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03/22/2011 03:07:49 PM · #1 |
They make ugly things even uglier!!
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03/22/2011 03:53:23 PM · #2 |
I think my bug photography needs a little work! :D
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03/22/2011 04:17:37 PM · #3 |
| Your photos are awesome. I've been toying with the idea of buying extension tubes also. What brand did you choose? |
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03/22/2011 04:30:06 PM · #4 |
| I bought the kenko set of three. I have no idea what I'm doing with them, but I'll be playing more that it's finally warming up. It's so windy today -- I took about 50 pictures and only 2 were remotely in focus. |
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03/22/2011 04:37:33 PM · #5 |
| Extension tubes make focusing very finicky. I have a super cheapo ($10) set that I bought from Amazon. The different sections screw together and there is no communication between the lens and the camera. Have to use the aperture ring on the lens with the camera in manual. But you can get much closer to the subject. But I can't imagine me being good enough to use them in anything but a studio setting. I use the term "studio" very loosely here. My studio is a bunch of foam boards and maybe a velvet backdrop set up in my kitchen or dining room or basement. One day I will save up and get the Kenko set. |
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03/22/2011 04:45:43 PM · #6 |
| I was think of the Kenko set as well but didn't have much luck with their teleconverter. |
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03/22/2011 04:47:58 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by DCrest01:
I was think of the Kenko set as well but didn't have much luck with their teleconverter. |
I think I heard about the extension tubes from Roz, so that was good enough for me. (I could be misremembering, though, but it was someone who knew what they were doing.) |
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03/22/2011 05:17:59 PM · #8 |
| I'd say - thats good enough for me too! |
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03/22/2011 05:27:38 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by vawendy:
I bought the kenko set of three. I have no idea what I'm doing with them, but I'll be playing more that it's finally warming up. It's so windy today -- I took about 50 pictures and only 2 were remotely in focus. |
With extension tubes and macro photography in general, DoF is very unforgiving... you'll need to stop down as much as possible. |
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03/22/2011 05:41:14 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by vawendy:
I think my bug photography needs a little work! :D
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You just need to start shooting at the other end of the bee LOL!
I love my extension tubes and use them a lot in summer for bugs and such. Amazing what you can see with those tubes. Manual focus and I just move the camera to get what I want in focal range. I'm afraid you will soon learn to really dislike warm breezes no matter how nominally gentle ;-) |
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03/22/2011 05:56:36 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by vawendy:
I think I heard about the extension tubes from Roz, so that was good enough for me. (I could be misremembering, though, but it was someone who knew what they were doing.) |
Yah, that would be Roz; she uses them to rather spectatcular advantage. |
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03/22/2011 06:10:04 PM · #12 |
| I already hate wind! Unbelievable. I'm lousy at manual focus, yet it was difficult using auto focus -- it couldn't find it. I'm actually wondering about using AI Servo. I tried that for awhile, but it was so breezy, that I couldn't tell whether that made sense or not. I think I might need a monopod. I'm not as steady as I used to be. |
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03/22/2011 06:18:02 PM · #13 |
I've had those tubes in my "basket" for two months now and have been too lazy to by them. But it'll happen sooner than later. And the wind is horrible. i was at an almond blossom festival this weekend and it was breezy and I got nothing with any shallow depth of field. It was all off one way or the other.
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
Originally posted by vawendy:
I bought the kenko set of three. I have no idea what I'm doing with them, but I'll be playing more that it's finally warming up. It's so windy today -- I took about 50 pictures and only 2 were remotely in focus. |
With extension tubes and macro photography in general, DoF is very unforgiving... you'll need to stop down as much as possible. |
You can also "focus stack" if your subject is stationary. Focus, shoot, slight lens adjustment, shoot, repeat as needed. You can combine them later with software.
I learned that from Roz as well. Check out her HM for the best of 2010. That's what she's done there. |
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03/22/2011 11:37:56 PM · #14 |
Try them on a wide angle lens for razor thin DOF.
Message edited by author 2011-03-22 23:39:22.
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03/22/2011 11:52:03 PM · #15 |
I love using the ones that I have. With a fisheye and 11mm ext, you can touch the subject with the lens.
They work good with longer lenses too.
The ones that I have are older Nikon Ai items, but they work fine with my Ai glass. They allow full aperture focusing, and stop down to the set aperture when the shutter is tripped.
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03/23/2011 12:50:24 AM · #16 |
Originally posted by cpanaioti:
Try them on a wide angle lens for razor thin DOF.
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A long lens will give you even thinner depth of field.
The extension tubes will decrease the depth of field of any lens you use by allowing the focus point to be closer. So if your lens already has a shallow depth of field capability, it will be even thinner with tubes. Distance to subject is one of the three physical aspects that create depth of field. The other two are aperture size and focal length. Wide angle lenses naturally have greater depth of field because they are short focal length.
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03/23/2011 01:07:00 AM · #17 |
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
Originally posted by cpanaioti:
Try them on a wide angle lens for razor thin DOF.
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A long lens will give you even thinner depth of field.
The extension tubes will decrease the depth of field of any lens you use by allowing the focus point to be closer. So if your lens already has a shallow depth of field capability, it will be even thinner with tubes. Distance to subject is one of the three physical aspects that create depth of field. The other two are aperture size and focal length. Wide angle lenses naturally have greater depth of field because they are short focal length. |
With a long lens you still have some reasonable working distance. With a wide angle lens you need to choose your extension tube carefully because the longer ones will require you to be inside your subject to focus (negative focus distance).
The DOF can be razor thin regardless of choice of lens to use them with.
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03/23/2011 09:49:17 AM · #18 |
For serious macro work you should get one of these...
Slide Rail
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