Lens kit for my camera . . . would this be beneficial to me?? Please comment

[Kathy O]

I have a nikon Coolpix L120 camera and I ran across an adapter and lens kit available for it, I guess I would like to know if this would be benifical to me. I am hoping those of you that are more educated on photography would be able to help me out. I posted a couple of links the first one is my camera and the second one is the kit I am looking at. (Hopefully the links work.)

Kathy

http://shop.nikonusa.com/store/nikon...ctID.226113800


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...A1WFSHX6J483SX

[Tim Bond]

Kathy
Would it be beneficial? That is hard to answer. Would it add to the amount of fun you could have, yes! The camera is great for taking wonderful photographs in many many situations. The addition of the kit will give you even more ways to be creative. And it will give you something to put into your camera along with your lunch.
Tim

[Kathy O]

Kathy
Would it be beneficial? That is hard to answer. Would it add to the amount of fun you could have, yes! The camera is great for taking wonderful photographs in many many situations. The addition of the kit will give you even more ways to be creative. And it will give you something to put into your camera along with your lunch.
Tim

I have been trying to take Macro photos of flowers,(I know I am just a beginner and it takes alot of practice) I just can't seem to get a good sharp photo with my macro setting, do you think the macro lens with this kit would help? Thanks for commenting.

Kathy

[William W]

I have been trying to take Macro photos of flowers, I just can't seem to get a good sharp photo with my macro setting, do you think the macro lens with this kit would help?

I doubt it. I think you will be wasting your money.

I believe you would be better using the “Close Up” Scene Mode, which sets the lens to Macro Mode.

If you could post a sample photo that would be good but even without a sample image my strong suspicion is that you are making soft and or blurry pictures because the following issues are not being addressed:

Firstly have enough light such that the APERTURE is small enough to allow an adequate Depth of Field (DoF): Ensure the lens is at F/5.8. DoF for close-up / macro work is very shallow – if the focus is off the mark the image will appear soft.

Secondly have enough light such that the SHUTTER SPEED is adequate to arrest and SUBJECT MOVEMENT - for a still day (i.e. NO WIND) have the shutter speed at 1/125s or faster.

Thirdly understand how the Vibration Reduction works on that camera
It is very likely that you have the VR set to “ON – hybrid”.
In this case for many of the shooting scenarios for typical close ups of Flowers, the camera will be too smart for its own good and it will make two images and digitally enhance them to make a resultant poorer soft or seemingly blurry image.
I encourage you to experiment with "VR – OFF".

Fourthly – and most importantly – understand that with the issues of minute DoF and also the fact that it is very difficult to hand hold any camera steady enough when there is a small DoF to accurately achieve Focus.
You require a TRIPOD.

If you are going to spend any money on accessories to assist you in macro or close up work of Flowers, do not spend it on a substandard piece of glass to put in front of the quite reasonable quality Nikkor Lens your camera already has – use the glass you have but make sure the camera is very stable and that you have achieved focus accurately and have enough light to ensure a fast enough shutter speed to image the Flower such that it appears to be not moving.

WW

[Kathy O]

I doubt it. I think you will be wasting your money.

I believe you would be better using the “Close Up” Scene Mode, which sets the lens to Macro Mode.

If you could post a sample photo that would be good but even without a sample image my strong suspicion is that you are making soft and or blurry pictures because the following issues are not being addressed:

Firstly have enough light such that the APERTURE is small enough to allow an adequate Depth of Field (DoF): Ensure the lens is at F/5.8. DoF for close-up / macro work is very shallow – if the focus is off the mark the image will appear soft.

Secondly have enough light such that the SHUTTER SPEED is adequate to arrest and SUBJECT MOVEMENT - for a still day (i.e. NO WIND) have the shutter speed at 1/125s or faster.

Thirdly understand how the Vibration Reduction works on that camera
It is very likely that you have the VR set to “ON – hybrid”.
In this case for many of the shooting scenarios for typical close ups of Flowers, the camera will be too smart for its own good and it will make two images and digitally enhance them to make a resultant poorer soft or seemingly blurry image.
I encourage you to experiment with "VR – OFF".

Fourthly – and most importantly – understand that with the issues of minute DoF and also the fact that it is very difficult to hand hold any camera steady enough when there is a small DoF to accurately achieve Focus.
You require a TRIPOD.

If you are going to spend any money on accessories to assist you in macro or close up work of Flowers, do not spend it on a substandard piece of glass to put in front of the quite reasonable quality Nikkor Lens your camera already has – use the glass you have but make sure the camera is very stable and that you have achieved focus accurately and have enough light to ensure a fast enough shutter speed to image the Flower such that it appears to be not moving.

WW

Thankyou Bill for the advice, I have the same concerns about this kit I could not really find any reviews on it and I really don't want to waste my money on something that is not going to make a difference, I would rather spend more and know that it is going to be worth it, unfortunately I have to get my son thru college first and then I can invest in some better equipment with that said my camera does a satisfactory job for me for now. I will try your suggestions and see if I can get a better end result with my photos. Thanks Again!!

Kathy

[inkista]

One more thing nobody ever mentions when using the macro mode on a bridge camera: check that you're not trying to zoom in to increase magnification. The longer the focal length you use, the larger your minimum focus distance (i.e., the closest you can get to the object and actually achieve focus) is going to be. The Nikon website's specs say that the focus range for macro mode is: "Macro close-up mode: Approx. 0.4 in. (1 cm.) to infinity(Middle zoom position)" If you find you can't achieve focus, I'd recommend trying to zoom out towards the (W)ide end of the lens.

[Kathy O]

One more thing nobody ever mentions when using the macro mode on a bridge camera: check that you're not trying to zoom in to increase magnification. The longer the focal length you use, the larger your minimum focus distance (i.e., the closest you can get to the object and actually achieve focus) is going to be. The Nikon website's specs say that the focus range for macro mode is: "Macro close-up mode: Approx. 0.4 in. (1 cm.) to infinity(Middle zoom position)" If you find you can't achieve focus, I'd recommend trying to zoom out towards the (W)ide end of the lens.

Thanks Kathy Li, any information I can get the better!!

Kathy

[William W]

You need not buy a tripod at the moment, you can secure the camera steady by other means, for example on a rock or log with downward pressure and using a bean bag underneath to protect the underbelly from scratches.

If you do buy a tripod, then don’t buy a flimsy one – I am talking more money for a tripod than the 70 bucks for those lenses.
Considering the cost - improvise with steadying the camera on something solid for the time being, is my suggestion – and get a bean bag – a very useful tool for photography.

WW


PS - what Kathy wrote very important - that was in my head to mention and I forgot about it . . .
certainly it was a case of "one more thing nobody ever mentions" . . . (senior's moment!)

[Tim Bond]

Kathy
I only use point and shoot cameras. I have put a few pictures in the community section under albums. Called Blue Moon. Most are not cropped. The more that you try different setting the more informed you will be when you step past the bridge camera.
Tim