Raynox DCR-250 Macro Conversion Lens Review

This macro photo of a common housefly was taken with the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS with the super macro mode turned on. It already quite close but for those who want a more super-duper magnification, this is simply not close enough.

But things start to get real close once you attach the Raynox DCR-250 super macro conversion lens. Although you still need a lot of practice shooting extremely shaky subject, because of the magnification even a hair thin movement can through the subject out of focus, it is already quite close for comfort.

The picture below is of a different fly, twice bigger than the one above but taken with the same camera with the Raynox DCR-250 super macro conversion lens attached.

This is how the conversion lens looks on the SX1 IS camera.

There are four types of Raynox super macro lenses for point and shoot cameras — the DCR-150, DCR-250, MSN-202 and MSN-505 — but not all compact cameras are compatible with them. Some point and shoot cameras won’t accept conversion lenses at all.

I also found out that the Raynox DCR-250 conversion lens is compatible with the smc Pentax D FA 100mm f2.8 Macro WR (more on this in some other blog entries).

Raynox DCR-250 macro lens with 52mm - 67mm universal adapter

As a general guideline, this is how you choose your Raynox super macro conversion lenses:

Raynox MSN-505: If you are using a compact camera with a short lens, like the Panasonic LX3, this is the conversion lens for you. If you own a camera with an 18x optical zoom and above, this is not the lens for you because there will be a massive magnification of the subject to the point of being microscopic. Which is okay, if being microscopic is your objective.

Raynox MSN-202: This is also suitable for cameras with short lenses like the LX3.

Raynox DCR-250: Based on my own experience, this is the most ideal Raynox for superzoom compact cameras like the SX1 IS, the camera I’m using. It magnifies the object nicely without going microscopic. This is not for short lens cameras, however, because you won’t be able to achieve any significant macro shots with it.

Raynox DCR-150: This is also useful for cameras with extremely long telephoto zoom, like the Olympus SP570UZ which starts at a massive 26x optical zoom.

Here are two more samples of what the SX1 IS and Raynox DCR-250 lens can do together.