Slr Camera Accessory: Extension Tube

One of the generally underexposed (pardon the joke) techniques of SLR photography is macro photographs. Often the rationale is the lack of access to pricey, narrow functionality macro equipment for shooting super close ups of subjects. However, with the purchase of a macro extension tube to your bag of gear, several of your existing lenses can be converted to include macro functionality at a cost of under $100.

For folks who've never heard of macro extension tubes, they are simply sections of plastic and/or metal that fasten in between the lens and DSLR itself. They are found generally in 10mm, 20 and 30 lengths and serve to lengthen the focal distance of the already used lens. This achieves dual purposes. Number one is enlargement. If you own a lens with a focal distance of 50mm and add a 25mm macro extension tube, it can now act as a 75mm lens, consequently a 50% larger magnification than the initial 50. The second consequence from adding an extension tube is decreased minimum focusing distance. While the science behind this is highly dense, I've found that for a 50 lens with a minimum focus distance of 300mm, this can definitely be lowered to 100 or less with an extension tube, allowing one get really close with your potential shots for photographs not at all formerly imagined achievable.

an important bit of info on the topic of macro extension tube equipment is whether there are electrical wires in the extension tubes to maintain connectivity linking the camera lens and SLR body. If you have them, you'll have the ability to keep f-stop & focus control as though the extension tubes weren't even there. Without this electrical connection, you'll only have the ability to focus without the aid of the camera and will be required to adjust aperture prior to attaching the macro extension tubes, which could be a large hassle and pretty annoying.

An extra useful piece of data is the manufacturer of macro extension tube purchased actually makes no difference, which might come as a surprise to many. A brand name Canon tube at 12 mm or 25 can run in excess of $120 for only one. On the other hand, so called generic brands such as Opteka or Zeikos can net you a trio of extension tubes that operate equally capably for roughly $70, a significantly better bang for your buck. And if the omission of electrical connection doesn't worry you, simple plastic macro extension tubes can be purchased for not much more than 10 dollars. I highly urge keeping your money and purchasing the Opteka tubes, I've been using them for quite awhile with excellent results.

There are a couple downsides you need to be informed of versus obtaining an authentic macro lens (that will come at a price of in and around 500 bucks). The first is the macro extension tubes only allow a really short DOF as a result of the increased magnification. In turn the f-stop as a rule needs to be set a great deal larger, which allows in less light and might create difficulties without the right lighting environment and somewhat reduce sharpness and contrast. Number two, not only do extension tubes decrease the minimum focusing distance, they nullify the power to focus past that to infinity. It is not inconceivable that you'll be able to only focus in a span of 100mm to 200 mm, so you'll have to be awfully close to the subject, excluding the photographing of mobile objects (or types that sting) like bugs or critters.

In conclusion, for folks shopping around to expand in the realm of SLR shooting, I favorably suggest investigating a collection of extension tubes to seriously expand the diversity of photos it is possible to take.