Doable--Yes.
Advisable--Probably not!
Am I likely to do it again--Doubtful.
Stats:
Nikon D700
Nikon f/4 500
Distance: Approximately 6'
f/10
ISO 800
1/8s
tripod
Manual focus
MLU
Results:
Full frame
Horrific vignetting as you can see.
The small portion of the Asparagus fern is about an inch across so the result is approximately between 1:4 and 1:5.
I kept getting a FEE code and had to release and re-attach either the lens and/or one of the rings, so something was not connecting properly. Could be any number of reasons... Weight, new rings ...
Use: I guess if you wanted to capture dragonflies, water spiders, or small flowers, but there are easier and better ways to do that.
Looks like its (vignetting) a known issue, Carol - something do to with the mating diameter incompatibility with certain lenses only. Kenko tubes don't have robust build and they do exhibit some amount of play. I have a 25mm one which I no longer use due to this play which keeps cutting off the contacts.
There have been some cases where the lens or the body has fallen on the ground - the tubes gave way.
I used to use a Nikkor 27.5mm extension tube on a Nikkor 600mm f5.6 lens, because the minimum focusing distance of the lens was about 10 meters. No vignetting.
I had a set of Vivitar tubes that had internal "light baffles". They gave a rectangular vignette, rather than circular, so that there was a dark area all along the edges of the slide.
I've used a 25mm Canon tube with a 300mm f2.8 lens. No vignetting.
Carol:
I used to get the FEE error message using the 50mmF1.4 lens + ET and I eventually worked out that the aperture of the lens have to be set to the smallest aperture (F16 on this lens) before attaching the ET for the combo to work.
Looks like your are working at the minimum focusing distance at 6". You should be able work further away at infinity focus if you are thinking of using this set up for dragonflies.
Folks, thanks for your comments. Gary, I did this exercise only to see if I could accomplish it. See Ram's comments regarding FEE code. I suspect the problem was due to play between the rings, the lens, and the camera. I have no desire to crawl around in the mud searching for water spiders, etc. Did that in another lifetime LOL
Buck, thanks for your comments and info on other tube sources. There are a limited number of Nikon extension rings and one ring costs almost as much as the set of Kenko extension tubes. The vignetting is less on the 70-200mm lens and I suspect would be less on an even small lens such as the 50mm or 105 macro.
Sandy, thanks. It was strictly an experiment. I really can't imagine using the combination. Having done a bit more reading, some folks have suggested loading one tube on the 500 so that a small bird might fill the entire screen. That might be something to test.
Ram, you're so right. Kenko tubes are not robust.
You don't explicitly say what brand tube, number of tubes, and total amount of extension you were using.
I've never had any problem with either of the genuine Nikon tubes I've acquired over the years: the 27.5mm tube (PK-13) originally sold to bring the 55mm macro lens to 1:1, and the 52.5mm tube (PN-11) originally sold to get the 105/2.8 macro to 1:1. I've used these one at a time and together on various Nikon telephotos for many years for subjects light Dragonflies. One of my favorite setups for dragonflies is my 300/2.8 plus 27.5mm tube plus old TC14 on a digital body - bright image, close focus, magnified, and good working distance that keeps me out of the water.
Note that these tubes and this converter are from the days of manual focus. They will couple to AF lenses and even allow TTL metering on bodies like the D200/D300/D3 just like a manual focus lens (if you code in a focal length and aperture). You should also unlock the aperture from its minimum value and use the aperture ring on the lens (obviously not possible on a "G" type lens).
Carol,
With my Olympus film camera, I used a 300 mm lens on a bellows for a lot of dragonfly and butterfly shots without seeing any vignetting. I always set the lens focus to infinity and used the bellows extension to focus. I could extend the bellows it's full length (about 200mm). I suspect your vignetting is due to using the extension tubes with the lens set near close focus.
Discussion
7 repliesAdvisable--Probably not!
Am I likely to do it again--Doubtful.
Stats:
Nikon D700
Nikon f/4 500
Distance: Approximately 6'
f/10
ISO 800
1/8s
tripod
Manual focus
MLU
Results:
Full frame
Horrific vignetting as you can see.
The small portion of the Asparagus fern is about an inch across so the result is approximately between 1:4 and 1:5.
I kept getting a FEE code and had to release and re-attach either the lens and/or one of the rings, so something was not connecting properly. Could be any number of reasons... Weight, new rings ...
Use: I guess if you wanted to capture dragonflies, water spiders, or small flowers, but there are easier and better ways to do that.
Oops, can't post the images but you can see them at these URLs if you are interested.
http://hy-tec-training.com/DSC_4081_PP.jpg
http://hy-tec-training.com/DSC_4078_PP.jpg
Thanks for listening to me rant and rave.
Cheers,
Carol
There have been some cases where the lens or the body has fallen on the ground
very useful info -
Sandy
I had a set of Vivitar tubes that had internal "light baffles". They gave a rectangular vignette, rather than circular, so that there was a dark area all along the edges of the slide.
I've used a 25mm Canon tube with a 300mm f2.8 lens. No vignetting.
So, it varies with the equipment
I used to get the FEE error message using the 50mmF1.4 lens + ET and I eventually worked out that the aperture of the lens have to be set to the smallest aperture (F16 on this lens) before attaching the ET for the combo to work.
Looks like your are working at the minimum focusing distance at 6". You should be able work further away at infinity focus if you are thinking of using this set up for dragonflies.
Buck, thanks for your comments and info on other tube sources. There are a limited number of Nikon extension rings and one ring costs almost as much as the set of Kenko extension tubes. The vignetting is less on the 70-200mm lens and I suspect would be less on an even small lens such as the 50mm or 105 macro.
Sandy, thanks. It was strictly an experiment. I really can't imagine using the combination. Having done a bit more reading, some folks have suggested loading one tube on the 500 so that a small bird might fill the entire screen. That might be something to test.
Ram, you're so right. Kenko tubes are not robust.
Cheerio ;^)
Carol
I've never had any problem with either of the genuine Nikon tubes I've acquired over the years: the 27.5mm tube (PK-13) originally sold to bring the 55mm macro lens to 1:1, and the 52.5mm tube (PN-11) originally sold to get the 105/2.8 macro to 1:1. I've used these one at a time and together on various Nikon telephotos for many years for subjects light Dragonflies. One of my favorite setups for dragonflies is my 300/2.8 plus 27.5mm tube plus old TC14 on a digital body - bright image, close focus, magnified, and good working distance that keeps me out of the water.
Note that these tubes and this converter are from the days of manual focus. They will couple to AF lenses and even allow TTL metering on bodies like the D200/D300/D3 just like a manual focus lens (if you code in a focal length and aperture). You should also unlock the aperture from its minimum value and use the aperture ring on the lens (obviously not possible on a "G" type lens).
With my Olympus film camera, I used a 300 mm lens on a bellows for a lot of dragonfly and butterfly shots without seeing any vignetting. I always set the lens focus to infinity and used the bellows extension to focus. I could extend the bellows it's full length (about 200mm). I suspect your vignetting is due to using the extension tubes with the lens set near close focus.