Extension tubes - any negatives?

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minnnt

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Hello all. Just wondering if there are any negatives to extension tubes? Been to a butterfly house today and found the MFD of the Tamron SP 70-300 vc a bit of a problem. Other than it being a weak point in the connection are there any other issues? I was going to get a set of Meike AF tubes but I may be tempted to splash out and get a set of Kenko's.

Is the weak point really an issue? The Tammy weighs about 750g, other than normal support when shooting will it need any more?

Thank you please.
 
There is no glass, so IQ is not really affected... You loose stops of light (true?). Get full metal ones, otherwise you lens might fall off. I don't have any, but just had a friend who had that problem. Kenko have a great reputation for them! Good luck and have fun! :)
 
yeah you loose some light, more fiddly than a add on lens like a raynox, and more difficult to meter, but thats not much of a issue anymore
 
You can always reverse a lens..... that's what I do... which reminds me, I should do some more macro action again! :)
 
Another vote for Kenko with electrical contacts.

You won't need a full set on a 70-300, so not too unwieldly.

Yeah, you do lose some light.
 
Thanks. This is not to do some super macro work, just to enable me to be able to focus closer as i was standing back around 4-5ft and getting in everyone's way. How much light are we talking?

Thanks.
 
Ok, 5 minutes.

Tried my 70-300 at 300mm with 56mm of tubes.

Exactly 1 stop lost.

At MFD a 2p coin nearly fills the frame.
 
In theory you lose one stop at 1:2, two stops at 1:1. You have to add the tube to any macro ratio the lens provides. Having owned a Kenko set and now owning one Meike tube I would strongly advise paying the extra for Kenko and I'd also suggest only using one tube with a 70-300mm as there could be significant flex with more. I found there was vignetting with a Nikon 105mm macro lens but this may be better with Canon due to the larger lens throat and I think you're a Canon user?
 
That's great, thanks for taking the time to check, Simon, really appreciate it.

Jonathan, I'm a Nikon user and this will be for my D7000. I'm not looking to get super close, just closer so I'm not in the way of everyone. TBH, i was a bit disappointed with the display at The Tropical Butterfly House in Sheffield. We went to The Seal Sanctuary last year in Skegness and their collection was much better so I'm not too bothered that it was a little hit and miss but it is better to be prepared for next time we visit somewhere similar. It's the flexing of the lens and tubes I'm concerned with. Although not a massive lens like a 70-200, it's big enough and the last thing i want to do is to bend any of the connections.

How close am I liable to get because atm it's at about 4.5ft! I'm happy to fill the frame with a shot even if it means only being at 200mm, I just don't want to look like a numpty holding everyone up whilst i rattle off a couple of shots. :LOL:


The Tropical Butterfly House by David Raynham, on Flickr
 
At 70mm MFD=about 4 inches.

At 300mm MFD= about 3 feet.

And all points in between of course.

I use a D7000 too, so my little tests are directly applicable. (I suppose they would be anyway)

As an aside, the Nikon 85mm f1.8 or f1.4 is an awesome lens to use with tubes. (y)
 
Blimey, that's really good then. I was contemplating the 85 1.8 aswell.

So Kenko are the best then? Is there only one type? Where's cheapest to source them from? DR?

Cheers.
 
I think the Kenko ones are generally regarded as the best and worth paying extra for.

These are the ones. Don't know where they're cheapest - sorry.
 
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