Hmmmmm, tubes

CraigDouglas

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After reading the other thread about lens or tubes i've started thinking about tubes myself.

Currently I have a 400D kit lens 18-55mm and a 70-200 f/4L.

If I wanted to try out some macro shots, which lens would be most useful with tubes and what tubes should I be looking at?

I've never seen or looked into tubes so i'm looking at a head start as to where to look and what to look at.

Thanks in advance :)
 
Tubes + kit lens would probably be your best bet. You'll get good magnification without the setup becoming too bulky.

Note only the Jessops tube work with EFS lenses out of the box though you can take a dremel to the Kenko ones to make them fit without causing any problems.
 
The 70-200 no question really, it may be more bulky but the image quality will be a different league, you will also get more range which is always useful. :)
 
Yes, I was interested in a decent range so I can get shots without scaring the subject away.

I'll have a look at the Kenko tubes then, cheers :)
 
If you want something around 1:1 mag with the 70-200 you'll need the full set of tubes and use the 70mm end of the lens. The working distance (from the end of the lens to the subject) will be quite short (a few inches at best) because the lens + tubes will eat around 25cm of the focusing distance. Remember tubes don't increase magnification - they just shift the focal point letting you get closer. The other problem with a full set of tubes is the 2 stops loss of light which will make focusing tricky.

If you forget about 1:1 then a 70-200 plus a tube of around 25mm will work well for subjects like dragonflies, butterflies, etc.

The kit lens with a 36mm tube can give good results if you shoot at around f/8-11. Camera shake will also be much less of an issue.
 
I use the full 68mm tube on my 75-300 IS and have no problems, I much prefer using that for the range and IQ over the 18-55. So although nothing is incorrect in your post pxl8 I don't think it is right.

On a sunny day f/8 with a good shutter speed is easily attainable at a low iso, and on a less sunny day an iso of 400 will keep it the same.

I suppose though as with all these things, try both and see which one you prefer using. :)
 
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