"For 1:1, the length of the macro tube needs to equal the focal length of the lens." You would not believe how many vids I have watched and NEVER heard this fact. Finally! Thank you!
Of the dozens of videos I've watched on this subject, this one offers the clearest, most concise explanation of how extension tubes work, and how to use them. Many thanks! I've had a set for a while, but haven't taken them out of the box yet. I'll be taking them into the garden, today!
Wow, I've had my extension tubes for years and never knew about matching the focal length to the extension tubes size. That is really helpful as I'm about to head out to teach a class. I can now add that bit of info for everyone. Thank you for making it so clear.
Best explanation of extension tubes and their usage I've seen thus far. Especially the part when the sum of the extension tube length should equal the focal length of the lens, to ensure 1:1 magnification. Why doesn't anyone else say this?!
This is the best video I've found on the kenko extension tubes. Most others don't show the progression of what pictures look like without the tubes and with the tubes. So thank you very much for this quality video!!!
Only just came across you.. good video but here is my question. I have a 4/3rd camera with a 12-60 lens (24-120 on normal camera) do I match the extension tube(s) to the 4/3rd size or use the “normal”size? Your comment would be greatly appreciated Thks
I am very interesting for this answer too to understand this. I have that 12-60mm lens too, but I have and 4/3 50mm f2 which Olympus sell as a macro lens but it was marked (on lens) as 1:2. With that lens I both at that time dedicated EX-25 extension tube. What should I have behind 4/3 50mm macro lens (1:2) to get 1:1 macro magnification havingn in mind x2 Olympus crop sensor factor?
Nice video. The only thing you didn't really mention was the loss of (stops of) light when you add extension tubes. And the longer the tubes, the more loss of light. This then needs to be compensated for by using slower shutter speed, wider aperture or higher ISO. The first two options are not usually beneficial for outdoor macro work. Higher ISO can be a big disadvantage for the quality of the image. Potentially introducing a speedlight could solve the issue, but with the lens closer to the subject, that can come with some challenges too, especially with unwanted shadows. Lighting at an angle with soft light can work really well.
I've been told that you don't lose light with extension tubes because there is no glass in them. Are you confusing extension tubes with teleconverters?
This is good explanation for extension tubesb that I nowhere found, but I am a little bit confused now. I have and 4/3 50mm f2 which Olympus sell at that time as a macro lens but it was marked on the lens as 1:2. With that lens I bogth at that time dedicated EX-25 extension tube. What should I have behind that 4/3 50mm macro lens (1:2) to get 1:1 macro magnification having in mind x2 Olympus crop sensor factor?
use a garden cane (about 1/2"dia) hold the cane and the camera in the same hand (hold firmly) and you can move up and down the cane and even lean at an angle to get rock solid close ups. Sway the camera very gently back or forward to get a good focus, rather than twiddling the lens. I got the idea from Lord V.
Very helpful!!! I just tried using 36mm Kenko extension tube with a 70-300mm zoom lens. I got some nice photos, but I can see where switching to a 50mm prime would be a lot better. I'm going to try that next!
There is more to consider...some cameras will have errors when nit using the extensions with contacts. The aperture blinks with 2 dashes (Nikon). Definitely buy the tubes with contacts, but even then, dont rely on autofocus because they use cheap contacts which suffer voltage drop. So the more you stack, the less responsive you autofucus is. My vote is dedicated macro with a raynox 2x, and maybe add 1 extension.
I think that this was a good explanation of extension tubes, except that Jon did not mention that you have to add the extension that is built into the lens to get the magnification of the lens with the extension tubes. If you have your lens focused at infinity, without extension tubes and then you change the focus to the minimum focus distance of the lens, then the lens will move out, which is similar to adding an extension tube, but it is built into the lens. So for example, if the magnification of your 50mm lens is 0.2 at the minimum focusing distance, then it is like you have a 10mm extension inside of the lens. So in this case if you add a 50mm extension to your 50mm lens, then the total extension when you have the lens focused at its minimum distance will be 10mm + 50mm = 60mm, and your magnification will be 60mm / 50mm = 1.2 magnification. So basically what I am saying is that you have to add the magnification built into the lens to the magnification you get from adding the extension tubes.
Hi, excellent video! I have a 12-60mm zoom lens. When using extension tubes with the zoom lens set to say 60mm am I correct in saying that I can use an extension close to this value despite the wide angle of the lens being 12mm? Hope that makes sense! Thanks.
Thank for this fantastic video. Can anyone tell me if the Kenko extension tubes will fit a Nikon D60? Also ... I have read about Kenko for Canon - do they make different types for the different cameras? Or is it one type fits all? I am looking at buying a second hand set online and can't work out if it is going to fit! I want to use it with my macro lens ... AF-SMicro Nikkor - 60mm. Thanks!
Hi, i own a D7200 with 50mm AF-D, 35 G AF-S DX, 16-80 G AF-S DX. Is it possible use Meike tubes with my lenses (they are cheaper than Kenko)? I'd like to try some macro shots witouth buyng an expensive lens. Another question: is it possible change aperture with G series lens? TNX
I recently purchased a Sony a74 mirrorless camera which has the Sony E-Mount, and I noticed that the Kenko Extension Kit for the Sony E-Mount only has 10mm and 16mm tubes which gives you a total extension of 26mm, which is not much extension.
@@set3777 You could do that, but if you buy the Kenko Extension Kit it can get expensive. The Kenko Extension Kit is $129.90 at B&H photo today on June 17, 2022. I think that the Kenko Extension Kit is the best quality extension kit for the Sony E mount, but it is also the most expensive. All the extension kits I saw at B&H photo for the Sony E mount that had the electrical contacts only had 10mm and 16mm tubes. Most modern lenses that have autofocus need the electrical contacts to control focus and aperture. You can get lower cost extension tubes, but the quality may not be as good as the Kenko extension tubes. Extension tubes are pretty simple, they are hollow tubes with no optics, and some have electrical contacts, so inexpensive might be OK, but you will have to decide what to get. I saw the FotodioX Macro Extension Tube Set for Sony Alpha E-Mount Cameras that had 28mm, 14mm and 7mm tubes for only $15 at B&H photo, but they did not have the electrical contacts, so they will not be able to control many modern lens, and they got several bad reviews, so I do not know if I would trust them. You can use manual lenses with extension tubes that do not have contacts, because manual lenses do not need electronics to control them. You could use modern autofocus lens with extension tubes that do not have electrical contacts, but it is much easier to use extension tubes that have electrical contacts. I would prefer to have longer extension tubes instead of having a lot of short extension tubes. If you have a lot of extension tubes then you will have more problems with the lens sagging especially if you have a heavy lens. You also add a new set of electrical contacts for each extension tube to add so you have more chances for less reliable electrical connections. Also more tubes cost more money. I bought a 10mm and 16mm extension tube set. I have a wide angle 24mm lens, so I can use that lens with the 10mm and 16mm tubes to get a magnification greater than one. I also bought a Laowa 100mm F2.8 manual macro lens that has a magnification of two for $499. It's a good lens, but it is an old design, and this week on June 13, 2022 Laowa announced a new 90mm macro lens that is better than the 100mm macro lens I bought for the same price. If I knew Laowa was coming out with the new 90mm macro lens, I would have waited and bought the new 90mm lens instead of the 100mm lens. There are several RU-vid videos about the new 90mm Laowa macro lens if you are interested.
I used a 55-200 telephoto lens with an extension tube, the menu focus ring became non functional, but the zoom ring behaved as menu focus ring, I was lost, why was that? Did I do something wrong? Thanks.
Best lens for macro using extension tubes is 17-85mm and the 50mm 1.8. For telephoto lens > 85mm, extension tubes won't work well so it is better to use macro filters or better still reverse mount the lens. For my Canon EF-S 55-255 I use the "Movo AF Reverse Mount Macro Lens Converter for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras". You can even so auto focus with this reverse mount converter.
We do have a set which is compatible with Nikon Z series cameras, please click on the following link www.holdan.co.uk/Kenko/teleplus-dg-extension-tube-set-nikon-z
Hello - There isn't a simple way of working it out due to the number of variables, like focal length of lens and whether you're using a single or multiple tubes. If you Google search, there are posts which should help.
