Posted by Bruce Painter on March 31, 2008 at 9:32 AM
Lately I have been thinking about getting extension tubes for the spring wildflower season. I do not have a macro lens and right now the money is not there for that. I have a 70-200 f4 and a 300 f4 I could use them with
Is anyone using the kenko tubes with a Canon camera? I can get a three tube set of Kenkos for less than two Canon tubes. Do you loose AF or anything else with the Kenkos. Also how is the build. Anything else I should know about using tubes. I know I will loose ability to focus to infinity when the tube is on.
Bruce
Posted by David Chauvin on March 31, 2008 at 9:44 AM
Bruce,,,,,I've been using the kenko tubes for three years on the 20D and 30D with no problems. The 300f4 with tubes is an excellent close-up combo. I never use autofocus when shooting macro so I can't help there.
Yes Bruce, it will still work on AF if that is what you prefer. I just connected my 20d with my canon 100mm macro and the Kenko 12mm tube to try it out. I only shoot manual, but it does work.
David,
I had also posted a similar question. I've 300/4 Nikkor and am looking for tubes too. Do you use old tubes or uniplus tubes?
Posted by Kent Staubus on March 31, 2008 at 10:39 AM
I've used extension tubes on NIkon gear, and they do work. You do lose some light with them. The more the magnification, the more you lose. I ended up buying the fairly affordable Canon 500D macro deal. It screws on your lens like a filter. The image quality is very good and you don't lose any light. It's light to carry and cost about a fourth as much as a macro lens. Like filters, they come in different diameters.
Posted by Bruce Painter on March 31, 2008 at 11:01 AM
Thanks for the replies so far. Jeffrey It's not really that I prefer AF for this type shot. I usually use manuel focus for my landscape work anyway. I was mainly just wondering if you loose any functions at all, AF was just an example and I should have been more clear.
Anyone else?
Bruce
Posted by Carol Hyman on March 31, 2008 at 12:28 PM
Folks, if you are interested in the Canon 500D, you can get a good deal at Amazon.com ($139.95). That's US.
Carol
Posted by David Chauvin on March 31, 2008 at 12:49 PM
Prashant,,,,,,Ronnie Gaubert uses Nikon gear and has lots of experience with both the kenko and nikon tubes. Shoot him an email and I'm sure he can fill you in on the details.
Posted by Basil Greber on March 31, 2008 at 5:55 PM
Ronnie Gaubert was not very happy with the Kenkos, if I remember correctly. I think he wrecked two sets due to poor build quality (that's how I interpreted his post) and is now back to the ole Nikon tubes, which are built like bricks, but lack AF and aperture contacts (well, they lack all contacts, so to say...).
I use the 25mm Kenko Uniplus tube when I need a little more extension on my 300 and 500 Nikkor lenses. It will autofocus on my F4S and F5. No problems, otherwise.
Info for anyone using Kenko tubes on Nikon equipment.
Basil is correct, I went thru two sets in 3 years and at around $170 a set, it gets expensive. But expensive is one thing, reliability is another. I cursed those kenko tubes for 3 years before switching to the Nikon PN-11s (52.5mm each). The life of a Kenko tube is greatly determined by how much you use them. I use tubes just about every weekend during the 6 months of summer we have down in S. Louisiana.
Here is the problem with Kenko on Nikon equipment versus Canon.
Canon uses electronics to stop the iris down in their lens. No mechanical linkage. As David stated above, you will probablly never have a problem with them.
Nikon uses mechanical means to stop down the iris.
It's the mechanical mechanism on the Kenko tubes that will loosen with time and fail to make the connection between tubes. On one side of the Kenko tube or Nikon, there is a small tab and a slider on the other side. With use, the small tab will be able to work it's way between the slider and barrel of the tube. When this happens you lose the ability to stop the lens down. When that happens, you can disconnect the problem tube and that resets the tab in the correct location. It may work for a while but with time the problem will occur more often until it fails to work every 10 or so shots. That's when it get very frustrating.
You can actually take a new set of Kenko tubes and with your hands bend them and see the amount of flex.
I've been using one of my Nikon PN-11s since early 1970 without fail. A year or so ago, I purchased another PN-11 on ebay and as luck will have it, it was a new tube never used.
By the way, Nikon discontinued the PN-11 years ago. They still make the PK-11a, PK-12 & PK-13.
What I don't understand is why Nikon doesn't make automatic tubes for their lens today.
Can anyone tell me what the difference in the Uniplus tubes and the auto extension tubes are? The uniplus does not come in a set and cost a little more. Is the build any better on the uniplus. If so I might go with a Kenko uniplus 25mm and a canon 12mm since the cost in the 12mm's is not that much more for the Canon.
Bruce, adding to what others already have said, here are a few thoughts.
You may lose autofocus on the 70-200. I lose AF with my 100-400 on tubes, but since that's a push-pull zoom and the 70-200 a twist zoom, it may not have the same effect.
Because the tube pushes the lens farther from the camera, you will lose the ability to focus any lens at longer distances. Not really a problem when you're shooting macro, but it should be noted that with a tube on you're not going to suddenly pick up the camera/lens and capture an animal or bird from a distance. So when I'm shooting macro with one body I have a long lens on another body handy in case something happens around me I need to capture.
I have tried the 500D (borrowed) and was happy enough with the results, but my personal preference is to avoid when possible adding any type of glass to what's already between the subject and the sensor. I've been using the Kenko auto tube set for over a year, mostly with the 100 macro when I need to get in even closer than the macro allows on its own. I've been very happy with the build quality of the Kenko tubes so far.
The other factor with the 500D is flexibility. Unless you want to buy two of the 500Ds, you'd be limited to either using the 300 or the 70-200 because they have different diameters. Unless there's an adapter out there that would allow fitting the 77mm 500D onto the 67mm 70-200. Anyone know about that?
Tubes or 500D? It's really a matter of personal preference. Both do their jobs well.
Steve thanks for the added comments and your experence. Also I messed up in my post in that my 70-200 is a f2.8 not the f4. The 300mm is an f4. I should have proofed my post better. I would think that your loosing AF on the 100-400 would be because of it being a f5.6 but thats just a guess. What body do you use them on?
Bruce, I'm using a 30D most of the time, but you'll lose autofocus on the tube/100-400 combo no matter which body you use. I've tried that combo on 1D Mk2 and Mk2n bodies with the same results. And it's my understanding that's because of the push-pull nature of the 100-400, not because of its max aperture.
Now if we were talking about the 100-400 and a 1.4 TC, then the 30D would not autofocus that, while the "1" series bodies can.
Given your update on which lenses you have, however, I think the 500D just became a stronger option.
Discussion
14 repliesIs anyone using the kenko tubes with a Canon camera? I can get a three tube set of Kenkos for less than two Canon tubes. Do you loose AF or anything else with the Kenkos. Also how is the build. Anything else I should know about using tubes. I know I will loose ability to focus to infinity when the tube is on.
Bruce
I had also posted a similar question. I've 300/4 Nikkor and am looking for tubes too. Do you use old tubes or uniplus tubes?
http://tinyurl.com/2t73mw
Kent in SD
Anyone else?
Bruce
Carol
Basil
Basil is correct, I went thru two sets in 3 years and at around $170 a set, it gets expensive. But expensive is one thing, reliability is another. I cursed those kenko tubes for 3 years before switching to the Nikon PN-11s (52.5mm each). The life of a Kenko tube is greatly determined by how much you use them. I use tubes just about every weekend during the 6 months of summer we have down in S. Louisiana.
Here is the problem with Kenko on Nikon equipment versus Canon.
Canon uses electronics to stop the iris down in their lens. No mechanical linkage. As David stated above, you will probablly never have a problem with them.
Nikon uses mechanical means to stop down the iris.
It's the mechanical mechanism on the Kenko tubes that will loosen with time and fail to make the connection between tubes. On one side of the Kenko tube or Nikon, there is a small tab and a slider on the other side. With use, the small tab will be able to work it's way between the slider and barrel of the tube. When this happens you lose the ability to stop the lens down. When that happens, you can disconnect the problem tube and that resets the tab in the correct location. It may work for a while but with time the problem will occur more often until it fails to work every 10 or so shots. That's when it get very frustrating.
You can actually take a new set of Kenko tubes and with your hands bend them and see the amount of flex.
I've been using one of my Nikon PN-11s since early 1970 without fail. A year or so ago, I purchased another PN-11 on ebay and as luck will have it, it was a new tube never used.
By the way, Nikon discontinued the PN-11 years ago. They still make the PK-11a, PK-12 & PK-13.
What I don't understand is why Nikon doesn't make automatic tubes for their lens today.
Bruce
You may lose autofocus on the 70-200. I lose AF with my 100-400 on tubes, but since that's a push-pull zoom and the 70-200 a twist zoom, it may not have the same effect.
Because the tube pushes the lens farther from the camera, you will lose the ability to focus any lens at longer distances. Not really a problem when you're shooting macro, but it should be noted that with a tube on you're not going to suddenly pick up the camera/lens and capture an animal or bird from a distance. So when I'm shooting macro with one body I have a long lens on another body handy in case something happens around me I need to capture.
I have tried the 500D (borrowed) and was happy enough with the results, but my personal preference is to avoid when possible adding any type of glass to what's already between the subject and the sensor. I've been using the Kenko auto tube set for over a year, mostly with the 100 macro when I need to get in even closer than the macro allows on its own. I've been very happy with the build quality of the Kenko tubes so far.
The other factor with the 500D is flexibility. Unless you want to buy two of the 500Ds, you'd be limited to either using the 300 or the 70-200 because they have different diameters. Unless there's an adapter out there that would allow fitting the 77mm 500D onto the 67mm 70-200. Anyone know about that?
Tubes or 500D? It's really a matter of personal preference. Both do their jobs well.
Bruce
Now if we were talking about the 100-400 and a 1.4 TC, then the 30D would not autofocus that, while the "1" series bodies can.
Given your update on which lenses you have, however, I think the 500D just became a stronger option.