3kids3cats Loc: Johnston County, North Carolina

I just got these in the mail from EBay today. It is a Macro Extension Tube Set.
I tried it out on my T7 with both my nifty fifty and my 18-55 t that came with my kit. When I used it with the 50mm, all I could see in the view finder was white. No image at all.
When I used it with my 18-55, I could see a shadow of an image, but still nothing. It would try auto focus, but when it took the picture, it was a milky shadow of what I was focusing on.
What am I doing wrong or is this kit broken.
Both the 50mm and the 18-55 work perfectly without the extension tube.
It is for both EF & EFS
Please help!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

These extension tubes add 'extra space' between the lens and the camera (sensor), changing the minimum and maximum (infinity) focus of the lens mounted. For some focal lengths, that focus point actually falls behind the position of the sensor, that is, they no longer can focus on anything at any close nor far distance.

Start with the EF-S 18-55 lens zoomed out to the max 55mm focal length on your camera with none of the extension tubes. Find a close subject and find the shortest distance you can still focus on that subject. Probably someplace around 36-inches, give or take a few inches. When you find this distance, this is the minimum focus distance at 55mm. Now, power off the camera and install the EF-13 tube and power up the camera, leaving the lens at the 55mm zoom. You'll find you can't focus on the same subject at that same short(est) distance with the tube installed.

Being to move closer to the subject until you find the new distance there the lens will focus on the subject. With the extension tube installed, you no longer can focus to infinity, and instead, you're now finding the 'maximum' focus distance where the lens can focus. From there, you can get closer and closer until you find the new minimum focus distance. This is your 'working distance' between the two extremes where the various tube lengths let you focus, when used. Every lens / focal length will have different minimum / maximum distances, you have to experiment to determine these value for each lens and each installed extension tube.

3kids3cats Loc: Johnston County, North Carolina

Wow! There’s a lot more to the tubes than I thought! I will experiment with them. Will I need to do this everytime I use them? Or is it just knowing what distance with what tube? Thanks.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

They're for macro / close-up work. So a 'close' subject is their entire purpose, bugs, coins, flowers, etc. The longer the tube, the more impact and 'how close' they adjust the lens, if that tube and lens work at all. Longer distances, like 100+mm work better with the longer tubes. I wouldn't bother with the 36 model with any lens shorter than 300mm.

3kids3cats Loc: Johnston County, North Carolina

Yea I got these to avoid paying thru the nose for an actual macro lens. For closeups of flowers and things like that. It will take some time playing with.

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

Keep notes for each tube. You can combine tubes also, but you will lose a lot of light. Might need an artificial light source with combined tubes. Or even one tube. Especially the longer tube!

3kids3cats Loc: Johnston County, North Carolina

I have a little notepad in the camera bag for notes like this. I will add it to the list. I'll give it a try.
😊 thanks

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Once you figure out how the shortest tube works with your lenses at 50 / 55mm, consider your longer lenses. The tubes containing no glass are only as good as the native lens, so your sharpest / best lens will look best with any of the tubes installed, including their sharpest apertures, probably in the f/8 to f/11 range. The comment about needing a flash is applicable, probably a tripod too.

BebuLamar

I have a set Minolta extension tubes. They are 14, 21, 28. And with the 14mm the furthest distance it can focus with the 50mm lens is about 8 inches. With all three is about 1 inch from the front of the lens.

Orphoto Loc: Oregon

Paul is spot on. You will use proportionately longer tubes with longer lenses, using all 3 if you get maybe a 200 or 300mm lens. It gets all goofy to use with zoom lenses. Chances are you wont be able to use your wide zoom at wider than 30 or 35mm with even the thinnest ring.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I find the less focal length, the harder the tubes are to use. So, I'd try an 18-55 zoom at the long, 55mm end, or just the 50mm prime. The comment above from BebuLamar is a good hands-on observation of about 14-inches 'max focus distance' with a 50mm and a 14mm tube.

This film capture of a daddy long-legs uses a 35mm prime and 12mm tube. It's under-exposed, on film, and failed to catch any details of the spider's body. But, I remember being so close, the spider could raise a leg and touch the lens hood. I was on a tripod. Would have done things a bit different, but I was practicing and learning that trip, just over 5 years ago, almost to the day in Oct 2017. So, that's about 3- to 5-inches close from the lens front, if I consider the position of the hood extending from the lens over the subject at 35mm and the tube installed.

(Download)

Basil_O Loc: Minneapolis, MN

They can also be used on long lenses to reduce the minimum focus distance if your subject is too close for the lens to focus. I use a 12mm one on a couple of big primes (600 and 800mm) to take shots at my favorite feeder. That allows me to be closer to the bird than the plain lens itself will allow.

As has been stated previously, the more you use them, the more you come to know their range. The notebook will be very helpful.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

You got close enough just to make me feel itchy

george19

Just to pile on…

I saw on another forum someone was looking for a Z mount macro lens. Checking B&H, I only found one, and not a Nikkor at that.

So the choices are either FTZ with F mount lenses, or extension tubes with Z mount lenses...or this third party lens.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Also, those tubes and other extenders only work with certain lenses and not many zooms will be on the list. They are mainly for fixed focal length lenses. I have a set that I haven't touched in years, I just bought a small camera store's worth of lenses.