ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

How to Set Aperture for Macro Extension Tubes in Photography

Updated on December 14, 2013
Join me on Facebook too!
Join me on Facebook too! | Source

Macro Extension Tubes that Do Not Have Electrical Connections for Your Camera and Lens

Macro photography can be done through several routes and one of them is the use of macro extension tubes. Without getting technical macro extension tubes change the focal length of the lens so you can achieve a closer look at the world. It is generally accepted that macro photography has a 1:1 ratio. That means if the tiny object you are photographing is ¼ inch big in real life it will take up at least ¼ inch on the camera’s sensor.

Macro extension tubes are made by many Pacific Rim manufacturers. Macro extension tubes vary in quality as well. The more expensive ones from manufactures like Kenko are the best and have electrical connections that allow your lens to use autofocus and aperture adjustment. The least expensive of the lot are simple pieces of plastic that have a camera mount the same as your manufacturer’s camera. You purchase a Nikon mount set of macro extension tubes for Nikon lenses and Canon macro extension tubes for a Canon set up, etc.

Think of the cheap lenses you own with plastic mounts. Macro extension tubes are the same. Lower quality means all plastic and lower quality may mean no locking mechanism (the click you hear when attaching your lens) to securely hold everything together.

Right now if you have been thinking about getting a set of macro extension tubes for your camera go with the metal attachment variety and go with the ones that are wired to provide the connections so your camera can talk to your lens. These macro extension tubes are distinguished by having a number of metal dots that match your camera’s electrical connections. They also have a tab on the side that locks the macro extension tube to the lens. If you’re an eBay or Amazon shopper you can get a decent set of electrically connected macro extension tubes for about $100 and up. The cheapo ones are about $10.

Now let’s say that you just want to try out macro photography for a few weeks before you make a serious purchase or let’s say that your great grandfather gave you a set of macro extension rings that magically fit your camera (this was the time before DSLR lenses had electrical motors in them) (I know go to a museum and see for yourself!) You try to use the cheap extension tubes and the depth of field is almost non-existent. Your subject cannot be on a perfectly parallel plane to your camera sensor and you just can’t get enough focus. “I’ll just stop down the lens” you think to yourself. Dang it! There is no connection to the aperture motor! It doesn’t work. What do you do?

Try these steps:

  • Remove the macro extension tube from the camera and reattach your lens so you have a normal camera to lens connection. Now the electrical connections work.
  • Set your aperture as you normally would to get a greater depth of field.
  • Press and hold down the preview depth of field button found close to the lens on the front of most DLSRs
  • Contort your chubby little fingers and press the lens release button and take the lens off.
  • Keep holding down the depth of field preview button. (Is your hand cramping up yet? Good, it’s punishment for not getting the better macro extension tube set)
  • Keep your finger on the depth of field preview button and attach the cheap macro extension tube.
  • Attach your lens to the macro extension tube and make sure the lens clicks into place

Hang on to your lens when using this set up as the least expensive models of macro extension tubes will break sooner than later and your lens will fall off onto the floor.

From my research this set up should work for Nikon and Canons. You will have to find out if it works for any other brands by checking out forums for the brand of camera you are using. All kidding aside if you enjoy macro photography after a few weeks of learning it and trying different things go and get a higher quality set. The inconvenience of using non-electrically connected models combined with the fragility of the cheaper models outweighs the higher cost.

© 2013 JanMaklak

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)