I just bought a set of Kenko extension tubes

And I rushed home just to see how they perform in macro photography. Oh my god... it is well worth the money spent. I've spent hours and hours of research on and off the board to see how I can take better close up macro shots shy of spending a large sum of money on macro lenses.

I have a newfound respect for these extension tubes. I used my Canon 18-55 F/2.5-5.6 IS lens to take some test shots and I was very pleasantly surprised by the outcome.

I took 5 shots. In all the shots I moved the camera back and forth to find the minimum focus distance.

#1. Lens at 18 mm
#2. Lens at 55mm
#3. 36mm tube with the lens at 55mm
#4. 36mm + 20mm tube with the lens at 55mm
#5. 36mm + 20mm + 12mm with the lens at 55 mm

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You should have fun with them. Try this to set your exposure: Need an exposure crutch?

PhotosGuy wrote in post #4968471
You should have fun with them. Try this to set your exposure: Need an exposure crutch?

Thank you for the link. That's an excellent write up.

I used to have loads of those little metal figures when I was a kid!

But yeah have fun with them, macro yields some of the most obscure but fun and interesting shots.

Zayets,
And another great thing with the extension tubes is: if you ever get a true macro lens, used with your extension tubes gives you even more magnification

Would using the mp-e 65 give more dof? In the last photo, dof is paper thin.

macro_shooter wrote in post #5001830
Would using the mp-e 65 give more dof? In the last photo, dof is paper thin.

Nope DOF is a product of focal length, subject distance, aperture and sensor size. Nothing more. The MP-E 65 just allows even more magnification.

Cool shots !
I've been thinking about a set of Kenko extension tubes for a while


I'm guessing they work fine with all EF-S lenses ?

Makes me wonder what they would be like with my 70-300, hmm....


Cheers.

inverseSquare wrote in post #5008429
I'm guessing they work fine with all EF-S lenses ?

Makes me wonder what they would be like with my 70-300, hmm....

Cheers.

The new series do, (DG i think)

and you'll likely find they actually make much less of an effect with your 75-300, as extension tubes have more of an effect on shorter focal lengths.

inverseSquare,
With a full set of Kenko tubes 68mm with your 70-300mm lens you could get true 1:1 life size macro when your lens is at 70mm

John_B wrote in post #5008571
inverseSquare,
With a full set of Kenko tubes 68mm with your 70-300mm lens you could get true 1:1 life size macro when your lens is at 70mm

Doesn't the lens' actual minimum focus distance play a factor into it? Here is what I mean. My 18-55 F/3.5-5.6 IS has a minimum focus distance of 25 cm. And my Sigma 18-200 F/3.5-6.3 OS has a minimum focus distance of 45 cm. With or without the tubes I take better macro shots with the 18-55 than with the 18-200. The pictures with the 18-55 are larger and clearer.

Zayets,
Yes but a small factor, as I didn't feel like getting into detailed math. Here on POTN a user a long time ago gave a good detail in the math for a closer to exact way to figure magnification using extension tubes <-- click to see

When you get your tubes you can do a comparison and share with us, as I would rather just take the photos

John_B wrote in post #5008894
Zayets,
Yes but a small factor, as I didn't feel like getting into detailed math. Here on POTN a user a long time ago gave a good detail in the math for a closer to exact way to figure magnification using extension tubes <-- click to see

When you get your tubes you can do a comparison and share with us, as I would rather just take the photos

I already got my tubes (Post #1).

But, I'm with you. I'd much rather take photographs than to torture myself by number crunching.

Thank you for the link. I've ctually been searching for a more solid point of reference than personal observation.

Zayets,
Yup.... I forgot you got the tubes already

This is very cool info thanks for posting