Macro Lens Adapter

[ArmySoldier777]

Hello everybody,

I'm definitely an amateur when it comes to photography, but it's something that I love doing. It's a great feeling when you go out and take pictures and then you come back and see that you actually accomplished something good. Unfortunately, photography is an expensive hobby and not all of us can afford even a cheaper macro lens. So, I've been looking at alternatives for those close up shots I love taking and I found one that looks atleast somewhat promising. I'd love to know what you guys think of it though, and if any of you have tried this product out

Macro Lens Adapter for Canon: DealExtreme: Reviews for Macro Lens Adapter for Canon


Thanks in advance to everyone,
David

[kcoppock]

I can't speak to that one in particular, but if you just want a cheap way to play around with macro photography, look into buying a reversing ring for about $5-10 at a camera store. It allows you to mount your lens backwards, and it can be used as a macro lens. You lose metering and autofocus that way, but it's not too difficult to overcome if you're comfortable in manual mode.

[arlon]

Extension tubes work great for macro. Depends on what lens you have now. That extension will not have any electronic coupling to the camera. You'll have to be able to set aperture and focus manually. You'll also have to to work with the light available through the aperture. Focusing will become an issue. I prefer the "automatic" extension tubes with electronic coupling so all of the lens/camera functions will work normally. Of course the auto tubes cost more.

[ArmySoldier777]

I'll have to look into that. All I shoot is manual, so I don't see that being a problem. I may end up getting both since they're both less than $10 and see which one works best for me.


I appreciate your reply,
David

[ArmySoldier777]

Originally Posted by arlon

Extension tubes work great for macro. Depends on what lens you have now. That extension will not have any electronic coupling to the camera. You'll have to be able to set aperture and focus manually. You'll also have to to work with the light available through the aperture. Focusing will become an issue. I prefer the "automatic" extension tubes with electronic coupling so all of the lens/camera functions will work normally. Of course the auto tubes cost more.

I have an 18-55mm and a 55-250mm. I don't mind too much having to do most of it manually. Although I usually do prefer to have autofocus if needed, then manually fine-tune it from there. How much more do the automatic extension tubes usually run?

One again, I appreciate the replies
David

[arlon]

Originally Posted by ArmySoldier777

I have an 18-55mm and a 55-250mm. I don't mind too much having to do most of it manually. Although I usually do prefer to have autofocus if needed, then manually fine-tune it from there. How much more do the automatic extension tubes usually run?

One again, I appreciate the replies
David

Generic are usually around $50-60 for a set of three extensions (they can be stacked or used seperately), name brand will be closer to $100.. I have a generic set that work on 90% of my lenses but the AF can flakey on them. I tend to shoot everything in manual focus anyway so that isn't an issue.

Biggest issue for me with the real cheap extensions is the aperture thing. You have to have the aperture wide open to see enough to focus but wide open the images are at their softest and shortest depth of field. If you stop the lens down to F8-12 for sharpness and deeper DOF, you can't get enough light through the lens to see to focus.

Both good lenses for extension tubes by the way.

[ArmySoldier777]

Originally Posted by arlon

Generic are usually around $50-60 for a set of three extensions (they can be stacked or used seperately), name brand will be closer to $100.. I have a generic set that work on 90% of my lenses but the AF can flakey on them. I tend to shoot everything in manual focus anyway so that isn't an issue.

Biggest issue for me with the real cheap extensions is the aperture thing. You have to have the aperture wide open to see enough to focus but wide open the images are at their softest and shortest depth of field. If you stop the lens down to F8-12 for sharpness and deeper DOF, you can't get enough light through the lens to see to focus.

Both good lenses for extension tubes by the way.

That does seem like a bit of an issue.. I tend to shoot with a pretty wide open aperture anyway, because the shots I come across usually happen in the later part of the day when I don't have my tripod with me. I use slightly faster shutter speeds to account for any camera shake, but unfortunately that usually means a wide open aperture to make up for the loss of light. I try to stay away from higher ISO settings whenever possible. Do you have a name brand one that you would recommend? And does it have any issues with aperture as well?

I know I've asked a lot of questions through this thread, I'm just trying to learn all I can before making a purchase. I appreciate all the info I've received.

David