Raynox DCR-250 Vs. NiSi 58mm Comparison - Which is better? Which one should you buy?

This video is about comparing the Nisi 58mm close-up lens with the Raynox DCR-250 snap on lens on the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS macro lens. I mainly focus on image quality and usability in this review with some testing in the field and a bit of pixel peeping afterwards in Photoshop. Towards the end I summarise my findings which will hopefully help you make a decision if you intend to purchase either of these two budget macro lenses.

Table of Contents:

0:00 Intro
0:33 Gear
0:47 Exposure Settings
1:04 Test Shots
3:54 Comparison of Images
15:57 Summary - Pros & Cons
18:54 Outro

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---GEAR---

Camera body: Canon 80D

Lens: Canon 100mm macro

Diffuser: Bonnet diffuser from Crafty Bells

Flash:Canon 600 EX II-RT

Raynox DCR-250:

NiSi58mm:

[PhilThach]

Great work here, Peter! We enjoyed it. Thank you!

[JeremyPayne]

Man, you put a lot of work into your videos and it pays off mate. Great comparison and in-depth review too. Cheers Peter and have a good week mate.

[nightscapeimages.richard]

Great video Peter. Your work and effort is first class mate.

[thehehrarchive]

Well put together Peter, very informative.👏👍

[loreenodonnell]

Product reviews with equipment expertise and detailed
Knowledge of subjects - excellent stuff 👏love the spiders eyes - amazing

[forced_perspective]

Very informative Peter and I think i also drew the same conclusion. They are both good in their own way and one outperforms the other in certain situations. Very well done 👏

[nosecondlost]

Excellent comparison - because this is exactly what I'm thinking about in the moment!
I told you that I want to build a set up to record a sealed ecosphere (and other macro scenes) so this equipment is something I am thinking about.
Thanks a lot!

[editvirag]

You got great knowledge! Love those images!

[AndrewWaltonPhotography]

As I got given a Raynox DCR 250 I'm happy to see I got given something worthwhile - I just need the decent lenses to go with it now 😄

[karthaginiensis]

Congrats on your 2000 sub. =)

After 2 decades of photography, we are moving into macro, our gear:

R5
Canon EF 35mm f1.4 II => Working distance of ~18cm at max magnification (1:5) Dia. 72mm
Canon EF 70-200mm f1.4 III => Working distance of ~100cm at max magnification (1:5) Dia. 77mm
Laowa RF 90mm => Working distance of ~8cm at max magnification (2:1) Dia. 67mm

With our Laowa lens, we can obtain a 2x magnification, that we like to bump to 3x or 4x magnification.


We are looking at:

1. Raynox DCR-250
2. Raynox DCR-150
3. NiSi 58mm Closeup
4. NiSi 77mm Closeup
5. Meike extension tubes (13mm+18mm)
6. Meike extension tubes (13mm+18mm) + Canon RF 1.4 extender (need extension tubes to fit Laowa)


In your opinion, how would you rank these options above? Our priorities:

0. 3x to 4x magnification
1. Keep as far as possible (to not scare insects, and larger depth of field)
2. Good image quality
3. Good ease-of-use + versatility


Not a lot of info we found, aside from your comparisons and forum post here, that Raynox does not work well with the Laowa 100mm.

Please let us know your thoughts, thanks in advance. Subs to you. =)

[MainlightDrone]

Terrific test, Peter. I didn't see any chromatic aberration. It's easy to see a lack of depth of field and think that's the fault of the lens but, like you said, that's not the case. The stacking of the two lenses was surprisingly successful. I'd say both lenses are worthy of your kit. The quality of the DCR-250 is very good considering it's a third of the price of the NiSi. I should add that the 77mm NiSi is $210 US, about 3x the Raynox which isn't available in that size.

[gerardoelizondo]

Outstanding comparison Peter, saludos

[AshishKole]

Thanks for sharing such a detailed analysis of the two lenses. Kindly share the make and model of the diffuser used with the flash. Thanks.

[JonnyPink]

Peter - man, I dont know how you do this without the focus peaking of a mirrorless!! Absolutely amazing. Both are great but even before the end, i was leaning more towards the Raynox.. I also really like the wildlife you have there. Now which ones are deadly???? 🤣 Thank you for this fantastic comparison!! 🙏🤗💖

[adrianalfordphotography]

Great comparison Peter. They’re so close. I know YouTube compression does the viewer no favours but from what I could see, some were identical in some cases. Thanks for sharing your findings mate, cheers 🍻 🤙🙏

[SomeSloan]

You captured some beautiful photos! If I could possibly get your opinion, that would be greatly appreciated-


I am looking at trying to get a set up going for my sigma art 30mm f1.4 for macro, mounted on a sony a6400. I found a pair of extension tubes (a 10mm + 16mm) and was looking to maybe add either of these from your video. I have heard that you need a 50mm lens or more to work with the DCR-250, but I am unsure if adding the tubes would make up for the 30mm I have or if that statement is even taking crop sensors into account. Either way, for my said set up, which would you recommend of these two you reviewed?

[CluelessYoutuber]

Great and detailed comparison! Looks like the Nisi came out with incredibly sharp images, but very hard to discern! Both look great to have.

[coastalbayk]

Great comparison Peter!! Both look like very good for macro lenses.👍

[fotogurulandscape]

Hello what program do you use for photos editing?

[rmanuelb]

Hi and thank you for this video. Should one consider the 77mm close-up filter for that EF 100mm lens? Or the 58mm is more appropriate? Thanks.