Close Up (Macro) Filters

I wondered about Close Up, or sometimes known as Macro, filters and how effective they are in getting close up shots. As per my previous post yesterday, I recently bought an affordable 55mm Close Up (+4) Filter for my Sony DLSR. I have a SAL75300 lens which is great for outdoor and event photography but the minimum focusing distance is around 4.9 ft. Below are pictures of the closest I can get to my desk stapler using the following settings:

ISO: 400
Exposure: 1/80 sec
Aperture: 5.0
Focal Length: 100mm
Flash Used: No



With the Close Up lens that I bought recently, I managed to go closer to the subject but focusing is difficult. Focusing is tough and the initial picture taken was as below:

ISO: 400
Exposure: 1/15 sec
Aperture: 5.0
Focal Length: 110mm
Flash Used: No



However, with some patience, a sharper and closer image can be obtain.

ISO: 400
Exposure: 1/30 sec
Aperture: 5.0
Focal Length: 100mm
Flash Used: No