Photos Got my extension tubes!

Just received my extension tubes from Ebay.
Wondering what you think of these couple that I took in the garden?

Canon 1100D with 18-55mm/f5.6 and 16mm extension tube.

 

AWESOME photos.

to ebay buying an extension tube!

have you tried to take a photo of a ruler and work out how much magnification you get?

 

Thank you Wyx. Very kind words. Please leave good feedback for me!

I'll do a ruler shot tomorrow. But trust me, even using the 16mm (middle size), I can go in closer than this. A tripod is a must though. I can't believe how much I was moving around. The DOF is RAZOR thin.

Best £10 I've ever spent!

 

Got a link i might get some my self. thks.

 

These ones are identical to mine. £8.97

For some reason, the price on the set i bought has gone up to £99.49. Must be an error of some sort.

 

Aha, this is very useful, i was considering getting some extension tubes for my 1100D. Glad to see you like them, should mean that I take the plunge too, though the ones i was looking have the contacts to maintain AF - is this worth it or was focusing yourself not a problem?

 

The manual focus isn't a big deal to be honest. I compared the price to the Kenco set (with AF) and it was well worth sacrificing AF and aperture control. Both these pics were taken at f/5.6.

Just stay steady or use a tripod. With DOF being so thin, a few millimetres of movement back or forward, and you have a blurry image. I was resting my left hand against a tree or anything i could find lol

Any advice on the pics? Constructive criticism is welcomed!

 

Look nice, for both images though I would say they could have done with a smaller aperture to have a little more stuff in focus.
Looks very interesting though, may pick up a set myself.

 

The pics are technically solid but my feedback would be that they're a bit of a cliche - everyone takes macro pictures of flowers, find something more interesting to make your images stand out.

 

Thanks George. I switch to f/13 but the light had faded by the time i got round to taking the pics.

Ouch! Lol these were my first macro pictures EVER. I'll find something else tonight. Maybe my keyboard...

Thanks muchly

 

Fair enough, light is always an issue when getting nice outside shots.

Still nice looking shots
(noticed in the first pic, you seem to have focused on the leafs rather than the head of the flower kinda thing, not sure if deliberate)

 

To be honest, I think i moved and got the leaf instead of the stamen in focus. Razor thin DOF remember?

The light issue becomes worse when using extension tubes. You have to increase your iso or use external lighting if you have a few tubes on.

 

The keyboard.... so you're essentially battling cliche... WITH MORE CLICHE!!!

Try finding something where you want to draw more attention to a point in the DOF. A classic example is focusing on a dogs eyes so that the nose is not in focus which draws attention to the eyes making the dog look a bit wiser and serious.

I rather like the photos, and if you're after something to make a desk look warmer/be a desktop background this is what you're looking for .

I would say if you want to do lots of small tripod work try out a gorilla pod SLR pro (the one with the tripod head otherwise don't bother). I have one and its great. It means you can get in nice and close where a standard tripod won't go. I.e. on a branch up a tree or flat to the ground.

edit: regarding light.

Reflector shields are supposed to be VERY good in macro photography. Mine makes a real difference when shooting portrait.

 

Excellent quality!
I've always been fairly sceptical of Ebay photography stuff as they've always been crap for me, but that's not bad! Now then, get to your keyboard with a tripod!

 

Looks great. I've also wondered if it was worth it but based on the price I might had a whirl since theres not a lot to loose if I hardly use them

 

I was a bit sceptical too, but they are made of metal, not plastic, and very easy to use! I'll be trying some pics tonight with the tripod. Indoors, of course. Its been raining all week here in SW London.

 

so how easy was it to manual focus? is it do-able without tripod?

for me, it'd be either £10 or £40. im thinking to go with £40 with connectors.

 

By connectors, do you mean the electrical contacts that give you AF? If you have the money, go for it! If I had AF with these tubes, it would be lovely, but the manual focus is just as easy as manually focusing with a lens.

You can focus without a tripod, but keep still or use a fast exposure. At least 1/100". I will be using a tripod from now on!

 

does your kit do image stabilisation? i remember you were saying 1/focal length for shutter speed to reduce blur. i was able to do 1/half of focal length consistently without noticeable blur at 100% image zoon.

but then, without connectors, im guessing that feature would be gone as well. so i guess i'd have to go for the £40 extension tubes.

 

Thats if you can keep still lol. I'm not sure if I have IS. I'll check for you. I was able to go down to 1/60" without blurring too much.