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October 06, 2011

Finally got something good with my macro extension tubes. This was the biggest praying mantis I've ever seen, and she was on our screen door all morning that day. I took the time to set it up correctly, which involved a stool, a tripod, my macro extension tubes, and a remote trigger. No matter how many times I disturbed her, she just stayed on the front door.

Another test shot with my new macro extension tubes. I took the highchair outside and hosed it down, which left a lot of scraps of food on our back patio. It wasn't long before the ants swarmed and consumed all of the cheerios, bananas, and granola that was left. I grabbed my camera and took some handheld shots. Still nothing too spectacular, but I'm getting a feel for it. I have a feeling these would have been very sharp if I had used a tripod. It's hard to set up a tripod when the camera lens has to be ½" away from your subject. This preview image is very small because the picture kind of creeps my wife out, and she's probably not the only one. If you'd like to see the large version, just click the preview image below.

Click image to enlarge.
August 26, 2011

I picked up some Macro Extension Tubes a couple weeks back and I'm now getting around to testing them out. The only problem I've had since switching over to a camera with interchangeable lenses is the lack of macro. Most mid-level point and shoot cameras have a decent macro mode, but when you make the switch to interchangeable lenses, you have to spring for an extra Macro lens if you want to do extreme close-ups.

...Or so I thought. There are several ways around that fact, and until recently I knew very little about them. One option is to buy extension tubes for your camera. This is literally just a tube that goes between your camera and your lens. It doesn't have any glass/optics in the tube; it's just a spacer. Adding some more space between your camera's lens and the camera's sensor changes the dynamic of your lens. It turns nearly any lens into a macro lens. For me, getting to use the lenses I already have is a fantastic arrangement because I have two very nice Canon prime lenses. The great thing about extension tubes is that they are literally just a plastic tube so they don't cost much at all.

Here is the first picture I took when I finally got them out. It's the edge of some soft toy that's meant for babies to chew on. It's indoors and without a tripod. Having a macro lens again is going to be fun.

August 21, 2011