Extention tubes (1 Viewer)

[seggs]

Hi Folks

I am thinking about maybe buying extention tubes for my 7D, 400mm 5.6 set up to allow getting closer to Butterflies etc. this year.
Looking on the likes of ebay etc. it seems a bit of a nightmare. Can anyone advise please as Ive not a clue.
Or should I just save up for maybe a 200mm for this type of photography.?

 

[Roy C]

If you do get some extension tubes this chart will show you the min/max shooting distances with various tubes combinations with the 400/5.6. As for tubes you need to look for AF ones (I believe Kenko ones are a lot cheaper than Canon's).

 

[Roy C]

BTW 'seggs' attached are a few shots I have got with the 400/5.6. No subsistent for a good macro lens that's for sure but not bad as record shots.

 

[seggs]

BTW 'seggs' attached are a few shots I have got with the 400/5.6. No subsistent for a good macro lens that's for sure but not bad as record shots.

Thanks Roy, thats a very useful chart you posted. Ive been lucky enough to capture similar type shots with the 400mm.

 

[sless]

seggs,ive got a sigma 105 macro lens,if you want to borrow it your quite welcome

 

[stevo]

Kenko do good priced extension tubes,have a gander on ebay they somtimes come up(2nd hand)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kenko-ext...ns_caps_hoods_adaptors_ET&hash=item3a7f2aeac2

Steve.

 

[Roy C]

Thanks Roy, thats a very useful chart you posted. Ive been lucky enough to capture similar type shots with the 400mm.

Yep, I am fairly sure those were taken without any extension tubes and cropped very heavily so very poor IQ.
I have a Canon 100 'L' macro lens for these type of shots these days but if I did not and wanted a more flexible lens I would probably go for a 300/4 - one of the best lenses around for butterflies although no good as a 1:1 macro lens for smaller stuff.

 

[Roy C]

BTW seggs the trouble I always found with using extension tubes on a nice birding lens like the 400/5.6 was that every time I had the tubes on a cracking bird shoot opportunity came up but the bird was always outside of the maximum focussing distance :C

 

[Jaff]

200mm f2.8 L MKII + Ext tubes = killer combo and can get you very close (if not probs all the way) to 1:1 if used with stacked tubes. Although for dragonflies and the like which can be very skittish the extra reach of the 300mm will pay dividends but will not take stacked tubes as well owing to the extra fstop of the 200mm. Of course a Canon 200mm f2.8 L is also cheaper though.