Extension tubes

theNude

theNude

theNude

Associate
Joined
10 May 2006
Posts
2,334
Howdy,

I want to take more pictures of the weird insects here and need a macro lens, i looked at once which was 800 bucks i thought was a bit pricey so i am going to go with some cheapy tubes to see if they are adequate for my needs, famas pictures always look good.

I have:

450D
50mm 1.8
70-300 tamron
18-55 kit

Would the below work ok with thes

Kenko Auto Extension Tube Set DG
for Canon EOS EF/EF-S


Genuine Kenko Product.

Made in Japan. Guaranteed Brand New in Original Packaging.

[Ship Registered. Online Tracking.]
Product Description

The Kenko Auto Extension Tube Set DG contains three tubes of different length - 12mm, 20mm, and 36mm - which can be used individually or in any combination to obtain the desired magnification. Actual magnification effect changes with each specific lens. This DG Extension tube set has upgraded "Gate-Array IC" circuitry to work better with digital SLR's and some of the digital SLR lenses, like the Nikon DX (e.g. 17-55mm, 10.5mm) digital-only lenses.

Extension tubes are designed to enable a lens to focus closer than its normal set minimum focusing distance. Getting closer has the effect of magnifying your subject (making it appear larger in the viewfinder and in your pictures). They are exceptionally useful for macro photography, enabling you to convert almost any lens into a macro lens at a fraction of the cost while maintaining its original optical quality.The extension tubes have no optics. They are mounted in between the camera body and lens to create more distance between the lens and film plane. By moving the lens father away from the film or CCD sensor in the camera, the lens is forced to focus much closer than normal. The greater the length of the extension tube, the closer the lens can focus. When using the camera's TTL metering system, no exposure compensation will be required (exposure compensation is required for handheld meters
Click to expand...

they are 160AUD (94GBP) from Hong Kong.

Thanks

Dude
 
Should work. I'd use them on the 50mm. I have a M42 55mm lens with some extension tubes and they give a 1:1 image (maybe more) and the picture quality is FAR superior to the 70-300 tamron I have.

An alternative is to pick up a cheap M42 lens, an M42 converter and M42 extension tubes (you need automatic extension tubes if your lens has automatic aperture), you can get these cheaply (£3 for the converter, about £5 for the tubes).
 
I didn't realise these were so expensive, £94 seems a lot of money for some tubes. Or are these different than the cheap ones on ebay?

I have been thinking of getting some of these to try out with my 60mm macro to see if i can get more detailed shots of insects but at that price i might just get a longer macro lens.
 
These have AF chip, so if used with the 50mm, it's able to autofocus. Useful but I personally find manual focus more useful...
 









All taken with the 55mm + extension tube combo, the details as you zoom in are much better than one can get with the tamron - however you do have to get quite close to the object, which is where longer macro lenses / telephoto lenses like the tamron are beneficial.

Haven't yet got the nerve to get close to a bee / wasp!

Also as above, manual focus is much more useful - I never use autofocus on my tamron and wouldn't use it if I had it on my 55mm! You just put the tubes on, set zoom to infinity and move the camera.
 
Mark A said:
I didn't realise these were so expensive, £94 seems a lot of money for some tubes. Or are these different than the cheap ones on ebay?

I have been thinking of getting some of these to try out with my 60mm macro to see if i can get more detailed shots of insects but at that price i might just get a longer macro lens.
Click to expand...

I THINK that tubes will decrease your working distance whereas a longer macro will increase it - I could be wrong however!
 
It's not the autofocus that makes chipped tubes worthwhile - It's being able to set the aperture. It saves you the hassle of tricking the lens into staying at a high aperature.

To the OP - I've had great results with the 18-55IS kitlens that comes with the 450D on extension tubes, but as others have said the 50mm should also be good :) (I've not got a 50mm to compare)
 
I've got the, Sony fit, Kenko tubes and they rule! They have full auto-focus coupling and all of the electronic connections to keep the lens operating as normal.

I think some of the ones on ebay only allow manual focus and aperture control, the latter of which is quite an annoying process on a lot of modern lenses.

Here's a couple I shot the other day, using the 20mm middle section and my 50mm

1.
4033494536_f3c015a192.jpg


2.
4042805079_2dd7da50cf.jpg


And this one taken at the 70mm end of my 70-210mm f4; using all three sections (36mm + 20mm + 12mm). Focused about 2 inches away from the end of the lens.

4031607297_c8b9408e7f.jpg
 
PinkFloyd said:
It's not the autofocus that makes chipped tubes worthwhile - It's being able to set the aperture. It saves you the hassle of tricking the lens into staying at a high aperature.
Click to expand...

I forgot about that but then again, when I use to do the trick, it is simple and comes almost as second nature...
 
The extension tubes with the contacts to preserve aperture control is worth it. While the tubes without contacts work well, the viewfinder is darker when the aperture is stopped down, which can make focusing difficult.

I would go for the Kenko set and use it with the 50mm, this will give 1.36:1.

Mark A said:
I didn't realise these were so expensive, £94 seems a lot of money for some tubes. Or are these different than the cheap ones on ebay?

I have been thinking of getting some of these to try out with my 60mm macro to see if i can get more detailed shots of insects but at that price i might just get a longer macro lens.
Click to expand...

You won't get closer with a longer macro lens, the working distance will increase but the reproduction ratio is 1:1 on all the macro lenses, except for the MP-E. Extension tubes with the 60mm macro will get just over 2:1.
 
Would I be better off with extension tubes for my 50mm 1.8 or 24-70L 2.8?

The L gives me better quality, but would the nifty fifty be better suited? If so, why?

Spanks :)
 
ScarySquirrel said:
Would I be better off with extension tubes for my 50mm 1.8 or 24-70L 2.8?

The L gives me better quality, but would the nifty fifty be better suited? If so, why?

Spanks :)
Click to expand...

I don't know the answer to your question but am interested myself as I have a 50mm f1.8 and an 18-55 IS kit lens. But surely the same tubes do both so you buy the kit and try both lenses - or have I lost the plot somewhere along the road?!? :D

Top the OP, I think the basic choices are expensive tubes such as the Kenko's, which have the ability to control aperture in the same way as you normally would without tubes, or cheap tubes which don't allow for normal aperture control. The cheap tubes really are cheap (just a few quid from the 'bay) but require some sort of 'cheat' to enable you to change aperture, using the DOF button. Tbh I don't fully understand this process, but I'm tempted to try cheap ebay tubes anyway. My only concern is which cheap tubes work on EF and EF-S lenses!
 
Ebay is blocked for me at work (grrr) so can't see that item - although tbh I'm trying to figure out what does what myself. From my limited researching, you have to spend a reasonable amount to get tubes which allow for changing aperture as per normal on the camera.

I'm tempted to buy something like a 135mm M42 lens to get a bit of extra length, and whack some tubes on that. Could be fun! :D
 
ScarySquirrel said:
Would I be better off with extension tubes for my 50mm 1.8 or 24-70L 2.8?

The L gives me better quality, but would the nifty fifty be better suited? If so, why?

Spanks :)
Click to expand...

I'd use it on the 50mm, just for the weight difference, though you can use the 24-70mm for a higher magnification under 50mm.

Namistai said:
I don't know the answer to your question but am interested myself as I have a 50mm f1.8 and an 18-55 IS kit lens. But surely the same tubes do both so you buy the kit and try both lenses - or have I lost the plot somewhere along the road?!? :D

Top the OP, I think the basic choices are expensive tubes such as the Kenko's, which have the ability to control aperture in the same way as you normally would without tubes, or cheap tubes which don't allow for normal aperture control. The cheap tubes really are cheap (just a few quid from the 'bay) but require some sort of 'cheat' to enable you to change aperture, using the DOF button. Tbh I don't fully understand this process, but I'm tempted to try cheap ebay tubes anyway. My only concern is which cheap tubes work on EF and EF-S lenses!
Click to expand...

With the lens on the camera, set the aperture to what you want and press and hold the DOF preview button while removing the lens with the camera on. This will keep the aperture stopped down until you place it back on the camera.

I think all of the cheap extension tubes work with EF-S but you should check with the seller to make sure.

ScarySquirrel said:
Good point, the tubes probably will work on both! My bad :p

Are these any good? Will they let me set the aperture?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Automatic-Mac...ItemQQptZLens_Accessories?hash=item3356c75e8c
Click to expand...

It says they are autofocus, rather than autofocus confirm and it does look like they have contacts going through the tubes so it should retain aperture control. I haven't seen them before and I don't know how good they are, though buyers have left positive feedback for that item.
 
I think it means it will beep when your shot is focussed correctly, whereas autofocus is motor driven. So if you have an old manual lens you will get the beep when in focus. This is my understanding from what i've read up on it anyway.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom