Photography Reviews

Digital Photography Equipment Review—Kenko Automatic Extension Tube Set

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Many hobbyists, enthusiasts and even professionals find that they don’t just like digital photography, but they come to like a specific type of photography: portraits, landscapes, sports, architecture, etc. Some photographers that gravitate to the great outdoors with their cameras may be attracted by macro photography, capturing the inside of flowers, the delicate details of insects and/or the abstract patterns of nature when viewed very close. There are many excellent lenses that have a 1:1 magnification ratio, but to photograph ever-smaller parts of nature, greater magnification is required.

Read real customer reviews of the Kenko Automatic Tube Set here.

One solution is a macro lens. The major camera/lens companies manufacture excellent choices; however, they can cost hundreds of dollars, some approaching a thousand dollars. Other possible macro photography aids include a bellows or what is called a close-up filter. The last is similar to attaching a magnifying glass to the front of your lens. These pieces of equipment will work, but again they can be expensive and a bellows a bit cumbersome. 

A better solution, especially if this is your first investment in equipment specifically for macro photography, is extension tubes. They typically come in a set of separate tubes, or rings, each of a different length, measured in millimeters like a lens, although the extension tubes have no glass elements. As you add more tubes between the camera body and the lens, the focal length of the lens changes, increasing the magnification and bringing you closer to your subject.

Extension tubes can cost hundreds of dollars for a set, but an excellent “introductory” product is the Kenko Automatic Extension Tube Set. Consisting of three tubes, 36mm, 20mm and 12mm and front and rear caps, Kenko’s makes sets with mounts for both Canon EOS and Nikon AF cameras, and either set can be purchased for approximately $180. Add all three tubes to a 105mm lens and the magnification ratio will change to 1.8:1. The Kenko set is designed with electrical contacts, so auto-focus, aperture select, TTL (through the lens) and many other capabilities are still operable. Don’t be surprised if it takes some time to become used to the added length of your lens, with all three Kenko tubes attached.

Nikon D600 | Nikon D7100 | Nikon D800 | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon EOS-Rebel T4i

When using the Kenko Automatic Extension Tube Set, or any extension tubes, with a macro lens, be aware that the depth of field will become incredibly small. Just a 105mm macro lens at f/2.8G will produce a depth of field of only 1/10th of an inch (3mm). Use the Kenko extension tubes in conjunction with this macro lens and the depth of field becomes truly infinitesimal. As the maximum focal length becomes rapidly smaller, making infinity no longer a viable option, any lens hood must be removed.

Many digital photographers have found just as much magnificence in nature’s smallest objects as those photographers who capture the majesty of mountains, the power of the crashing seas and the wonder of grand landscapes. If close-up photography draws you into the garden or the woods, then give yourself more flexibility to record nature’s workings at the macro level, with the Kenko Automatic Extension Tube Set.

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