Guitar Close Up Amplifier

Very satisfied with my new Up Close binoculars. They can see very far.

From time to time, I need the use the guitar input of my amplifier for a second microphone input - this gizmo enables me to do that withous issues.

This is a great amplifier and was very easy to setup with great sound and it has a visual screen Quick Set Up that is on the TV screen. The sound is amazing and the controls are easy to use as well.

I wanted to experiment with macro photography on a budget.  I purchased three close lenses from B&H; the Opteka 10x High Definition II Professional (BH# OPT6210X), the  B+W Close-Up +4 (BH# BWCU462), and the B+W Close-Up +2 (BH# BWCU262).  The Opteka was the best of the three and produced excellent results.  It was the only lens that had almost no chromatic aberration, which was barely noticeable at the corners.  I’ve attached a test photo example.  The Opteka 10x  is a great accessory for my Panasonic DMC-FZ1000.  I shoot at 90 mm, f8.0, with the manual focus set to closet focus. With this setup, the plane of focus is 2.25 inches from the front of the filter ring and the sensor will capture 40mm (1.6 inches) on the long dimension.  The magnification on the sensor is approximately 0.33x the actual size of the object being photographed.  Therefore, a 3-inch-long object will be 1 inch long on the camera sensor.  You’ll get great detail when printing (full frame – no crop) at 12 x 18 inches on metal at 300 dots per inch.  The final display magnification is 11.4x, which makes flower close-ups look amazing!  The bottom line is that I can get great close-up photos of flowers and I’ve learned that I’d have to spend a lot more money to build a true macro system.   FYI, the chromatic aberration from both B+W Close-Up lenses was unacceptable so I returned them.  The chromatic aberration from the B+W +4 was so strong that I couldn’t correct it in Lightroom.  The chromatic aberration from the B+W +2 was less but it started near the center.

Although I own three dedicated macro lenses (two capable of shooting 1:1 and one capable of shooting 2:), I bought this NiSi 58mm Close-Up NC lens kit to increase the close focusing distance of my Voigtlander 35mm and 50mm and my Sony Zeiss 24mm--all of which have 49mm filter threads. What appealed to me about this optic is the apochromatic design, which reduces lateral chromatic aberration (bokeh fringing), which ruins macro shots. So far, after several uses, I have achieved good results and thus decided to invest in the NiSi 77mm Close-Up, as well. With filter attached, one can still autofocus on when shooting near-macro shots; however, the lens will not be able to acquire focus outside of close-focusing distances with the Close-Up filter attached. The filter threads are apparently aluminum, not brass; however, I haven't had any issues with seizing (use anti-seize lubricant if you ever have this issue, by the way).

The R1C1 Wireless Close-Up Speedlight System allows you to totally own the light when shooting macros and close-ups. Doesn't matter what the sunlight is doing. They overpower the sun at close range - giving you luscious black and dark backgrounds so you don't need to perform digital magic in order for your subject to stand out. ISO 100, f/16, 1/200 second at 4 to 6 inches (10 - 15 cm) - no problem! Yes, a bit of weight at the far end of the macro lens - if you hand hold. On a tripod, with or wighout a focussing rail, they do nothing but provide even, smooth, wonderful light.

Very useful when doing Close Up/Macro on flowers. It tends to get breezy at times.

I bought a pair of these to use with a guitar amp simulator. They sound great and allow for getting the amplifier and effects tone without having to crank up the volume to concert levels.

In 1969 I saw a solid-body electric guitar with a three-inch amplifier built into the face of the guitar. The tiny speaker was powered by a nine-volt battery inserted in the back of the instrument. Fantastic, I thought, why don't they make a suction-cup amp that sticks onto the face of the guitar? A zillion years later they did and it is fine.

Great mic for any kind of use. Vocals sound great as well as guitar and bass amplifier. I use this mic in my home studio and live performance.