So, which would you rather have? The dedicated macro lens or the macro extension tubes?

See something on the show that you want to buy?
Head on over to kit.com/PhotoJoseph

•• MEIKE MK-P-AF3A Automatic Extension Tube ••
http://geni.us/1GosC2

•• Panasonic 30MM f/2.8 Macro ••
http://geni.us/6oztGL

•• Panasonic Leica 45mm f/2.8 Macro ••
http://geni.us/HBe88NJ

•• Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ••
http://geni.us/ww4A6LA

Thanks for an excellent video.

I do a lot of close-up and macro work (pathology, flat artwork, flowers, insects, coins, jewelry, paper money).

I use macro lenses, extension tubes, bellows, lens reversal rings, and supplemental close-up lenses. All work well and all have their pros and cons.

Hi!
What would be the magnification of the use of an APS-C camera having a 50mm lens and 68mm of extension tubes?
And, if I were to add to the above, a lens reversal adapter, what would the magnification be?
Many thanks for your anticipated response - love you vids!

Hello; I have a Fujinon 16-50; the minimum distance from the object to be in focus is about 15cm so is not clearly for me if I add an extension tube/s I can obtain a closer photo of this small subject that I need to take. I mean; if I go closer than those 15cm still can be in focus or will be blur? You know still cannot understand how a ring (without electronics; the cheapest ones) can solve the focus if not only the lens will be closer (due to the extension) but me closing it to the subject.Or I just need to keep it to that minimum distance (in the case of the 16-50, 15cm?) Hope the question is clear. Thanks

Why don’t my Kenko extension tubes work in my Canon R6 with a Sigma 105mm macro lens. They have worked with all my previous Canon cameras and the same macro. Lens. Thanks!

The extension tube over the mm of the lens isn't exactly accurate. If you're not using a wide angle lens you can add a lot more extension tubes. You can shoot a 50mm with 120mm of extension tubes without any issues. You'll just need to get closer to your subject as you increase the extension length. At least that's my experience on a 5D Mark III. Great video otherwise.

I started my photography journey back in 1962. Back then we tended have one, two, maybe at most three lenses. No macro. They were rare back then. I didn't shoot any macro before the late 70's when I stepped down to 35mm. Back then most macro was shot using tubes, and many so called macro lenses only went to 1:4, 1:3, or 1:2, and to get 1:1 required adding tubes to the macro lens. I often laugh at YouTube reviewers who claim that only 1:1 is true macro. When I was starting out 1:4 was common, and 1:2 was considered great. Only bigger studios could afford a Nikkor 1:1 or some other fancy-schmancy expensive macro lens, and us little guys rarely saw them.

However, back then true macro meant 10x magnification and between 1:1 and 10x was often called micro-photography mostly because the photos were often shot using a microscope for scientific purposes. People often wonder why Nikon calls their macro lenses "micro." It is because they were early into macro lenses, and they started making them when 1:1 was commonly still called micro. It is just a hangover from the 1950's. When competitors started making their own versions, they misused the macro name to make their lenses seem to be even better than the Nikkors, and the macro name stuck. Just a bit of trivia from living a long time :)

Tubes worked just fine with manual lenses. The era of macro lenses becoming common didn't happen until auto focus arrived. Once AF arrived, lenses needed electronic connections with the camera body, and tubes didn't have electrical connections. It seemed to take years before tube makers worked out that they needed electronic contacts to be attractive to buyers, but by that time people had started buying macro lenses, and so the tubes became uncommon, and these days a lot of photographers don't realize how useful they can be.
Panasonic used to make them for MFT but a combination of overcharging and lack of popularity lead to Panasonic discontinuing them. They sometimes come up for sale on eBay, but it has been a while since I have seen the Lumix ones.

But be ware that "automatic" extension tubes with electronic contacts for communication with the camera are best. Too many people buy the very cheapest then discover there are no contacts and can be frustrating to use.

What's the cheapest macro Lens for my Canon M6 Mark II ? ( Of course something with quality)

This is by far one of the most clear videos explaining the pros and cons of extension tubes/macro lenses. What do you think of the Laowa 50 mm 2:1 macro vs. M.zuiko 60mm?

thanks for your video
I have a question about the maximum focusing distance, I know if you add an extension tube on a lens. you will lose the focus to infinity. however I also wanna know how it affects the maximum focusing distance? I mean it shorten the minimum focusing so as to take macro photography what if i just want to take a portrait photography at indoor but not macro, I just want to have a closer focusing distance but still have some space between the object , Does extension suit for these situation? Thanks a lot

Is it possible to use the extension tube on the macro lens to give it even more close up shots

You can actually also use extension tubes with macro lenses for even higher magnification. The shorter the focal lenght of the lens, the bigger the increase. Furthermore, since macros are optimised for close focusing and low field curvature, they are much better suited for use with extension tubes than most non-macros. Zooms are the worst choice, because their field curvature varies with the focal length.

I liked the clear explanation of the tubes vs lens usages and drawbacks: the real life shots were particularly helpful.

I'm looking at a Fuji mcex-11 second hand tube on sale for £40 (about $54) to use with my Fujifilm x-t3, so will probably go ahead. If I get hooked on macro photography there are plenty of options out there for actual macro lenses - when I find the cash!

Thanks for the review :-)

I subbed.. Your explanation is very good.
Im having adhd and you kept my attention for a long time.. 9.34 to be precise.
I will be back for more :D!

I have a question. Can I use extension tube with a true macro lens? Does it make more effective? Also if I use the Raynox DCR 250 with it, can I have even better macro?

Really great and informative video. Thanks for sharing the knowledge

Great video!

How 'bout macro lens PLUS tube, good idea?

Hmmm, wasn't aware of the tiny focus area with the tubes, bummer

So, with, say, a 100mm lens, you could pretty much stack up ALL tubes in the kit, right?

Great video, as always.

Hence focus limiter. 😊

3:52 - sure enough, there it is on all of my cameras, and I never knew! :-D thanks!

Exactly the right video at the right time. Answered my questions. Very direct, not a lot of meandering. Excellent content and, again, right when I'm considering these options.
Thanks!

With all respect, the aperture was wide open so it's softer, but usually in a macro you want lots of details, around f/8, which would fix the softness in the edge. Another thing, you could use reverse rings, by doing that the 24mm would have more magnification compared to 35mm and it's a even cheaper solution, not to mention, as annoying as it is to hold, it can be done by only reversing the lens without the ring, cost, $0,00

could a macro lens/extension tube replace a zoom lens?

I watched a few similar videos before this and yours was the best explanation by far.

thanks.. One other factor is the size of the macro lens. I have a 200 mm macro that seems to put the macro subject out of arms reach (literally). With tubes and a 50 the subject is right there.

Awesome video and for the cost much easier to decide to try this before opting for a full on macro lens. That being said, I'm now to photography, I'd like a recommendation for what tubes to buy. Want to help out so if you provide a link so you can get some credit that be great. I shoot a Panasonic GH5 but have the Metabones Speed Booster Ultra to fit EF lenses. My lenses are all EF at this point. I have the Canon 50mm f1.8, Canon 75-300mm f4-5.6, and the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8. Please help if you can and thanks again

Thank you so much for the examples in this video! This is super helpful and informative.

anyone ever tell you, you look like David Bowie loool

Great comparison. Every few minutes, you had me changing my mind on whether to return these extension tubes and save up for a macro lens instead. LOL! I'm having an issue with these extension tubes. I just got them. I can't get them to autofocus with my lenses/camera. Could you give me a hand/tip please? I have a Nikon D5100, a 17-70mm lens and a 50mm lens. I bought the MEIKE N-AF1-A Macro Electronic Mount Auto Foucs Macro Metal Extension Tube Adapter for Nikon DSLR (Amazon).

Here's to quorst comparisons!!! ;)

Umm… what if you use the extension tube on the macro lens? Can i get a macro-scope? hehe

Thank you so much for this video! It helped a lot its concise and straight to the point, been looking for this answer this question for months.

I don't think a lot of people shoot macro on 2.8, why not test it on smaller apertures

Damn. I wish I seen this video before I bought my extension tubes. When I can afford a true macro I'll come back. Subscribing...

Great video ,... to the point without all the BS and technical jargon,.. im subscribing

Hi Joseph, thanks for the informative video! I found it while wondering about the same combination (ex tubes plus PL 25mm), but I wonder where did you find the 10+14mm tubes? Everything I find is 10+16 (as you do at the end of the video), and I was wondering whether that 1mm of surplus would still make impossible to focus? Thank you!

Superb explanation!

Very informative. Thanks!!

This is honestly one of the best reviews of any photo equipment I've seen on here. Non-bias, approaches from multiple viewpoints, both practical and analytical. Excellent! Earnt yourself a sub :)

So many great points made in this video. Thank you for pointing out the caveats of the extension rings.

Great video...might also be worth mentioning that when shooting macro with a micro four thirds sensor you'll get an image crop that appears to be increased magnification over crop and full frame sensors using the same kit anyway due to the mft sensor size. Whole different discussion but some say this is a big advantage for mft over other sensor sizes. I shoot in all three and slightly prefer crop sensors over full frame and mft when shooting macro videos.

Very clear and sharp. Excellent presentation explaning all the important points.

Very informative. Thanks a bunch!

Hi. What would be the effect of adding extension tubes to a dedicated macro lens?

So helpful in explaining what the diff is. I have a E Mount Sony A-6000. What mid priced macro lens would you recommend for Shooting Flowers? Again, thanks so much and will definitely buy through your site. Thank you!!!

Thanks for a very helpful video! Would you recommend using extension tubes for scanning 35mm negatives? I'm using a Lumix G85 with a light box. Thinking I could photograph an area a little larger than the negative, so I could crop to reduce distortion around the edges.

You were talking about the speed of the macro lens. I bought my first macro lens which was the Canon EF L Series 100mm 2.8 which I escaped on the Canon EOS R. The camera since the last firmware update about four months ago has been super fast especially with eye autofocus. But when I use this particular lens. And I like doing 100mm for portraits. I really noticed that the Lynn is super slow when it comes to autofocus. So is that the reason why?