Customer Reviews

BV & Jo MACRO EXTENSION Full Set TUBES Fits CANON EOS SLR & DSLR,1D 1Ds 7D 5D 10D 20D 30D 40D,50D,60D,300D 350D 400D 450D 500D,550D,600D,T2i,1000D,1100D Camera DSLR.

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Great product - allows you to shoot much much closer! Of course you lose autofocus, IS and aperture control (although depth of field button trick fixes this last problem - see other reviews), but for a tenner (and that's with delivery) it does a great job.
If you want a serious tool for macro photography, then this is probably not a product for you - using it all the time could get a little tedious, but for an occasional shoot it works just fine. To get a decent DOF you'd have to stop the lens A LOT, so the exposure time goes up hence a tripod /some sort of stabilising device eg. desk, floor ;)/ is pretty much a necessity. Also if you don't use one, focusing will get tricky/impossible.
If you're not sure macro photography is for you, but want to try without spending a lot on a macro lense - buy this! You won't regret it!

I must admit that I bought these very much on a 'at this price I'm prepared to take a chance' approach. The optical principle is sound - you push the lens away from the camera and it allows you to focus a lot closer.

I was highly dubious about what the actual result would be. Astonishingly enough, I needn't have been! It does exactly what it says on the tin, and using my bog-standard 18-55 Canon lens I've focussed about 20-30mm away from the face of the lens.

You lose the autofocus and some of the other automatic bells and whistles, but it's not really an issue with such close work. Just whack it into Av mode and you're away.

Couple of caveats, but it's nothing to do with this product - just macro stuff in general. You're working very close and dealing with not a lot of light - you really need to use a tripod. Also you're dealing with the world's shallowest depth of field - it has to be seen to be believed!

So yes, these things really do work and if you don't want to shell out on a 'proper' macro lens then this is a perfectly viable alternative for infrequent use. A worthy addition to anyone's kit bag.

I agree with what most of the other reviewers have said. For me, it's 5 stars for the price and 2 to 3 stars for the product, so 4 stars overall given you buy this in the knowledge it's not top-of-the-range. You can't argue with the price, something this cheap is in the "use once" or "try it to see if you like it before buying something more expensive" bracket. About the product itself, I have a little more to say...

As others have reported, the ring on which you secure the lens is very tight. I've certainly not had the problem of getting lenses stuck to it though, simply twist until the lens is tightly fitted and if it doesn't lock in (which my lens doesn't) then it will certainly be secure enough to hold the lens in place and not let any light in the sides. The other end of the tubes, the part that attaches to your camera body, fits perfectly on my EOS 450d.

The tubes offer great flexibility in magnification with all the various combinations you can attach them in. It's probably too much choice actually, having a couple of rings would be ample for something in this price bracket.

Photographic results are great. Extension tubes have no effect on the quality of your camera output since they contain no optics. Hence, starting off with a cheap set is a decent idea. You are, as others have reported, unable to use any of the electronic features of your lens once the tubes are attached. OK, so lens stabilisation would still work but you would be heartily recommended to turn this off in favour of using a tripod and remote shutter release (or timer) for such detailed work. You can't change the aperture of the lens with the tubes attached which is the real drawback of this product, but again you buy them knowing this will be the case. Again, as others have reported, there are (not recommended by Canon) ways of locking your lens aperture before you attach the tubes. The other electronic lens feature you will have to do without is autofocus, but that's no big problem, you'd probably be better off with manual focus at this sort of magnification anyway.

In conclusion then, clearly not a professional level product, but definitely recommended for the enthusiast on a budget who is just seeding their macro talents or someone who only occasionally might want to take more highly magnified macro shots than are available with their standard lens.

Length:: 4:47 Mins

While I was extremely pleased with the efficiency of dispatch and quality of this item (in view of the price) there were just a couple of things that would have helped me, as a complete photography novice.

1. There were no instructions as to use. I had to resort to Youtube for help. I have now posted my own video on Youtube to help beginners as I felt so strongly! I attach a copy of that video.

2. There was a note enclosed with the Extension Tube Macor Ring asking me to contact the suppliers if I experienced any problems but I could find no way to do so until I received an email from Amazon. (I was not aware of the process.)

I sent the above comments to the supplier (March 29th) but, as yet, have had no response.

Nevertheless the product 'did what it said on the tin' and was a very cheap way of exploring macro photography.

It does work, it is very cheap and serves its purpose so long as you know how to remove it without damaging your camera. There are a number of internet searches to help lines from those ywho couldn't figure out how to get it off and others have even reported costly repairs. A simple piece of paper advising to slide the knurled knob away from the camera body would save all that irritation and would justify a higher rating for an effective simple bit of kit.

I thought it wouldn't matter how good (or bad) it was because i paid next to nothing for it, but it didn't dissapoint. Delivery was very fast,(it came before the 'delivery estimate period' had even started). good condition. All metal construction. Squeaks a bit.

Honestly, there is almost no depth of field though. I advise that when using this you need to -
1) USE A TRIPOD
2) put whichever lens you are using on the camera first, set the aperture quite small ( f/8 - f/16) on AV mode
3) then turn camera off, remove lens, attach tube(s) and lens, then stick with the aperture selected for as long as you can

You will need a tripod because you will be no further than a few cm from subject hence reducing light massively, and the lens will obstruct the view of even the largest external flash (probably). Also, in your attempt to get any sort of DOF the aperture will be tiny, reducing light even more.

If you make it all work you will achieve stunning results, good luck!

This is a useful piece of kit for macro shooting but best used in conjunction with a telephoto lens for the best effects. Should use a tripod and remote control to prevent camera shake. Perfect for taking close up pictures of the stamin in flowers. It would have been useful to have some guidance notes with the lense explaining how to achieve the best effects.

First off don't tell the wife how much you paid. Show the credit card statement or you'll get the prepared lecture titled "One small lie leads to another "and next thing you know you have the silent treatment and your shirt collars phorensically analysed. Speaking of which she could even use your new tubes and your bog-standard kit lens to do the job. Because horror of horror it all works beautifully.

So what's in the box? It starts with the male shoulder, machined to Swiss tolerance, whilst noting it was born in Beijing (or possibly Soeul). The unit fits the Canon female exactly and smoothly twists to rest.
Next we have three concentric barrels badged one, two but no three and each exactly twice the depth of the preceding one. Little squeaky on the twist action, but the lock with authority. Last is the outer collar replicating the female Canon dock into which you insert your (lens) shaft.
Important learning point ( as the packaged instructions are a feedback guide in finest ChineEnglish...) practice the locking of both ends carefully, it's not immediately obvious but if you force it, these lock firmly enough to threaten damage.
The shoulder is generic SLR and marked with a red-dot to make the exercise Childs play. The outer collar shows where the money was saved and releases by simply pulling back the spring-loaded pin - easy once you know.

And it works, you can scarcely believe it but it works. Because it's back to basic physics and not the proton variety. As "Comedynose" said, however you do it, the further you separate lens from sensor the more intimate you get with the subject. Your humble 18-55 quickly becomes a decent 300 or microscope, depending on how many of your new tubes you deploy. Photograph your favourite arachnid or surgically snip his future family tree. You have enough detail for either.
Machined from matt painted light alloy, it will eventually scuff if you don't take care but look at what you've saved. Buy another for a spare or get really clever by multiplying the magnification (and the time spent messing with the focus to the same degree) from your own combination of rings.

What's wrong apart from being brutally anonymous is only YOUR attitude.
We've all gone from Heath Robinson buffers bumbling about in darkened sheds, to hello Hokkaido wielding all manner of suddenly not-so-expensive digital delights. But if you are a "snapper" as opposed to a compact (with your head crazily angled a foot away from the preview screen) then the art of fumbling with your own shortcut creations is never lost and therein lies the essence of this set. You lose all your electrics, but so what. You didn't shell out for an SLR just to stick into auto........did you?

Buy, laugh and share a frothy Old Speckled Hen lauding over the results.

Slipped the ring onto my 50D 2 days ago: i)the lens doesn't fit ii)couldn't get the ring back off! Took it to Calumnet, they referred me to a camera repair centre :-( It is costing me £30, as they are having to take off the front of my 3 month old 50D, once the ring is off, the set will go straight in the re-cycling! Be warned!!!

I recieved this 5 minutes ago and its blown me away, put all 3 tubes together and added my 55-200mm tamron on , wow amazing,before adding the tubes the closest i could focus on anything was about 1.5 meters away from it, then attach the tubes, focus distance is now about 15cm, amazing,

The Aperture is not adjustable with the tubes on and a tripod is a must for real close up stuff, but its amazing, so now i can enter into the tiny world of macro