Have you ever tried to photograph a small flower, a figurine, some jewellery you made or an ornate button or medallion? You try to fill the frame of your viewfinder with your object, but the camera will not focus. Then you have to get so far away from your subject your photo loses all the detail you were hoping to display. What can you do? You can purchase a macro lens for around 1000.00 or get some extension tubes. Extension tubes will not produce the same quality as a macro lens, nor have the same creative flexibility, but they are an inexpensive option.
The following photos were taken with my 24-85 mm lens at about 80 mm.
This is as close as I could get with no extension tubes
This is how close I could get using a set of extension tubes
Extension tubes attach to the camera between the body and the lens. They contain no glass; they simply alter the magnification you can get by allowing a closer focus. Some will interfere with the auto focus but you can manually focus on your subject. A set of extension tubes ranges from under 100.00 to about 300.00.They are an inexpensive way to get started with close-up photography.
Extension Tubes | Extension Tubes on a camera |
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Learn Photography Kelowna’s Next Macro Course
Love to have you join us! Our next course is Sunday August 21st.