extension tubes?

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extension tubes?

shutterlove
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p.1 #1 · extension tubes?

I am thinking about getting a set of tubes for my 100mm macro lens, do I need to get Canon or can I get another brand? I have read a lot about clarity issues if ou don't go with Canon, is that true? What do you all recommend?

Jan 14, 2013 at 01:09 AM

yogi3939
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p.1 #2 · extension tubes?

Since tubes have no glass the real issues are overall quality and price. I own a set of Kenko tubes and am very satisfied with them. They are not the cheapest on the market but the construction quality is superb and they do have electrical contacts, not all cheap tubes do, that means they support all your lenses functions that are controlled by the camera without the tubes.

Jan 14, 2013 at 03:18 AM

480sparky
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p.1 #3 · extension tubes?

Three things to look for:

Electrical connections. These maintain the communication between the camera and the lens. Without them, you're gonna shoot everything in total Manual mode.

Mechanical connection. Somehow, the camera needs to let the aperture close when the image is taken. Lacking this connection means you need to stop the lens down manually before taking the shot (unless you like focusing with a stopped-down lens!). And many lenses today don't have an aperture ring, so stopping one down gets problematic.

Build quality. Cheap tubes will let the lens sag when two or three tubes are installed. They may also not be parallel between the front and back. Usually the cheap tubes use plastic mounts.... good ones use metal.

Jan 14, 2013 at 04:54 AM

denis55
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p.1 #4 · extension tubes?

i,ve got the kenko dg tubes,and they work great.

Jan 14, 2013 at 01:48 PM

shutterlove
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p.1 #5 · extension tubes?

Thanks everyone, I was looking at the Kenko set at Adorama.
If I were to buy only one, which size would you recommend? I am new to this and not
sure what all the numbers mean?

Jan 14, 2013 at 03:53 PM

yogi3939
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p.1 #6 · extension tubes?

shutterlove wrote:
Thanks everyone, I was looking at the Kenko set at Adorama.
If I were to buy only one, which size would you recommend? I am new to this and not
sure what all the numbers mean?

The numbers are the amount of focal length they add to a lens. You can mix and match them for different lengths for the best results on an individual lens. The best bet is to just pop for the three piece set from the git go.

Jan 14, 2013 at 04:49 PM

bladesofgrass
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p.1 #7 · extension tubes?

The electrical contact models though nice in theory are disappointing in practice. Though you're camera might work well with just the 12mm, as soon as you go beyond that your lens is going to be hunting since there will be too little light to accurately focus unless you supplement it with focus lights. Preserving metadata is mostly the reason to go with electrical...that and build quality is usually a bit higher.

Paul

Jan 14, 2013 at 10:06 PM

480sparky
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p.1 #8 · extension tubes?

Being able to set and control the aperture is a huge plus for having the electrical connections... especially with today's lenses that don't have aperture rings.

Jan 14, 2013 at 11:22 PM

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