PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

I bought extension bellows for my first film SLR way back in 1970s. I used them very seldom. They are made specially for a Petri breach mount lens. I still have them and a Petri camera to which I can attach them. I do not do much macro work and have not shot film in a long time. If I decide to do Macro I'll use the close up filters I have or maybe the one older film camera macro lens I have saved.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Most certainly. I've been using macro extension tubes for many years. I always have a set of them in my camera kits. They're inexpensive, compact, light weight and you never know when they might come in handy.

They'll work fine with a 50mm, especially when it's on an APS-C/DX camera where it acts as a short telephoto.

DO NOT buy the Nikon extension tubes. They are VERY expensive and I don't think they support autofocus. Might not support aperture control, either, on E type lenses where it's electronic.

I recommend the Kenko set of extension tubes. They are equal in quality to OEM and fully support all electronic communication between camera and lens: apertures, autofocus and VR if the lens has it.

Last time I looked the Kenko set cost about $125 or $130 US. It includes 12mm, 20mm and 36mm tubes, which can be used individually or together for seven different possible amounts of extension. (I think Nikon makes just two lengths, either of which will cost $100 to $150.) I have 10 or 15 year old set of the Kenko for my Canon DSLRs... they are identical in design, material and function to several OEM Canon tubes I've also got (but which cost a whole lot more than the Kenko to purchase new, just like the Nikon OEM tubes.)

There are cheaper sets from other manufacturers that might serve well, too: Fotodiox, Vello, Movo, Commlite, etc. But most of those are more "plasticky" and not as well made as the Kenko and OEM tubes. This isn't always the case, though. For example, for one of my camera systems there were no OEM or Kenko available, so I bought Viltrox brand and they're also quite nicely made. Basically all the tubes with electronic contacts (and the "screw drive" in the Nikon F mount) will work. The cheaper ones might not hold up as well over time, may flex a little and may be a little concerning to use with heavier lenses and cameras.

AVOID the REALLY cheap macro extension tubes without any electronic contacts. Costing $25, $15 or even $10 are "dumb" tubes that don't provide any connectivity between camera and lens. That was okay back when lenses were fully mechanical. But today many lenses are electronically controlled and those really cheap tubes just won't work. You'll have no autofocus or image stabilization... neither of which is critical when shooting macro and close-ups. The biggest problem is lack of aperture control. You end up shooting at wide open aperture all the time, which means incredibly shallow depth of field at higher magnifications.

Macro BELLOWS are essentially just longer extensions that are also adjustable. Those are typically used for more extreme magnifications... up to around 5X or 6X, depending upon the lens... way more than most people ever use. The problem is that affordable bellows have the same problem as the really cheap extension tubes.... no electronic connectivity between camera and lens. There ARE bellows made for some systems that have full connectivity... however they are VERY expensive. Expect to spend $500 or more on those.

There also are macro "helicoids", also sometimes called macro "zoomers". These are rigid tubes, but with some adjustability for length. They typically give around 40mm to 60mm of extension, which is a lot (probably too much for a 50mm lens, but possibly useful with 135mm or 200mm lenses). Macro helicoids aren't common, though. Some I've seen support electronic connectivity... Others don't.

The beauty of macro extension tubes is that they can be used with virtually any lens that fits your camera. Having several different lengths allows you to adjust the amount of magnification to some extent.

There also are no optics inside macro extension tubes... just air. Nothing to spoil image quality (though there can be some effects). There is "light fall off" effecting exposure, but the camera's through-the-lens metering system takes this into account and adjusts for it if using an auto exposure mode.

Try different lenses... some work better than others. Also experiment with different apertures.

20mm lens, 12mm extension (on film/full frame)

Note: I wanted to keep the background recognizable in this shot, so used a very wide lens. With such a short focal length I could only use a small extension. Even so, the closest petals of the flower were touching the front element the lens!

50mm lens, 20mm extension (on APS-C camera):

Note: I deliberately used a large aperture because I knew that would cause some vignetting and corner softness with this lens. It was a "look" I wanted for this rose bud. Stopping down will reduce those effects to a large extent. But any time you are "forcing" a non-macro lens to focus closer than it's designed for, there can be some softness in the corners. That often looks great and is no problem. True macro lenses are usually "flat field" designs that are made to render sharpness edge to edge at very close distances. Non-macro lenses are usually optimized for 8 feet or more and have some "field curvature". That's unnoticeable at non-macro distances... but can show up when you make a lens focus a lot closer than it was intended.

85mm lens, 12mm extension? (on APS-C camera):


90mm macro lens, 20mm extension (on APS-C):

An old macro lens, this 90mm can only do 1:2 magnification until some extension is added.

70-200mm lens, 25mm extension (on APS-C):

Yes, even a zoom can work well.

500mm lens with 36mm extension (on APS-C):

For both the above I needed to focus just a little closer than the lens could manage and the extension made that possible.

MrPhotog

I’ve been tinkering with a 65 mm diameter extension tube system.

Search Ebay for ’m65 helical tube’ and you’ll find the ‘heart’ of this system, which are the focusing extension tubes. They come typically in 17-31 mm extension and 25-50 mm extension. ( and a few other ranges). Prices are $24 to $40.

There are adapter rings that fit front and back of these tubes to fit almost any lens and almost any camera body. These are typically $10 -$15 each.

In my case I’m using Leitz lenses on Nikon film camera, Leica film camera with Visoflex, and Sony A7rii digital. The Leitz bellows also takes the 65 mm screw in adapters directly, and that fits on all three cameras.

I give up all electronic links with this—and it is not a problem. Autofocus with extreme vloseup is naturally limited anyhow. I focus, preset aperture and let the camera pick the shutterspeed.

There is a similar system which is 52 mm. Look at m52 tubes on ebay. I prefer the larger tubes as I believe they avoid vignetting, and I can use them with lenses that have large diameters.

With your 50 mm f/1.8 Nikkor lens, look for a Nikon ( or generic copy) ‘reverse adapter’.
Search ebay for ‘nikon reverse adapter’. These are as cheap a $5, including shipping. One side of the ring threads into the filter threads on your lens. The other side fits your camera mount.

The Nikon version is either a BR-2, BR-2a, or BR-3. On ebay these are $10 to $20.

Again, you lose all electronic connections and automatic diaphragm, but you can get closer to your subject for a dirt cheap price, still have the helical focus for fine adjustment, and that lens frequently gives a sharper image when used in this reversed orientation.

These reversing rings work well with extension tubes, too.

User ID

Nikon manual tubes are about $12.

Harvey Loc: Pioneer, CA

I found a good set of "metal" tubes quite useful in expanding my photo capabilities. An inexpensive way to get more/better closeups and macros.
Harvey in The Sierra

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

Agree - Kenko.

deep_diver

Another question concerning extension tubes. If an extension tube is used with an extender obviously on a long lens, does the extender go on the camera or between the extender and the lens?

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

Have you considered buying an older, manual, macro lens? There are so many to choose from, with you needing one that would fit your Nikon. I bought a Vivitar 90mm f2.8 with 1:1 magnification (made by Komine) that is excellent. And also its little brother, the 55mm f2.8 (made by Komine). They are both really good for close ups. The 90mm gives a bit better working distance. Macro lenses are designed to have a flat focal plane and perform better than other types of lenses for close up. The old, manual ones are usually very inexpensive, and if you find one that has been taken good care of, it should work like new. There are some that are prone to grease drying out, but mine don't have any problems and focus is smooth.

I actually have 6 macro lenses, and they all work really good at closeup. Three are autofocus and three are manual. One of them is only 1:2, which is the old Asahi Pentax Takumar 100mm f4. It is really good too.

Attached is a tiny leaf, small enough to fit on a nickel. I did use a focus rail to move the camera/lens back and forth for focus. I mount it on a tripod that has a center post that can be angled in whatever direction I want.

Second image is a tiny Lego figure borrowed from my Granddaughter.

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