so, I ordered some cheep-o extention tubes just for fun to play with. I have a nikon D3000 & just the lense it came with. When I attach the tubes (even just one) it's WAY too dark and I can't get a picture out of it, even if I see a little light in the eyehole, it wont show up on the screen. I'm so bummed! I know you get what you pay for, but I'm thinking maybe I'm doing something wrong?? I have all my settings set to manual and the aperture open as wide as my lense will go. I'm thinking that is the problem, that I just can't get it open wide enough. boo hoo! Anyone know if I can fix this??
Ok, there are a few things about this. Don't get discouraged though!
First of all, you need to manually set the aperture on lenses when using the cheap extension tubes. Most kit lenses you get in the past few years no longer have a means of manually setting aperture. Can you set it manually with your lens?
Second, Nikon cameras are programmed to show the best aperture through the viewfinder according to your in-camera light meter. Have you ever looked through your viewfinder, seen the landscape lit perfectly well, but shot the photo and it's too dark? This is because the camera picks an aperture to show through the viewfinder, then changes the aperture to the one you selected the moment you press the shutter release button. I know the front of my D300, D200, and D80 is a button I can program that when pressed will show the selected aperture through my viewfinder.
Finally, the very nature of using extension tubes actually requires we use the smallest aperture possible anyway. Why? Depth of Field. If you are shooting at 50mm with extension tubes, focused just five inches away from your subject, at f/5.6, you're depth of field is .25 inches. No typo: that is one quarter of an inch. Shooting macro photography usually requires lots of light, strobes, and a tripod to steady the focus.
Jason has basically covered off hte main points but thought I'd put in my 2 cents.
I shoot all of my macros using a full set of extension tubes although they are the Kenkos and so can change the aperature - altohugh it's nearly always at f22. You get huge amounts of light fall off using tubes and due to the require of having a smaller aperature a good light source if a must as Jason mentioned. I use a home made snoot and shoot handheld and get some reasonable results.
Still fiending after a full one macro lens though!!
I still believe that extension tubes are meant for the old Medium Format systems. (just me, but what do I know). Take 'em back, buy some +1, +2, and +4 diopters for $39. They'll satisfy you. Otherwise, spend megabucks, and buy a Macro lens.
@jasonbarnette@dcr - thank you for your help, I will try some more today and see what I can do, pretty sure I can't set the lense manually though, that is probably the problem, humm. I'm sure when i bought them it was listed as compatable with my camera. I aprreciate so much you giving your advice!!
@moncooga - you are right I'm sure, I'm messing with something that was not ment to be! :) maybe someday there is a Macro lense in my future :)
@bekahbell Nah, don't worry about "not meant to be"! True, a macro lens would solve all your problems, but even I don't have $900 to throw down on one right now. I bought extension tubes for $20, and I knew exactly how cheap they were! But they work.
The issue isn't your camera, it's your lens. You need a lens with an aperture ring. When I shoot macro, I use my Nikon 50mm f/1.8. I can set the aperture manually, so it works fine. Do you have any other lenses?
@jasonbarnette Hi there. I'd like to ask you a Q to this topic, too... :) I have a cheap extension tubes, too, but I got some nice pictures from time to time but most of the time it seems like I just can't make it sharp enough. I do use a tripod and try to take pics in places where there is lots of light but it's still not working for me. Lately, they even are overexposed, plus not sharp... Would you have any suggestion? Do u think if I got a ring flash it'd help?
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First of all, you need to manually set the aperture on lenses when using the cheap extension tubes. Most kit lenses you get in the past few years no longer have a means of manually setting aperture. Can you set it manually with your lens?
Second, Nikon cameras are programmed to show the best aperture through the viewfinder according to your in-camera light meter. Have you ever looked through your viewfinder, seen the landscape lit perfectly well, but shot the photo and it's too dark? This is because the camera picks an aperture to show through the viewfinder, then changes the aperture to the one you selected the moment you press the shutter release button. I know the front of my D300, D200, and D80 is a button I can program that when pressed will show the selected aperture through my viewfinder.
Finally, the very nature of using extension tubes actually requires we use the smallest aperture possible anyway. Why? Depth of Field. If you are shooting at 50mm with extension tubes, focused just five inches away from your subject, at f/5.6, you're depth of field is .25 inches. No typo: that is one quarter of an inch. Shooting macro photography usually requires lots of light, strobes, and a tripod to steady the focus.
Does any of this help?
I shoot all of my macros using a full set of extension tubes although they are the Kenkos and so can change the aperature - altohugh it's nearly always at f22. You get huge amounts of light fall off using tubes and due to the require of having a smaller aperature a good light source if a must as Jason mentioned. I use a home made snoot and shoot handheld and get some reasonable results.
Still fiending after a full one macro lens though!!
Pretty sure I got them off eBay. There are some reputable sellers from HK which are pretty cheap.
@jasonbarnette @dcr - thank you for your help, I will try some more today and see what I can do, pretty sure I can't set the lense manually though, that is probably the problem, humm. I'm sure when i bought them it was listed as compatable with my camera. I aprreciate so much you giving your advice!!
@moncooga - you are right I'm sure, I'm messing with something that was not ment to be! :) maybe someday there is a Macro lense in my future :)
The issue isn't your camera, it's your lens. You need a lens with an aperture ring. When I shoot macro, I use my Nikon 50mm f/1.8. I can set the aperture manually, so it works fine. Do you have any other lenses?