If you are on a budget or heading off a trip where you need to keep the weight of your gear down, then extension tubes are a great way to get up close and personal to a hidden world. Macro photography reveals the tiny things that quite often go unnoticed. There really is a whole new world waiting for you.
Extension tubes offer an inexpensive way to transform your normal prime or zoom lens into a close-up weapon. They fit between the lens and the camera body effectively reducing the minimum focusing distance enabling you to move in closer to your subject. The downside is that, whilst you have extension tubes fitted, you can no longer focus at longer distances or infinity.
Extension tubes have no effect on quality. There is no glass. They are simply a hollow tube fitted with all the electrical connections to enable your lens to communicate properly with your camera. Extension tubes do, however, cost you light. You could lose up to 2 stops with a long extension tube fitted.
Less light means slower shutter speeds and, you guessed it, you'll need a tripod. I recommend using a tripod for most macro photography. I say most because there will be times when it is impractical if not impossible to use a tripod effectively. Think bees, dragonflies, butterflies and quick snakes. For the most part a tripod will provide you with the stability you need to use slower shutter speeds.
I recommend the Kenko sets which are made for most brands of cameras. There are other brands out there but from what I've seen the Kenko are well constructed, excellent quality and very economical to purchase (anywhere from $130.00 to $180.00) depending where you shop.
Many people struggle with focus though, when using their extension tubes for the first time. There is a simple trick. First you need to understand that the range of focus is very limited once you have tubes fitted. By that I mean the 'zone' in which the camera and lens needs to be positioned away from the subject to achieve focus. Often you only have a couple of centimetres available to work in, especially when you have all three extension tubes fitted.
So if you just put your camera on a tripod and point at your subject, chances are you won't be able to focus.
The easiest way to find the 'zone' is to simply, while looking through the viewfinder or using live-view, move the camera in or out until the subject is in focus. Remember the distance from your subject and now you have a spot where you can start from.
Set your tripod up so it is the same distance from your subject and away you go.
Welcome to a whole new world.
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