Since Nikon discontinued their double element diopters I have been bidding on the few still available Nikon 6Ts on e-bay. The 6t is particularly desirable since it has a strong +2.9 diopter in the 62mm size to fit the new 105mm VR. The last one went for $160 much too much to pay for a $40 item.

I just noticed another alternative: the Olympus MCON35. Check this out:

http://davidweikel.com/E10_samples/mcon35/mcon1.shtml

http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/e10/mcon-35.html

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=MCON+3...le&ct=title

It seems to be a +2.85 2 element diopter with a 62mm thread. Only downside is that the outer thread is 72mm so you can't stack a 5T, but you could with a Canon 500D +2 diopter.

Even the Nikon 4Ts are gone from B&H now but for those that can find them the 4T (52mm +2.9 diopter) with a 62-52mm step down ring is another option. I know this works as I have tried it with no vignetting.

Amazon has the 4T in stock for $24.99 BTW

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-NO-4T-4T-Close...TF8&s=photo

I have recently been using the 500D and the 105mm VR to shoot pygmies and I was very happy with the magnification. It is not super macro, but good enough for full frame shots.

I have also using the 500D stacked with the 5T, and despite the 5T being on the lens first I have been very happy with the optical performance.

The main thing to consider is that you require a significantly longer port! The 500D is a thick dioptre.

Alex

i was going to try the 500 d diopter with a nexus wet diopter has anyone tryed this combo?

I am using a MCON-35. Nice diopter and really fills the frame with a 105mm VR. Gave up on looking for the 6T. The MCON-35 is also discontinued but I managed to get on in Tokyo during a trip up. For those looking for a 2 element diopter, I suggest they better pick it up quickly. Every maker seems to be discontinuing their product.

Wow, I guess I was pretty lucky. I went to my local photo shop. They pulled one out of a bin. It was used with no outer box, so he said $35? I took it.

Check here for 6T and 5T close-up lenses... On the webpage they claim to have them available. It's the place where i got them both lately

cheers, Udo

Hi Alex,

Have you ever used the Subal wet diopters? I am really interested in how good they perform. I have used the Seacam diopters and think they are great.

The advantage of course is that you can remove them under water.

Andre

I found it very hard to find information on the actual thickness of the 500D, I couldn't even find it on the canon site. I just got my 72mm 500D yesterday so if anyone has been looking for this information, this is what the spec-sheet says (diameter in mm/weight in grams)

filterDia 250D --- 500D --- 500
52mm 10.2/55 9.8/40 5.7/16
58mm 12.0/80 10.5/60 6.8/24
72mm ---------- 12.7/120 7.3/43
77mm ---------- 13.5/145 8.3/44

(sorry for the poor layout, if anyone can tell me how to type tabs or multiple spaces into a message then let me know and I can edit this. I looked at the very fancy BB code but something as simple as the <PRE> tag from html does not seem to be supported)

For the 52/58mm diameter filter diopters, the outer diameter is 2mm larger than the filter diameter. For the 72/77mm diopters the outer diameter is 3mm wider.

Bart

I cam across the following in a Canon EOS publication, which might be useful to note down:

Canon Close-up lenses

500 = 2 dioptres, 450 = 2.2 dioptres, 250 = 4 dioptres, 240 = 4.2 dioptres

The D designation indicates a two element construction (thicker/heavier)

thes are/were available in 52mm/58mm/72mm/77mm filter mounts
.

I have a 500D which is very good with only marginally soft corners at times (above water that is!) which is what I would expect with a close-up lens.

As near as I can tell the 500D replaced the 450D and the 250D replaced the 240D.

Also:

the 250D/240D is only available in 52 and 58mm

The 500D/450D is available in 52, 58, 72 and 77mm. So for most people looking to upgrade their 3/4T diopters for use with the new 105 AFS VR the 500D with a 72-62mm or 77-62mm step up ring is the more relavent diopter.

The stronger 250D should work with a step down ring as I have not seen any vigenetting on digital with the 52mm 4T on the new lens. Udo told me that there may be excessive CA with this combo but I didn't think to look hard for that nor did I notice any.

Amazon has the 4T in stock for $24.99 BTW

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-NO-4T-4T-Close...TF8&s=photo

Another alternative MIGHT be Zeiss Proxars - close-up lenses built for Hasselblad. These now sell quite cheaply but would need adapter rings (from someone like SRB in England). Optical quality is of course top notch!

There's no need to take notes. The naming convention is very sensible. The product number is the focus range in centimeters: 500D = 1/2 meter = +2 , 250D = 1/4 meter = +4 ....