Customer Reviews

Kenko Auto Extension Tube Set DG 12mm, 20mm, and 36mm Tubes for Nikon AF Digital and Film Cameras - AEXRUBEDGC

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you are looking for a functional macro, for example to take pictures of individual flowers, keep in mind that these extension tubes work better on telephoto lenses for this purpose.

Use of any of these tubes on a lens with a focal length of less than 55mm (on a digital camera with an APS-C sensor, 1.5x crop) will result in a focusing distance so close you would only be able to photograph the individual stamen. For example, with the 36mm tube on a 50mm lens, I could capture a human hair from a few inches away. Even the 12mm on a 50mm lens results in an exceptionally close focusing distance (eg, photographing a small nail). However, with the 12mm tube on an 85mm lens, I can capture a flower at about 18 inches away.

The tubes are decently made. I have the light-weight plastic Nikon lenses, so not a problem for these and no flexing.

** I am editing my review and I would give this product two instead of three stars but I can not change the star count. **

I am aware that plastic is cheaper and easier for manufacturers these days and I have seen and own many quality products designed with plastic. This was not one of them. I bought these rings in high hopes of a quality product. Unfortunately, I was let down. The rings are made from a thin and flimsy plastic that visibly flexes under the weight of a heavy lens. With my Sigma 150/2.8 I can actually see the separation from the bayonet mounts from the plastic. I also used the tripod mount of the Sigma 150/2.8 but there was still visible flex with my D50. I can only imagine the situation with a D200/D2 and a Nikkor 200 macro!

The whole point of extension tubes is to use them with longer focal length lenses to achieve higher magnification. Sure, I could use the lighter Nikkor 60/2.8 Macro but that lens has less than three inches of working distance without extension. As I add more extension I will have even less working distance. Therefore, extension tubes should be adequately designed to support longer and heavier macro lenses. That's why people buy them! That's their purpose!

Also, the internal aperture of the tubes is APS sensor sized. This might be great for now. But, what if the Nikon D3x is full-frame or close to full-frame? Or, if I want to use the full-frame Nikkor 105 VR Macro on a F6? I'd be outta luck.

Another essential tool for the photographers bag. AF and metering worked well with Nikon D70. Takes a bit of practice, but it makes you a better photographer. Like having a prime 50mm. You'll find yourself (tripod) moving instead of zooming. Makes photgraphing macros challenging and very fun. Amazing shots. Tripod is almost manditory.
Wish the build quality was a little better. Extensions are plastic (& aluminum) and feel flimsy. Mounted a 70-300mm with all three extension, noticed bowing on the outside, but pictures were fine. Didn't trust it, had to have a hand on the lens. Feels fragile with with all three mounted. Still works perfect though.
Very fun to photograph macro shot with any lens. Opens a whole new world. Great kit, lots of options. Made in Japan. Probably more durable than it looks. Buy it.

I had done some research on whether to buy a regular Macro lense or buy these Kenko Extension tubes. I decided to go for the cheaper Kenko and then after using it, perhaps I'd go for the more expensive ones.

Well, I've been shooting Macro practically non-stop since I've gotten the Kenko's, and I do think that from the shots I've taken, that the Kenko's really make me look like a better amateur photographer than I really am...

As a matter of fact, I do love these Kenko tubes so much, that I can now quite clearly see that there's no need for me to buy the more expensive Macro lenses. Please remember, I'm an amateur, not a professional, but when I look at all the slideshows I've now created with these amazing Kenko tubes, I find it hard to believe that its all my creation!..so, go figure!.

I'm enclosing one of my "youtube" Macro slideshows for anyone to check out to see for yourself!..

So, because of these great Kenko tubes, I've become totally "addicted" to shooting macro with them.

I do hope the youtube link will open up for you on this site so you can really have a look
at what I'm talking about.
[...]

I bought these for the Nikon d60/d40, and use them with a stock 18-55mm kit lense, and a 50-200mm zoom lense. These tubes are a little snug going on and off the camera, however, that does not interfere with the working of the product. I have had these for about a month, and they do a nice job of doing what I bought them for. It should be noted that with a standard 18-55mm kit lense, and all 3 tubes, you will be right on top of the subject in order to get the focus. To get the best pictures out of extension tubes a tripod and wireless shutter remote are really a must because the slightest camera movement will completely ruin the picture. Also, Getting one pedal of a flower in focus close up just doesn't work...in order to get any depth of field, you'll have to close the apeture and cool down the shutter speed, which also makes the tripod/remote a must. Boosting the ISO can help, but if you go too far, you'll lose clarity, so you have to work the controls on the camera for best quality. Another thing to note...these are meant to work with the electronics of the Nikon, don't be fooled by the cheap price of overseas knockoffs, they have NO electronics (and usually will state such), and Nikon has no manual aperature controls, so you must have tubes made specifically to work with Nikon mount cameras to control your lense through the tubes and that means the bigger bucks...spring for it, or be severely disappointed.

These Kenko extension tubes are fun for amateurs and great for specific professional uses.

Build Quality:
Feels like a quality product right out of the box. The mounts are metal which gives me confidence using all three tubes between my lenses and the camera. The tubes are plastic, but sufficient quality for average use and abuse. Connecting the tubes to a lens; however, is a little disconcerting because you can feel the bearings of the lens catch on the electronic contacts of the tube that pass the signal on to the camera. It's clear now that no damage is being done, but I still connect lenses slowly to avoid any problems. Lens weight becomes an issue when trying to attach a 70-300mm VR lens, especially when using all three extensions between the lens and camera body. Sagging of the lens and slight separation between the metal mounts of each tube is noticeable. I would feel safer if Kenko offered a 'lens collar' solution for such conditions to prevent the camera body taking all the weight. However, for my macro and small zoom lenses, I have no worries while I'm shooting.

Quirks:
Experimenting with extension tubes is a lot of fun, but you could experience instant buyer's remorse if you don't have the right lens. Extension tubes allow you to focus on objects that are otherwise too close for the lens to focus on. This is great when using a 70-300mm lens for macro photography, but zoomed in with my 18-70mm DX lens with all extensions attached I was able to focus on the dust resting on the front glass element of the lens itself! Amusing, but the working distance was too shallow to be useful. (My favorite combo is using my 60mm micro lens with all 3 tubes) Auto-focus comes and goes and depends on how many tubes you have stacked as well as available light. I use auto-focus when it works, but more often than not I'm going manual. Tripods are a must for sharp photos and I recommend using a remote or at least a timed shutter release to reduce camera shake. Be aware that there is a learning curve for this product, but for me it was fun and exciting!

Image Quality:
Yes, image quality is affected. This has more to do with the quality of the lens you are using rather than the tubes themselves. Chromatic aberration present in your lens becomes magnified. Also edge sharpness may be reduced by sagging lenses. Amateurs will be less concerned with this, but it could be a deal breaker for professional photographers. As for myself, I shoot stock photos and chromatic aberration is unacceptable. However, I have had outstanding results using these tubes with a 60mm micro lens and off-camera flash.

Final Thoughts:
Again, the Kenko extension tubes are a good value for an amateur photographer looking to shoot macro photos on a budget. Professionals may also find this product to be useful, but for very specific shooting situations. (I urge you to carefully consider your decision to purchase these tubes if you intend to use them specifically with a telephoto lens. A bellows might be a better idea, especially if you need greater magnification than these tubes will offer.) All in all, I found these extension tubes to be a valuable addition to my camera bag and I would recommend them to amateurs and pros alike, so long as they understand the product's limitations.

Allows closer focusing, and hence larger close-ups - as promised, but the coupling is sloppy and therefore doesn't hold tightly, i.e. there is some play between the successive extension elements/camera body/lens. I dont know yet if this has a noticeable affect on image quality, but theoretically, if the lens is allowed to sag, the image is hitting the sensor at a bit of an angle, which would affect image quality. In any case its unsettling. I dont understand why the coupling cant be made as tight as a normal lens coupling. I haven't noticed an affect on focus or aperture adjustment, but if you can find a better quality coupling in an extension tube, get it, instead of the Kenko.

If you don't want to spend a lot of money on macro/micro lenses, get these extension tubes. Way better than the close up filter. I do all my macro shots with these tubes on my 70-200mm f/2.4. Money well spent. $1000 for micro lens vs. $170 for extension tubes.

I got the Kenko extension tubes set to try my hand at macro photography with my Nikon D5000. The Kenko DG tubes are electronically fully compatible with Nikon AF-S lenses. Metering is fully supported with these tubes and you can even auto-focus if you like. I have tried both auto-focusing and manually focusing in Live mode with the Adorama Budget Macro Focusing Rail Set with 4 Way, Fine Control, Camera Focusing Rail for Macro Photography. I'm not sure which I prefer yet, as I am still developing my technique.

I have tried the 12mm with my Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras, and it works but the focusing distance -- even with such a short extension -- is uncomfortably short for me. So I have mostly used these tubes with my Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR [Vibration Reduction] Zoom Nikkor Lens. Using the extension tubes with a tele zoom is quite flexible. Because extension tubes modify magnification differently for different focal length lenses, zooming changes the maximum magnification as well as the focal distance with the zoom. So you can frame the shot using the zoom or set the focal distance to something comfortable for the given subject just by adjusting the zoom.

The "gotcha" in using extension tubes with a tele lens is that, while you get better focusing distance with a tele, you also get less magnification. The way to figure out how much magnification you'll get is by reading the spec for your lens. Take the number listed as "magnification ratio" or the like. On the Nikon 55-200 VR, this is given as 0.23. Alternatively, it may be shown as a ratio -- 1:4.5. In that case, divide 1/4.5 to get the decimal number. Now, to find out what the extension tube will do for you, add 0.23 and the extension tube size divided by the lens focal length to get the magnification you will see. For example, let us use the 36mm e.t. and a 55mm setting on your zoom: 0.23 + 36/55 = 0.23 + 0.65 = 0.88. So, with the zoom at 55mm and the 36mm extension tube, we would have almost a 1:1 macro photo. Notice that, if we shot using the same set-up and zoomed to 180mm, we would have a magnification of 0.23 + 36/180 = 0.23 + 0.2 = 0.43, or about half the magnification using the same extension tube. OTOH, the focal distance would be much longer.

You can stack the Kenko tubes to give a lot more options on the magnification than just three, although I haven't tried that yet. I don't know how reliable the electronic connection would be with three tubes stacked, but it wouldn't surprise me to have some intermittent problems with all those connections in the path.

While I would probably opt for a true macro lens if I ever became deeply involved in macro photography, these tubes are a wonderful way to learn about it while giving perfectly usable results. If I end up getting a macro lens, I will do so with much better understanding of what I want it to be.

Contrary to what I read in other ratings I found the Kenko extension tubes well made and solid. There was no lens drooping that I could detect (even with a Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8, but I did have to support the lens for balance) and the product worked as advertised. One caveat, however, the focal length as read by the camera is incorrect because the camera does not know that extension tubes are attached, the tubes appear to be transparent to the camera, but this is not a big deal when shooting macros since usually you have time to check the exposure and make adjustments for another shot.