Macro Help Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[xpantz]

I take it the tubes dejavu is talking about are the electronic kind.

you can also buy tubes that have no support for any of the electronics and you will have to use the camera in manual mode.. including focus... the upside is they are DIRT cheap.

this
http://tinyurl.com/y5g8ke

as opposed to this
http://tinyurl.com/y8jcny

[dejavu]

1. the EF-S tubes will allow one to use the features of an EF-S lens whereas an EF tube will not Correct?

I wouldn't say "features of an EF-S". As you already know, an EF-S lens will only work with a camera body that supports it. While the camera body does actually make use of advantages of the EF-S mount (i.e. required image circle size etc), I don't think the extension tube does. Extension tubes are essentially just a metal tube with electronic connections, and thus all it needs to do is ensure a sturdy and light-tight connection between the lens and camera body, everything else would sort themselves out via th rules of physics.

2. Nikon has the AF-S, AF, AI type lenses and tubes. I have mainly AF G lenses, what tube would you suggest? (G lenses have no aperature ring, so I will need to be able to control that with the camera.)

Sorry, I have no experiences with the Nikon system. However, whichever tube Nikon say will work on those lenses will be fine. As previously mentioned, there's absoluately nothing magical about an extension tube That said, Nikon used to make the coolest extension tube known to man. It was a 52mm (need to check that, but it's 50 something) tube with integrated tripod mount! It has been discontinued for a few years, but does pop-up on Ebay every now and then.

[dejavu]

If you lens uses an electronic system for aperture actuation, i.e. the Canon EF series and some Nikon if I am right, then don't bother with the non-electronic extension tubes. Your creative abilities will be severely limited without aperture control when it comes to macro.

On the other hand, if your lens has an aperture ring, then it should be OK. But that bring us to the point of field usability. Extension tubes work well on almost all lenses except those with very shot focal length (i.e. < 28mm) and thus you might want to try different combinations of tubes-lenses. It is much easier to have 1 set of tubes that work with everything. This in fact is one of the strong points against buying a Sigma/Tamron macro lens, since Canon/Nikon teleconverted won't work with them. You can work around that by adding a small extension tube in between but you lose infinity focus.

If you are getting tubes, you can't go wrong with the Kenko set of 3. They are not as heavy duty as their Canon/Nikon counterparts, and lack black velvet lining inside the barrel, but I haven't been able to tell the different besides the price tag Plus, it's easier to convince your better half when you pay $120 for 3 tubes rather than $290 for a single tube. Size matters.

[xpantz]

If you lens uses an electronic system for aperture actuation, i.e. the Canon EF series and some Nikon if I am right, then don't bother with the non-electronic extension tubes. Your creative abilities will be severely limited without aperture control when it comes to macro.

I agree... however if you just want to have a play they are a cheap experiment.
and for the sake of the experiment I just set the aperture before I removed the lens.

However having played with the tubes for a couple of days now I think I won't bother... I havn't really achieved anything I couldn't do more easily with my sigma 17-70mm macro. I rekon if I was going to do anything else it would be buy another macro lens with a little more reach. Using the tubes with my canon 75-300mm was probably the best because I could get very good close up from about 2 meters... whereas the sigma is limited to short range.

[xpantz]

a couple of shots from my experiments.

1st is the 17-70mm macro lens
2nd is the 18-125mm + tubes (this lens would not normally be able to take this photo)

Sigma 17-70mm


Sigma 18-125mm + extension tubes

[PicturePerfect]

this thread just gets better and better, and makes me was a dedicated macro lens even more, Keep the info coming It's FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!

haven't had a chance to get to the cam shop yet, my lil one had an Op today, hoping to get there soon

[znelbok]

Hi all

New here so I am still learning. Read this with great interest.

I am looking at a set of Kenco extension tubes for my D80, but the price ($145) I have seen them for puts them in a similar range that I have seen some Sigma Macro Lenses (70-300mm Macro $185 on ebay).

The question for me is which is the better option? Is the lens a crap lens at that price?

Comparing this above mentioned macro lens to another Sigma macro running at $1K, both have a minimum focus distance of approx 1000mm.

If I use extension tubes on my Nikor 17-200mm lens what should I expect my minimum focus distance to become? Hopefully something below 1000mm as I think I can focus less than that now and its not a macro.

I'm confused

Thanks

Mick

[dejavu]

Hi all
I am looking at a set of Kenco extension tubes for my D80, but the price ($145) I have seen them for puts them in a similar range that I have seen some Sigma Macro Lenses (70-300mm Macro $185 on ebay).

The question for me is which is the better option? Is the lens a crap lens at that price?

The Sigma 70-300 "macro" lens is not a true macro lens. In fact, there is no true macro lens that is also a zoom lens. All true macro lenses are prime lenses. These "macro" zoom lenses are simply zoom lenses with slightly better close focusing abilities (shorter minimum focuing distance). I wouldn't consider it as a feature since the optical quality of these lenses leave much to be desired in the first place.

On the other hand, the extension tubes have the capabilities (and drawbacks) as described in this thread already.

In summary, get the extension tubes and forget about the 70-300 lens.

[Helen S]

Ooops, just realised the question had been answered.

Good luck with your application, Alison.

[znelbok]

Great - thanks for the feedback

Mick