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Newb questions
- Thread starter Covanant
- Start date
Extension tubes are just empty tubes, just an extension, with no glass in them at all. Their purpose is to focus much closer, at macro ranges, and focus at infinity is no longer possible. There is a major loss of light due to recomputed fstop numbers. At macro distances with the tubes, the lens focus ring has no range... focus is achieved by moving the subject or the camera back and forth.
Teleconverters have extensive glass in them. These still focus at infinity, but not close, not even as close as without. Purpose is telephoto, not macro. Also a loss of light due to recomputed fstop numbers.
A macro lens focuses easily at any distance, including extreme closeup. Sharpest, most versatile, easiest to use, the only downside is price.
Close up filters are basically a simple magnifying lens placed in front of a regular lens, it enlarges, and it loses ability to focus at infinity. No loss of light, but there is loss of image quality due to the simple lens. Aperture needs to be well stopped down to have sharpness at frame edges. But if your goal is close up, less extreme macro perhaps, but like of flowers, then (a solution short of a macro lens) I would suggest starting with a close up lens for your zoom. There are cheap ones, single glass element which can suffer purple fringing around edges of colors, and there are better ones, two glass elements to better correct that. The Canon 500D filters have a very good reputation (for Nikons too). You will need to stop down an extra amount.
The extension tube (with no glass) does not actually affect the image (except loss of depth of field at the extreme close range, and loss of light at recomputed fstop number), but it is a different world, and the shorter prime lenses usually perform much better than zooms.
Teleconverters have extensive glass in them. These still focus at infinity, but not close, not even as close as without. Purpose is telephoto, not macro. Also a loss of light due to recomputed fstop numbers.
A macro lens focuses easily at any distance, including extreme closeup. Sharpest, most versatile, easiest to use, the only downside is price.
Close up filters are basically a simple magnifying lens placed in front of a regular lens, it enlarges, and it loses ability to focus at infinity. No loss of light, but there is loss of image quality due to the simple lens. Aperture needs to be well stopped down to have sharpness at frame edges. But if your goal is close up, less extreme macro perhaps, but like of flowers, then (a solution short of a macro lens) I would suggest starting with a close up lens for your zoom. There are cheap ones, single glass element which can suffer purple fringing around edges of colors, and there are better ones, two glass elements to better correct that. The Canon 500D filters have a very good reputation (for Nikons too). You will need to stop down an extra amount.
The extension tube (with no glass) does not actually affect the image (except loss of depth of field at the extreme close range, and loss of light at recomputed fstop number), but it is a different world, and the shorter prime lenses usually perform much better than zooms.
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