Raynox DCR-250 Super Macro Lens is more of a snap-on filter which let you fix on bridge camera or on the lens of DSLR. One thing about bridge cameras is you can’t attach interchangeable lenses because these comers come with a built-in telephoto lens. So you have to make the best out of whatever you have there with your camera.
The good thing is these days all these bridge cameras like Canon SX60 or Nikon Coolpix P900 come with really good CMOS sensors and faster lenses. So these cameras can take really good macro photos even without any accessories. Even Canon SX50 camera or older versions can do it. But what makes the difference is getting perfect macro photos like from DSLR camera with a real macro lens. The inbuilt macro function is not enough for that.
Raynox DCR-250 Super Macro lens let you take few more steps farther when it comes to quality and creativity. This post is not about teaching you macro photography so I will try to make you understand what it is capable with few sample photos. So even if you have no idea about macro techniques or anything still you will see why you need this for your bridge camera.
Photos using Raynox DCR-250 Super Macro Lens
Below photos were taken from an old Canon SX10 IS camera with a DCR-250 Macro Filter. This is the first camera in Canon Bridge camera series and more than 5 years old. Also, it has a CCD sensor with a slow inbuilt lens. Still, you can get photos like these when you use this amazing macro filter.
Both these macro photos were taken with Raynox DCR-250 Macro filter mounted on a Canon Powershot SX10 IS camera. That’s the first of Canon bridge camera series and it has only a CCD sensor and slow lens. But still, I could take photos like these with amazing macro filters help.
It’s expensive, like cost you $60 but this one great accessory which let you enter the world of macro photography. Also, it’s one of the best accessories you can get for your bridge camera. Even if you have a DSLR camera this can be very useful and would give you lots of fun. Real Macro lens like Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro Lens cost you around $300 and Nikon 40mm f/2.8G AF-S DX Micro cost you around $275. Unless you want it for high professional level this will be more than enough for your Canon SX60 or Nikon Coolpix P900 cameras.
What is a macro lens?
This is another common question asked here. In simple terms, macro photography is taking extreme close up photos of very small subjects. There are macro lenses specifically designed for this kind of photography. There are different types of Macro lenses with focal different lengths for different uses.
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- 45–65 mm macro Lenses which used mostly close-ups or product photography.
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- 90–105 mm macro lenses for taking photos of insects, flowers etc from a close distance.
- 150–200 mm lenses for the same task as above but when you need additional distance.
When you mount a real macro lens on a good DSLR camera you can create a photo to fill a large frame from a small postage stamp. No point of adding all technical details about these but one common thing is these lenses can be quite expensive when you compare with Super Macro Filter. Let’s look at a few popular Macro Lenses in the market.
- Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro Lens : Current price is around $400.
- Nikon 55mm f/2.8 Micro Nikkor Lens: Price is around $400
- Nikon AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED: Price is around $900
- Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Len: Price is around $850
- Canon EF 180mm f3.5L Macro USM: Price is around $1400
First of all, you can’t mount a heavy interchangeable lens on your bridge camera. So unless you have a DSLR then these are not for you. Also, you can see the cost is way over for someone who searches for low-cost Macro setup. This is why Raynox dcr-250 super macro lens is a great option for bridge camera users as well as a cheaper option for DSLR camera users.