Using lens tubes

[edavies]

This is my first post on this site and also I am very new at the photography world as a hobby. I have just ordered a set of three lens tubes (At least I think it is a set of three) from Ebay for use with my Canon 1000D. The question is, can one use these tubes indepenently or must they all be used at the same time. I see that they are numbered 1 to 3 and there is also a ring with it. As much as I would love to purchase a macro lens, finances do not presently permit me to do so hence the tubes. Are these tubes worth the money and how does one actually use them. I suppose I should have asked these questions before buying them but I was too keen I suppose. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Regards Evan Davies - Mafikeng, South Africa.:oops:

[LordV]

One question - are they the cheaper non-auto tubes or something like the Kenko tubes ?

You can use the tubes separately or all together- the more tube the higher the magnification. Best used probably with a lens set around 50mm at least at first.

Main problem if these are non auto tubes is you will have no aperture control so the lens will be wide open. You can preset the aperture by attaching the lens normally use Av mode- set an aperture- say F8 and then take the lens off whilst keeping the dof preview button depressed (I'm hoping the 1000D has a dof preview button here). The lens will keep that aperture until it is next attached normally.

Focus is best done in MF mode by simply moving the camera towards the subject. depending a bit on the lens used with these the focus point may be as close as 2" in front of the lens.
Brian v.

[edavies]

One question - are they the cheaper non-auto tubes or something like the Kenko tubes ?

You can use the tubes separately or all together- the more tube the higher the magnification. Best used probably with a lens set around 50mm at least at first.

Main problem if these are non auto tubes is you will have no aperture control so the lens will be wide open. You can preset the aperture by attaching the lens normally use Av mode- set an aperture- say F8 and then take the lens off whilst keeping the dof preview button depressed (I'm hoping the 1000D has a dof preview button here). The lens will keep that aperture until it is next attached normally.

Focus is best done in MF mode by simply moving the camera towards the subject. depending a bit on the lens used with these the focus point may be as close as 2" in front of the lens.
Brian v.

Many thanks for your advice. I fear that these may be the cheaper type as the price was fairly good so I thought (just over US$20 for the set). I assume then that the proceedure would be to set the aperture using the normal lens and Av mode and then switch over to the tubes. Yes the 1000D does have a DOF button but I really don't know what that is supposed to do :oops:!!! I have some learning to do I guess. I feel that my main interest will lean towards landscape and portrait photography in the future but I am still feeling my way around and I still want to try my had at some macro photography especially with flowers and insects. If I find it becomes a passion then I will look at buying a decent macro lens. Thanks again for your comments. Regards Evan:lol:

[LordV]

Normally when looking through the viewfinder the lens is wide open to allow as much light in as possible. When you press the DOF previewbutton, it shuts the lens down to the selected aperture to allow you to see what depth of field you will get in the shot. The camera itself automatically does this when you take a shot.

Brian v.

[edavies]

Normally when looking through the viewfinder the lens is wide open to allow as much light in as possible. When you press the DOF previewbutton, it shuts the lens down to the selected aperture to allow you to see what depth of field you will get in the shot. The camera itself automatically does this when you take a shot.

Brian v.

That's the value of these forums - one can learn an awfaul lot from just chatting to others. Thanks for the info once again and now I have learnt yet another bit of useful information about how my camera works. :lol: I really appreciate your time and help. Regards Evan Davies