Extension Tubes Question

[Thordic]

I bought my 300D last year, and since then have picked up lenses as I've noticed a need. I started with the 28-135 IS as a walkabout for general use, and liked it. Then, since I'm involved in a lot of paintball events, I got a cheap 75-300mm Tamron for shooting on the field where the lens might get hit (dirtied/damaged). Then, after feeling like I couldn't get wide enough angles, I picked up a sigma 10-20mm lens. I thought I had all the bases covered.

But I've always been rather interested in macro photography. I was weighing the options, and the kenko extension tubes seemed like a good option, especially for the price. I noticed a lot of people use them with the 50mm lens, which I don't have, but I noticed people also use them with mid-range zoom lenses.

If I picked up a set of tubes, would I be able to use them with my 28-135mm lens with decent results, or would I be better off just buying a dedicated macro lens such as the 100mm 2.8? I noticed a couple people saying you needed 2.8 or lower to get good shots, and the 28-125 is 3.5-5.6.

For me photography is just a hobby that I do for my own pleasure, so while I don't mind dropping some money to give myself the capabilities to take the photos I want, I do budget myself since it IS a hobby.

Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated.

[nitsch]

Yes you could use the tubes with your 28-135, the quality of the results will depend on how sharp the lens is. You will want to stop your lens down to f11 or smaller for your macro shots so from that point of view the fact that it is 3.5-5.6 is less important. One disadvantage over the 2.8 will be viewfinder brightness, you'll find it is pretty dark with the 28-135 and a stack of tubes which won't help manual focusing unless you are working in good light.

My suggestion to you would be get just the tubes first and have a play about with them. If you find you like macro then consider investing in a proper macro lens but keep hold of the tubes as you will still want to use them.

[Thordic]

Thanks. I was planning on picking them up soon unless someone posted some big reason why it was a bad idea.

[PhotosGuy]

The only problem I have with them is that you can't go to infinity quickly if something unexpected happens. It depends how close-up you want to go & how much time you have to do it I guess. A dedicated macro lens would give you flexibility beyond what I get walking around with the 70-200 (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=103744&highlight=walk+river), but it will focus pretty close for general insect/flower pics.

[pxl8]

I use kenko tubes with my EF28-105 and it works well as a cheap option for macro. Although this coming summer I will probably get a 500D filter to use on my 70-300 to get better working distance - I should get 1:1 at 0.5m with that combo.