This report is about a great addition to your photographic equipment: The Close-Up Lens Kit II 77mm from NiSi. The close-up lens is very light and can therefore be taken along on any photo tour without any problems.
In addition to the lens, the kit includes two adapter rings in sizes 67mm and 72mm as well as two covers and a bag with a zipper and loop for storing the lens. It can be attached to any lens with a 77mm thread, but can also be used on 67mm and 72mm threads using the adapter rings.
The NiSi Multilayer Nano coating ensures impressive clarity and natural colors. The coating makes it very easy to clean and is both water and grease repellent. It has a special design to reduce purple/green fringing. I could not detect any aberrations or color deviations when taking photos.
The lens makes a very high-quality impression and is well made.
If you want to use the close-up lens on smaller threads, it is also available in 49mm and 58mm sizes.
The lens is compatible with zoom or fixed focal lengths in the focal length range of 70-300mm (full format). I use this lens on my Nikkor 70-200mm with 77mm thread as well as on my Tamron 28-300mm with 67mm thread. The magnification achieved by the macro lens depends on the focal length range of the lens. It is greater with longer focal lengths than with shorter focal lengths.
I have mainly used the lens in forests and meadows, for flowers, grasses and mushrooms on the ground and on trees. However, I was also able to take pictures of insects that were not irritated by my presence. You can get very close to the subject with this lens, the optimum distance is around 22-30 cm.
To demonstrate the effect of different apertures, I photographed the same flower of a winter aconite with different apertures.
The first image shows a shot with aperture f/16, the second with f/5.6, the third with f/2.8. While the front leaf and parts of the flower head are sharp in the first image, the sharpness range is limited to far fewer parts of the image. In the last image, the bokeh extends over all parts of the image - with the exception of three stamens.
This image of a winter aconite leaf after rain shows the fantastic sharpness of this lens. (f/6,3)
In this image, with an aperture of f/3.2, the area in focus is tiny and limited to the edge of the tree mushroom, which merges with the leaf. This directs the viewer's gaze precisely to this touching little scene.
Even small ice crystals on a blade of grass can be captured with the Close-Up Lens. (f/10)
Insects can also be perfectly staged in razor-sharp focus with the close-up lens from NiSi. I focused on the bee's eye with aperture 5, the rest of the body appears blurred.
Details from the world of mushrooms (f/3.2). For subjects close to the ground, it is worth taking a waterproof base with you at all times of the year so that you can get very close to the subjects on the ground.
Frosty beauty, captured with the close-up lens from NiSi. (f/10)
I took all of these shots handheld. Of course, you can work even more precisely with a tripod and also if you want to do focus stacking to achieve a continuous sharpness in the image or the respective subject. Some of my subjects were moving due to the light wind, so I had to use a faster exposure time in order to get the objects in focus.
My conclusion about this lens: For anyone who loves the macro world and wants to capture small scenes atmospherically and with impressive sharpness and delicate bokeh, this lens is a well-placed purchase. Its light weight is not bulky and you can easily carry it in your pocket. I can warmly recommend this lens to anyone who doesn't own a macro lens or wants to save weight on a photo tour.