 49mm measurement. I have not seen (yet - it is on order) how they marked the ones for the 77 lens. I called NiSi in California and talked to a very nice young man who did not know there ever was a 77mm that was not II and was unclear on what was wrong with using the 77 over 300mm. I would have liked more on the focal length limit from you but your use of antique lenses beyond 200mm really leaves open the question of whether the problem was the lens or the NiSi (or the laws of physics).

@AndyAstbury 9 ай бұрын

Hi Doug - you are quite correct in my eyes, a 67 - 77 is indeed a 'step up' - but like a lot of things in photography these days, it's all been turned around. I felt bad perpetuating the stupidity, but honestly, even the retailers/manufacturers adopt the new lingo, so I HAVE to adopt it myself even though it's wrong! On the Mk2 thing - prior to this diopter arriving on my doorstep, I hadn't used one in over 30 years, other than inverted Raynox behind an infinity corrected objective. I have no clue about a Mk1 version, so can't say anything about it - if indeed, it actually existed in the first place! On the focal length front, I have to slightly beg to differ - one of the first things you see me do is a rough measurement of the diopters focal length - 300mm give or take a smidge. This indeed means that its effectiveness is limited to focal lengths not exceeding its own, 300mm (that nice young man is uneducated, and knows nothing) - as I mentioned in the bit of the test where I mounted it on the Nikon 200-500 - it really does top out at 300mm-ish and won't actually produce a usable image at anything above that. It gives extra mag on a 105 macro, a 150 macro, a 180 macro and a 200mm macro, but really, it comes into it's own in the middle top end range of a non-macro 70-200mm - that is really what it's built for; giving MACRO capability to a very common non-macro lens in either f2.8 or f4 format. The thing that gets me - APO with only two bits of glass, now that does defy physics!

@AndyAstbury 9 ай бұрын

You'll notice Doug, that I've pinned a new comment at the top of the section, explaining that you are 100% CORRECT.