Tips for Extension Tubes with EOS 90D

[Ramsden]

Hi Folks 

Last year, while reading Bryan Petterson's Understanding Composition, I purchased a 23mm Extension tube to take close ups of mainly flowers and plants in my garden, and on walks. I used it mainly with a 50 Prime on my EOS90D. Since last year I've bought a 75-300 zoom and it fits that beast as well - but it's a handfull.

I'm using a tripod but focussing is still a fine art.

Any friendly tips on 

1) using extensions and should I buy a bigger set?

2) and other things than flowers for getting creative

Ramsden

[p4pictures]

I have the Canon 25mm and 12mm extension tubes. The more extension you use the closer to the subject the lens has to be. For a shorter focal length lens this might even move the point of focus within the lens itself. 

There is some loss of light from using an extension tube, but you don’t see the reported aperture decreasing. Also the longer the tube the more important is the optical quality of the lens you use, as essentially you are only capturing the scene from a smaller part of the lens. I’ve used my tubes with a 90mm TS-E lens to good effect! 

With your EOS 90D I’d use live view and enable focus peaking to help you see where the focussed part of your subject is. 

Any subject where you isolate hidden or less commonly seen details can be an interesting subject. You might also want to consider a macro lens at some point. The EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM is a great lens on your EOS 90D, but you can also get the EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM for great prices if you buy a good used example.

[Ramsden]

Thanks Brian

I’m a big fan of 50mm Macro so happy to increase my range. Your information on the focus point now makes sense and help me understand the changes to handling the camera. In previous posts some guys have suggested getting rid of my Macros and getting a Sigma ??? - but I think the quality of my Macro shoots is very satisfying to my untrained eye.

Regards

Ramsden

[Waddizzle]

The ideal size of an extension tube depends upon the focal length you’re using.  You want your total length of extension tubes, mm, to be 25-40% of the focal length of the lens.

Any shorter than that, and the magnification may not be noticeable.  Any longer than that, and you may run the risk of the maximum focus distance being inside the lens barrel, as Brian noted above.  

The 70-300mm is probably too long for extension tubes.  Besides, its MFD is too long out of the starting gate.  

[Ramsden]

Thanks Waddizzle. The ratio is a useful bit of information. I agree entirely about the big lens, it was an interesting 30 mins in my garden, which I'm sure amused my neighbours! 

Best

Ramsden

[DJ_aa7 · Accepted solution]

The best tool to instantly improve your macro photography experience, is to get a macro focusing rail. They move the camera back and forth in tiny steps. So you focus on the subject by micro movement of the entire camera & lens, instead of the focus ring (initial focus is required obviously.)

You can get a decent economical one like the NEEWER 4 Axis Macro Focusing Rail for around $140 US online. Shop around. There are many options.

As far as creativity of subjects to shoot besides flowers? Literally anything. In fact, there is an entire genre of extreme close ups, asking the viewer to figure out what they are even looking at. You may not end up that deep down the macro rabbit hole (probably the 2nd most expensive & technical rabbit hole genre behind astro). 

Common targets for beginner macro is coins, dead insects (they don't move. Spend a bunch of time looking for dead insects and pick them up with tweezers and set them up in better lighting conditions and backgrounds), fabrics, electronic components like mother boards & connectors, human eyes, machinery like tools, etc.

This is actually the exciting part of macro. You end up grabbing anything and being like "oooh, i wonder what this pocket lint that ended up in my wallet would look like up close!" and now you're taking everything out of your wallet and taking close ups of your licence and credit card letters & numbers and money printing and your keys and before you realized it, you spent 8 hours and didn't even leave one room in the house. Bahahaha 

[Ramsden]

Hi DJ

Thanks for your reply. You've just opened my eyes to a whole range of new subjects. Though I think I was drifting in that direction having recently spending a 'couple of hours' taking shots of the wood carvings on my classical guitar - but that was me teaching myself to better understand depth of field. Macro rail already in my basket!

Thanks again from the UK. 

Ramsden

[DJ_aa7]

You're welcome! Have fun. And don't come back blaming me after you're hooked and start sending money on more gear, trying to zoom in closer. Bahahaha 

You'll soon find out that light is an issue with macro. You don't necessarily need to spend a bunch on a mini ring light that goes around your lens. I find that an inexpensive powerful flashlight works wonders. I got myself a blank white piece of paper (the kind for printing a xerox) and cut/poked a hole to stick my lens thru to use like a portrait reflector in studio and move the flashlight around from the top or sides to not only light my subject more fully, but to create specific shadows & effects like it's sunlight beams and stuff. Creativity is endless in this genre and you'll quickly realize that you can compose an entire world for a bokeh smooth background rather easily, or completely isolate your subject in a white box (think product photography). 

A lazy Susan rotating thing works wonders to rotate your subjects instead of moving the camera. 

Play with angles. The same thing can look vastly different from the top or side or straight on. 

And wait until you start doing things that move like blades on an electric razor and now you're doing macro video before you realized it. Bahahaha 

Welcome to macro. Tell your wife, spare time, & wallet, that i send my condolences. Hahahaha 

[Ramsden]

Hi

This gets better. If only I knew what I was doing! I put two Rails in my shopping bag - 1 is around £70 the other £120 - both NEEWER. I can see a small difference, so I just put this on a seperate post this afternoon for tips and advice - so I'm in the cooling down period today. A local camera shop has a smaller range but theirs only slide one way - not like the NEEWER. I guess you get what you pay for. I also like the engineering on the NEEWER.

Best

Ramsden

[Ramsden]

Oh, and I just found a big spiders web in our lounge. My wife is going crazy as I'm setting up my tripod. You've opened my eyes...