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Using 2x / 0.45x magnifiers with Nikon 18-55 mm lens (D60 body)

d60 magnifiers

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3 replies to this topic

#1
garvind25

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Hello,

I am new to DSLR cameras and am currently using a Nikon D60 with 18-55 mm AF-VR lens. I wanted to know the following pls :

** Is it safe for camera and lens if I used magnifiers such as 2X /0.45X with the lens.

** What should I keep in mind while purchasing the magnifiers.

** If I know correctly, using a 2X magnifier will help me take better pictures of far of images whereas using a 0.45X zoom will help me take better close up images. Am I right ?

Looking forward to your answers,

Thanks and Regards,

Arvind Gupta.



#2
Marcus Rowland

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It's safe, but the results are rarely worth it - with a few expensive exceptions zoom lenses really aren't designed to have an extra lens added, and the results are likely to be distorted and/or blurry.

 

A 2x converter (teleconverter) is designed to increase the magnification of the image. The down side is that it reduces the amount of light getting to the camera sensor to a quarter or less of what you started out with, so in poor light you may find that autofocus doesn't work well, or exposures are very long and you get camera shake problems. Wide converters e.g. 0.45x broaden the field of view of the camera - you can see more around you, but the results are likely to be distorted, especially in the corners.

 

There may be a teleconverter or a wide converter designed especially for your lens, but I haven't heard of it. Maybe someone who's more up to date with current Nikon gear can comment?



#3
Merco_61

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As the D60 won't autofocus reliably with lenses slower than f/5.6, using any teleconverter with the kit lens isn't a good idea at all. Your money will be much better spent on a used 55-200, 55-300 or 70-300 telezoom.

 

The strange wide-angle contraptions are more useful on a bridge camera where you can't change lenses to get a wider angle. The third-party wide-angle zooms will give *much* better results without breaking the bank if the prices for used gear in your region aren't too out of sync with the rest of the world.



#4
Steve M

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I had the opportunity to try out a teleconverter for free.  I knew it would not be the best up front based on discussion here at Nikon Forums but I thought since it was free I would try it.  They were right, it wasn't worth it.  I should have spent my credit on something else.  The majority of the pictures I took were very blurry.   The only way I could get it to work was if I manually focused.   My eyes are not the best and my intent was to use it on animals or birds of which were mostly moving.