I just got this lens.  Here's my first shot -- geranium flower -- taken at 1:1 (1X, life-size).  1/15s at f11.  Sony a850 -- un-retouched using mirror lock- up and remote release.

Edited March 19, 20214 yr by XKAES

Here's a shot of the same flower -- made with a #20 diopter close-up lens.  By that I mean just the close-up lens -- NOT attached to a lens.  It has a focal length of 50mm, and is was placed on a bellows for focusing purposes.  With about 50mm of extension, I get a magnification of about 1X -- just like in the first picture.  The aperture is about f2.0, unlike the first picture, so the depth of field is very narrow.  The shutter speed on the a850 was set at 1/160 in manual exposure -- determined with a Minolta Auto-Meter II.  Supplementary lenses (AKA, close-up filters) make excellent soft-focus lenses -- all by themselves.  To attach them to my bellows, I use a reverse ring.

Edited March 30, 20214 yr by XKAES