Macro lenses v extension tubes/bellows?

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andya700

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Andy
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Are there any significant advantages using a macro lens as opposed to extension tubes or a bellows unit? I know that manual focus and the associated problems with low light levels can be bothersome, but are there any other advantages for a macro lens?

Cheers, Andy.
 
The only thing I can think is that a macro lens is specifically designed to work at close focusing distances so should possibly produce better images.

Personally I think technique and lighting will make the biggest difference.
 
depending on the tubes you may retain AF.

the biggest issue with tubes is that whilst you decrease the minimum focus distance you also decrease the maximum - if working very close and then want to work a bit further away you're having to chop and change tubes.

I still recommend tubes as a starting point - Jessops do some (for canon at least) that retain AF, they're normally about £90 but occasionally come up on their sales for £25
 
Uneducated_Rick said:
depending on the tubes you may retain AF.

the biggest issue with tubes is that whilst you decrease the minimum focus distance you also decrease the maximum - if working very close and then want to work a bit further away you're having to chop and change tubes.

I still recommend tubes as a starting point - Jessops do some (for canon at least) that retain AF, they're normally about £90 but occasionally come up on their sales for £25
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Good points about the focussing distances Ricky. Yes it is a bit of a to do, changing tubes, but I have a couple of sets of the things ("free" with cameras and lenses on fleabay), and I am liking the results, though I clearly need more practice.
 
The focussing distance can be a big issue. The actual focussing region on tubes become so narrow that if you move you will be struggling to know whether you've droped out of focus to the front or back, it's really no fun for insects, but no issue with studio or posed shots.

I use Macro teleconverters, cheap and effective plus preserve infinity focus which makes it a much more versatile lens setup, although tubes would have the edge on IQ. (however I'm happy to say my current setup is razor sharp even with the TC)

Macro lenses tend to have better reolution and sharpness as well, but not all.
 
If you want the very highest sharpness, right to the corners, with a perfectly flat field and no distortion, then a pukka macro wins every time.

But apart from critical flat copy work, eg stamps and coins, most of those things don't matter too much, and so long as it's sharp in the middle, then it looks fine (75% of the frame area with macro is mostly out of focus anyway). And many regular lenses will do that, especially at the higher f/numbers that you usually need for macro, just to get a bit more depth of field.

Not all lenses take to tubes as well as others, for practical as well as optical reasons. Longer focal lengths are usually better.

I sold my macro lenses and now use tubes on a 70-200L 4 IS. Quality is good enough for me and for what I do (rarely go to 1:1, and never beyond that) and I really like the versatility that the zoom gives for framing and shooting distance.

Edit: tubes are also very useful for all sorts of other things, everyone should have a set anyway ;)
 
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One the things I love about photography, is that every day I learn something new :)


HoppyUK said:
<snip>

Edit: tubes are also very useful for all sorts of other things, everyone should have a set anyway ;)
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Besides macro / close-up (reducing focus distance) work, how else can tubes be used :shrug:
 
Wail said:
One the things I love about photography, is that every day I learn something new :)




Besides macro / close-up (reducing focus distance) work, how else can tubes be used :shrug:
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Haha! Well nothing really. But apart from macro with just one particular lens, you can use tubes singly or in any combination, with any lens, any focal length - to get a bit closer, or much closer.

I use them a lot, but not often for what you would call macro. The shortest 12mm tube is part of my basic walkabout kit.
 
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