For those who lament not having a macro lens

[desertanimal]

I can't justify the expenditure of a dedicated macro lens. And extension tubes are pricey for my camera, too, if I want something that lets me control aperture. So I decided to experiment with magnifying filters. These photos were all taken on a Nikon D5100 with the standard AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm lens and a 10x magnifying filter. It works for me and the few times I need it. It also gives me something to do for fun in the long winter. The snowflakes were from Nemo, and they were all about 1-2mm in size. Magnifying filter sets are under $15 bucks. You can stack them if you really want to, but you really compromise image quality when you do, so I never have.










Orchid bee on her nest

Stingless bee nest

One of my tarantulas, mid-molt