I have to ask, what makes this lens or extension tube so much cheaper than other macro lens'? I see some for hundreds of dollars and this is $15. How?
2026346
This is not a lens. It's just a spacer between your lens and the camera's sensor. There's no electronic. Therefore, your autofocus lens can't communicate with the camera's body. You have to manual focus and manually adjust the apertures. That's why it a good idea to use this with a manual lens with manual aperture adjustment. Bottom line, for around $15 you'll get some great macro pictures of flowers and insects around the house.
2026347
It doesn't work that's how. Lol. It's a waste of money. I hate that I wasted money on this.
2026348
This item of three different length rings moves your lens focus point which makes it a close up lens. You attach the ring to your camera then attach your lens. This changes the focus point allowing you to get very close to your subject. Using 2 or all 3 tubes together lets you get extremely close. Subjects such as insects, jewelry or the stamen of a flower can be taken and enlarged to see all the detail. The reason these rings are so cheap is they are manual rings. This means you have to set the aperture and focus the camera manualy. This is not a big deal. I have taken some amazing pictures of lady bugs and could see the hair like texture on its antennas. This item of three different length rings moves your lens focus point which makes it a close up lens. You attach the ring to your camera then attach your lens. This changes the focus point allowing you to get very close to your subject. Using 2 or all 3 tubes together lets you get extremely close. Subjects such as insects, jewelry or the stamen of a flower can be taken and enlarged to see all the detail. The reason these rings are so cheap is they are manual rings. This means you have to set the aperture and focus the camera manualy. This is not a big deal. I have taken some amazing... » Read More This item of three different length rings moves your lens focus point which makes it a close up lens. You attach the ring to your camera then attach your lens. This changes the focus point allowing you to get very close to your subject. Using 2 or all 3 tubes together lets you get extremely close. Subjects such as insects, jewelry or the stamen of a flower can be taken and enlarged to see all the detail. The reason these rings are so cheap is they are manual rings. This means you have to set the aperture and focus the camera manualy. This is not a big deal. I have taken some amazing pictures of lady bugs and could see the hair like texture on its antennas. « Show Less
2026349
This item of three different length rings moves your lens focus point which makes it a close up lens. You attach the ring to your camera then attach your lens. This changes the focus point allowing you to get very close to your subject. Using 2 or all 3 tubes together lets you get extremely close. Subjects such as insects, jewelry or the stamen of a flower can be taken and enlarged to see all the detail. The reason these rings are so cheap is they are manual rings. This means you have to set the aperture and focus the camera manualy. This is not a big deal. I have taken some amazing pictures of lady bugs and could see the hair like texture on its antennas.
2026350
Because this isn't a lens, you attach your lens to it. It's literally a plastic tube, but when you attach it to your lens, the added length works like a microscope.
1582486
Brandon. It doesn't say when you asked this question but I figured the answer out. First, I just purchased the last one that a storefront had for $289, so i'm sorry if I stole the lens from you :X. Second, the price is going to be interesting on this lens from here on out. It has been discontinued due to a recently announced new model. The question is how much will this new model cost? To my knowledge that hasn't been answered. I decided to snag it at this price because if the new model is upwards of $400 then it out of my price range anyway. If the new model comes out sub $400 this older model might tank in price. Supply and demand will dictate based on that information. As for big stores, I don't see you having much luck. Most did firesales and liquidated their stock already to mitigate the price risk. I can tell you that this is my first fixed lens for general photography. It hasnt even arrived yet, but when it does I plan to test it out. If its not to my liking I can resell it to you at the price I purchased + the tax I paid + shipping. I would generally just return it but that lowers your chance of it ending up in your hands. If this was a recent post just come back to me and I can show you proof that it hasn't even arrived yet :). Take care!
1767794
It doesn't really help what is normally considered zoom - if you attach it to a lens it won't make things look closer - it's for macro (taking close up images of fine details) - so with this attached you can focus much closer than your lens would normally - you can take pictures of a penny and tell if Lincoln needs to tweeze his eyebrows. As with everything else in life, there are trade-offs, though. It 'reduces the focusing range', which I originally thought you just wouldn't be able to focus out to infinity (no big deal), but with all the rings stacked onto a 70mm lens I don't think it will focus from one end of that same penny to the other - if it isn't focused where you want it you need to slide the camera. Also note that it DOES NOT support ANY electronic features of most current lenses - no autofocus (which wouldn't be worth much) but more importantly no electronic aperture, so you really need to use it on older lenses that still have a manual aperture control (nothing that has a 'G' in the model number). Also note that it takes a LOT of light to get through the longer tube to be able to see what you are shooting well enough to focus on it. These are all issues inherent in macro tubes in general. This particular product is made of aluminum instead of plastic, so it should be relatively sturdy, although the production quality isn't exactly what one is accustomed to with Nikon equipment, so it can be a challenge to get mounted. I found it worked, but was so restrictive and awkward to use that I bought a 'real' macro lens (the Nikon 105mm), which is OUTSTANDING, and although it costs literally 100x more was a much better value for my money (if for no other reason than because I actually use it).
1770836
I have not taken any macro photos with this lens. For me, it is basically a zoom telephoto lens and will not focus well on close-up items. When I have attempted to use it for close-ups, it continues to cycle and will not focus properly. As a telephoto zoom, it is great for sports photos and brings in long distance subjects clearly. I am sure there are other lenses that are better designed for macro use. John Craighill
2156710
Hi there... I have this lens, and love it, for its total flexibility - it is a perfect traveller's lens. It is not exactly a "macro" lens, though I have used it with success to make some close-ups. If you then buy a close-up set (1+2+3), I am sure it can handle many of your macro needs - though you should bear in mind that that is not what it was designed for, nor is it a lens with low aperture readings - i.e. - it will be darker than your average macro lens.
1468089
I use this item as part of my macro kit because I don't want to pay for or carry around a macro lens. Having said that, I'm sure that there macro lenses out there that provide better magnification and possibly better image quality depending on the merit of whatever lens you use the 500D on. If you put this on a high quality lens (Canon L glass, zeiss, etc.) you'll be thrilled with the result, put it on an inexpensive "kit" lens and you might not be so happy. On a moderately good lens it should do well for jewelry photography.
130214
Can someone comment on how this is different from a "tilt-shift" lens costing hundreds of dollars more? I want to get into the realm of architectural photography, and have been told a tilt-shift is something good to have, but they also mentioned LensBaby.
313060
The first two answers are spot on. I bought this lens because it is far less expensive and I use a tripod most of the time.
398884
you can put these filter and the tube together but you will not get a good result, all you get is a heavily distorted image. Stick with macro extension tube. I'm combining two sets of macro extension tube and 1:1 50mm f1.4 lens, getting a good results.
1915107
Yes! You screw it off completely! It shows up blurry if you're trying to take normal pictures, but when you angle the camera close to something, its supposed to focus and look zoomed in! Keep trying, or look up info about macro lenses!
139521
Michael, I purchased the Orion 8715 5x high power Barlow lens for $169 and got a fine crisp image from it .I also liked the heft of it and the cool inner brass ring. Only thing is, a $39 3x. Barlow is not only just as good, but allows me to utilize a wider range of my eyepieces. Lemme put it to you this way...the overkill factor on the 5x Barlow is insane, to say the least.
19871
Hi Michael, for some reason I've returned this item...Not because of having any trouble! I've decided to but real macro lens instead of using something like that just because of quality of the image with the Nikon macro lenses. Sorry
2187462
Hello, As far as we can tell there is no adapter available for this lens in order to shoot macro. Thank you for your interest, UsedPhotoPro
372804
Yes, I would think it's the main reason to have this lens. Some say the lens gets too close to the subject when used for macro work, I have not found that to be a problem. I find the lens very useful especially all around, but would probably not own it if not for its macro capability.
1814540
Yes, of course. And it is the best lens I've used or purchased. (I own a lens that cost $5,000 more than this, but this is still my favorite lens). I use it for macro (with an extension tube), portraits, and close in sports.
501844
Amazon tends to raise their price autmatically (?) if there is more interests for the item. e.g. more clicks and page views increases the price.I think the price drop for a bit due the rumor that waterpoof version of this lense is going to be out soon. This is not a water-proof lense but a great one indeed.
478530
I assume you are talking about the two small lenses shown in the picture. They are very cheap Vivitar lenses. One is macro and the other is wide angle, both are garbage. The rest of the bundle is fairly decent though.