50mm 1.8 and extension tubes

mushy

Anyone had any experience with the above combination for a poor mans macro setup?
Have also found these tubes http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Auto-Focus-Macro-Extension-Tube-for-All-Canon-EOS-L9B_W0QQitemZ370252347929QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Photography_CameraLenses_Lens_caps_hoods_adaptors_ET?hash=item5634c27a19&_trksid=p3286.m63.l1177
as a poorer mans kenko extensions.
Would be interested to hear any comments on the above setup.
It is only for hobby purposes :wink
Cheers in advance.

ziggy53

Many/most primes are good with extension tubes. I haven't done this in Canon yet, but I did it all the time in Pentax. You can also use a reversing ring to turn the lens around and it can work to extreme magnifications. (Do be careful with the exposed rear element in that case.)

Some samples from others:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/164/436005880_e3fcfcb978.jpg
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/silkstone/photos/bee21.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2411/2044911109_2fee61b656.jpg

James H

mushy wrote:

Anyone had any experience with the above combination for a poor mans macro setup?

It is only for hobby purposes
Cheers in advance.

I say go for it. Early this spring I found a full set of Kenko tubes hidden in one of my old camera bags and the first thing I did was put them on my 50mm 1.8. I haven't had this much fun with photography in a long time. The 50mm 1.8 works well with tubes aside from the auto-focus, which isn't a huge problem but it would be nice if it worked a little better. Here is a selection of shots taken with my 50mm 1.8 and extension tubes of various lengths/combinations. Note that I'm not a tripod fan, so almost all of these were handheld and incorporate wide apertures and very limited DOF, but I tend to like a more abstract look over the 'everything sharp' and some would say technically correct approach.

The thing with extension tubes is that they can also be very beneficial on telephoto lenses, like your 100-400. They decrease the minimum focusing distance so the lenses you already own become even more versatile for closeup work, even if it's not on a macro level. I love using the tubes on my 70-200 2.8 for closeups of all sort of things.

mushy

Thats just the sort of encouragement I was after
Will order some tubes now

Sam

I have got great results from the Kenko tubes and the 50 1.8.

The only real issue is the very limited DOF in the view finder. You have to get close to the subject and close the the focus area or you won't see anything.

It will take great images but really works better with a non moving subject.

Sam