Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


Batman

Mad Scientist
29760 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

#113916 1-Feb-2013 10:53
Send private message

Hi I am looking at a $10 set of three macro extension tube for a canon 600D. I am not going to spend the $150 for the proper ones so some advise on the cheapies would be great

My lenses are: Sigma 18-250mm: soft pictures, min focusing distance around 15cm (yes 15!!!) at 250mm
Canon 50mm 1.8, min focusing distance 45cm

Questions

1) will the macro make the sigma so close you can't get a proper picture/distortion etc?

2) no point doing it to the canon? will it get anywhere near the sigma in terms of max macro since the sigma is 5x the magnification already and 3x the "near-ness" even with no tube

3) I can't control aperture: can you set to aperture priority, set aperture, dismount lens, attach extension tube and "set" you aperture this way?

4) any other thoughts ...

thanks

Create new topic
timmmay
20574 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #754311 1-Feb-2013 11:00
Send private message

It'll turn any lens into a pseudo macro lens. You can't focus on distance objects with it on. With the basic tubes you have no auto focus, which isn't really a problem as you need to manually focus at macro distances anyway. I use medium and large tubes on my 24-70 F2.8, usually at around F16 to try to get some DOF.

Aperture priority should work fine, manual if need be. Easiest way to set in manual is take a shot in Av then transfer to manual and tweak.

A proper macro lens is better, but tubes do the job if you use them infrequently.



Batman

Mad Scientist
29760 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #754315 1-Feb-2013 11:05
Send private message

will a 60mm tube turn a 50mm 45cm lens to a decent macro lens?


timmmay
20574 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #754317 1-Feb-2013 11:10
Send private message

A 60mm tube is massive, too long for practical use unless you're trying to capture dust 5mm from the end of your lens. For wedding rings I use 20 and 32mm tubes.



Batman

Mad Scientist
29760 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #754319 1-Feb-2013 11:18
Send private message

sweet ...

anyone knows any tricks to set aperture?

timmmay
20574 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #754320 1-Feb-2013 11:20
Send private message

I don't really understand your question. You choose your aperture to get the depth of field you want. You choose your iso to make sure you have enough shutter speed for your subject, and high enough that hand held you won't get camera motion blur.

Do you understand the relationship between aperture, shutter, and iso? Or do you just want to know what mode to use? If in doubt, use P.

Jaxson
8041 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #754323 1-Feb-2013 11:24
Send private message

joker97: Any other thoughts?


Try reading this?
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=122&topicid=107690

I went through the same thoughts/learning curve a while back Wink

Batman

Mad Scientist
29760 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #754341 1-Feb-2013 11:51
Send private message

The $10 tube extension has no electrical connections so i cannot adjust the aperture while connected to the macro tube

 
 
 

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.
Jaxson
8041 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #754343 1-Feb-2013 11:53
Send private message

Silly question, but does your lens not have a manual aperture ring control?

timmmay
20574 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #754345 1-Feb-2013 11:58
Send private message

Most new lenses don't have manual aperture controls. You have to get tubes with electrical connections if you don't want to shoot wide open, and trust me, you don't. Kenko are a good brand.

Batman

Mad Scientist
29760 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #754349 1-Feb-2013 12:05
Send private message

Jaxson:
joker97: Any other thoughts?


Try reading this?
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=122&topicid=107690

I went through the same thoughts/learning curve a while back Wink


Wow that link was gold ...

So the only option for aperture is a depth of field preview button ... Hmmm ... Let me see ...

Jaxson
8041 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #754371 1-Feb-2013 12:43
Send private message

Yeah sorry, I use an older prime lens which does have manual aperture control on it.
That makes it nice to use with the very budget macro tubes which lack any electrical contacts.

I think what Timmmay is alluding to above is the crazy narrow depth of field these tubes create. You'd want to be shooting at higher F numbers to ensure you have enough of the shot in focus, or use that photoshop focus stacking approach etc. Presumably you'd need lots of lighting to make that work at high F values too.

eg's:

Eye in focus but already out of the depth of field by the ends of the eye lashes.




timmmay
20574 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #754375 1-Feb-2013 12:48
Send private message

Yeah I often use either a tripod and long shutter speeds or I use off camera radio triggered lighting, a diffused speedlite is good anywhere between 1/8 and 1/1 power depending on what I'm doing.

Raikyn
189 posts

Master Geek


  #754853 2-Feb-2013 19:58
Send private message

joker97:
Jaxson:
joker97: Any other thoughts?


Try reading this?
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=122&topicid=107690

I went through the same thoughts/learning curve a while back Wink


Wow that link was gold ...

So the only option for aperture is a depth of field preview button ... Hmmm ... Let me see ...


Yep, the only option if you don't have a connection between the tubes/camera is the DOF preview button.
One thing to note is the lens is always set at it's largest aperture when taking a photo. It allows the most light in and helps with autofocus. The blades in the lens only close to the correct aperture when actually taking the photo. The DOF preview button closes the blades and lets you see what actual DOF you should see, and what level of light would be let in. 

Create new topic





News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.