Opteka Auto Focus DG Macro Extension Tube Set for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras

by Opteka

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• ASIN: B0030C2W4C
• Item model number: OPTETC
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #27 in Camera & Photo > Accessories > Lens Accessories > Extension Tubes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: December 9, 2009

Product Description

Extension tubes are designed to enable a lens to focus closer than its normal set minimum focusing distance. Getting closer has the effect of magnifying your subject (making it appear larger in the viewfinder and in your pictures). They are exceptionally useful for macro photography, enabling you to convert almost any lens into a macro lens at a fraction of the cost while maintaining its original optical quality. The extension tubes have no optics. They are mounted in between the camera body and lens to create more distance between the lens and film plane. By moving the lens father away from the film or CCD sensor in the camera, the lens is forced to focus much closer than normal. The greater the length of the extension tube, the closer the lens can focus. The Opteka Auto Extension Tube Set contains three tubes of different length, a 13 mm, 21 mm, and 31 mm, which can be used individually or in any combination to obtain the desired magnification. Opteka's Auto Focus extension tubes are designed with all the circuitry and mechanical coupling to maintain auto focus and TTL auto exposure.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just as good as the expensive Kenko's, April 9, 2010

By 

Scott (NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Opteka Auto Focus DG Macro Extension Tube Set for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I first purchased the Kenko's because I was afraid of the Opteka being cheap, but they aren't. The Opteka's are great! They are actually heavier than the Kenkos, also can be used with AF lenses and work exactly the same. They are tighter to twist on and off which I like because that means they aren't loose and your focus won't suffer from holding it. There are a few differences though and one is that the Opteka ring sizes are 12mm, 21mm, 31mm and the Kenko is a 12 mm, 20 mm, and 36 mm. So you loose just a little bit in the big rings distance but honestly its not that much and not worth an extra hundred bucks. The other difference is that the release buttons are small metal pieces that weren't as easy as the Kenkos to use.

These do work with autofocus, not perfect but they do. The Kenkos had the same issue, I think its just that your so close up and have to make sure depending on what lens your using that your far enough away. I wanted to be closer than you actually needed to be. I used my 55-250 lens and at 250 I needed to be about 2 or more feet away for optimum focusing while still getting a super close up macro shot using the 30mm. This will be good when i'm outdoors and want to photograph bugs and don't want to get too close or scare them away. I highly recommend these over the Kenko's not because they are bad in any way but because of the price.

Pros:
Price!! They are half the price of the Kenko's
Quality/build very good
Tight fittings
Photo results just as good as the Kenko's

Cons:
Release levers aren't as easy as the Kenkos but definitely not an issue (more of a style preference)
Rings sizes are smaller Opteka is 12m, 21mm, 31mm and Kenko is a 12 mm, 20 mm, and 36 mm (again not a deal breaker)

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for the price!, April 1, 2010

By 

R. Leviton "Rodster" (Yerevan, Armenia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Opteka Auto Focus DG Macro Extension Tube Set for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I just received mine and THEY WORK! The AF does not really work that well and the instructions that came with the tubes were useless and far too technical. I recommend googling "how to use extension tubes" like I did to get the capabilities you need as there are some great sites out there that give detailed explanations.

These work great in manual mode and "sometimes" work in AF. I have not yet had a chance to fully test out the capabilities of the tubes, so I may need to get some practice in BUT the few test shots I took with my nift fifty came out great. Some with maual and some with AF when it worked. I hear of people reporting the same problems with the "Double Priced" Kenko tubes.

Build quality was better than expected with a combination of metal and plastic and they feel quite heavy. I cannot seem to get all three tubes stacked on top of each other working with my 50mm lens but thats not a huge problem. They worked great with 2 tubes stacked.

I recommend these if you want something cheaper than the Kenko Tubes but with the same quality. I would have given these 5 stars if I didn't have the AF issues.

My camera is the Rebel T1i.

"EDIT"

I wanted to come back and report further on these tubes. The AF issues I was having was on my 50/1.8(nifty fifty) lens. I have now tried these tubes on my 18-55 IS, Tamron 18-270 and 75-300 and the AF feature works great! The 50/1.8 AF also works fine when you have enough light. So I truly believe these are a great deal when compared to "other" more expensive tubes...

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inexpensive and they work, February 19, 2010

By 

P. Christopher (Asheville NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Opteka Auto Focus DG Macro Extension Tube Set for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

Hey, there extension tubes! Not much to them, but they do work with the camera system which is all that matters!

I normally focus manually in macro mode, but they do work with the AF system.

I'd buy them again.