Should I get extension tubes?

[jroovers]

Hey all, I'm looking at getting some kenko extension tubes to take some macro like shots, including of my tank of course. I have the following:

Canon 7D
Canon 18-135 f3.5-5.6 IS lens
Sigma 30 f1.4 lens.

Anybody have good success with the tube on similar lenses? I'm assuming I would mostly use the tubes on the 18-135, as the 30 would give me a pretty narrow DOF to effectively utilize. My one concern when stacking the tubes is that my working aperture will be very limited...

So I guess my question is, should I get the tubes, or wait it out until I can afford a macro lens? Thanks.

 

[Misled]

It really doesn't matter much lens you use, the DOF will be very different that what you're used to. I would agree, you'll get better results with the 18-135, but they also reduce the amount of available light. They can also be "different" to use. You also want to get a set with electronics to be able to set f stop if the lens itself isn't adjustable.

 

[jroovers]

It really doesn't matter much lens you use, the DOF will be very different that what you're used to. I would agree, you'll get better results with the 18-135, but they also reduce the amount of available light. They can also be "different" to use. You also want to get a set with electronics to be able to set f stop if the lens itself isn't adjustable.

Thanks Misled, the plan would be to get a set that would still allow adjusting aperature and AF. I'm wondering if I should just wait and see if I can get a deal on a used Canon 2.8 60 mm macro.

 

[Allmost]

Canon had a deal last week and this week on canon lens., check henry's

 

[BlueCorn]

AF, generally won't work with tubes.

The only real problem with using tubes with lower focal lengths is working distance; it will be very small. While I think tubes are a good investment and should be in every macro shooter's bag, with your kit you'd be happier with a true macro lens.

 

[jroovers]

Canon had a deal last week and this week on canon lens., check henry's

Allmost, I saw that actually, look like good deals on both the 60 amd 50 mm macros (and 100 but that is a bit too much even on sale for me at the moment).

AF, generally won't work with tubes.

The only real problem with using tubes with local focal lengths is working distance; it will be very small. While I think tubes are a good investment and should be in every macro shooter's bag, with your kit you'd be happier with a true macro lens.

That is what I was afraid of. I have some old equipment in the basement, maybe time to sell it off and then put it towards a lens.

 

[Misled]

What Doug said. Your working distance is as bad if not worse than the DOF. I, since most of what I shoot is handheld, rely more on camera movement than the focusing ring. If I want to get into a grill, so to speak, I'll adjust the focus to one end and move the camera back and forth. There's only about an inch or two the subject will be in focus. Keep in mind this shot is with a 105 macro and a 36mm extension tube.

 

[swjim]

Nothing artistic but to give you an idea of how much closer you can get with tubes, this is a shot taken with a Canon 85mm f/1.8 at its minimum focus distance of 33.5" followed by one taken with 68mm of extension tubes attached. Both shots were taken at f/5.6 and as mentioned above the DOF gets quite thin and you have to focus manually.

This was taken with a 5d Mark II so the equivalent focal length would be approximately 53mm on your 7D.

Hope this helps.

 

[twilson]

I have been using my extension tubes for a few years now and love them. They take some getting used to but can be a great tool!