Kenko - Macro Extension Tube Set - 3 tubes: 12, 20, and 36 mm - for Canon EF and EF-S Lens - Black

These rings are excellent Canon alternatives, plus you get a set of three (12mm, 20mm and 36mm) for the nearly the same price as a single canon 25mm ring. The build quality is excellent (made in Japan); they are robust and have the same quality feel as canon's own equipment and they give the reassuring clicking sound when being fitted. The 36mm ring has a comfortable grip at the base, meaning you can grip the tubes firmly when attaching/removing the lens (assuming you are using the 36mm tube). The release buttons are solid and feel like they will stand up to rigorous usage.All three rings are marked with the Canon EF red and EF-S white dots to enable correct mounting with both types of lens. It also has the Canon 35mm wet film red dot for those with compatible cameras. These rings enable the autofocus feature on compatible lenses to be used, another bonus, and the rings can be fitted in any combination. Even with my EOS 700D 18-55mm `kit lens' I was able to focus using all 3 rings, the area in focus was about 2cm (approx. 0.75") and the lens was about 4cm (approx. 1.5") from the subject but the clarity and level of detail was unbelievable. I also have a SIGMA 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG Macro lens and using the 3 rings enabled me to use the macro function without having to be nearly a meter away for the first time, although that is not what I bought the lens for!The rings come with comprehensive instructions and advice on how best to setup the camera when using the rings and provides a table of magnification ratios, field coverage, distance from lens to subject and exposure factor increase for each combination of ring when using a standard 50mm lens and a good explanation of how to manually calculate for other than standard lenses, e.g. using a 50mm standard lens and the 12mm tube magnification, field coverage (cm) distance from lens front to subject (cm) and exposure factor are 0.35, 6.9 x 10.3, about 16 and 1.8 while using all three tubes (68mm) gives 1.47, 1.6 x 2.4, about 4.2 and 6.1 respectively (as provided by the supplied table)If you intend shooting macro then you will need a heavy duty tripod. The 12mm ring adds 60g the 20mm 80g and the 36mm 125g to the front of the camera. If all three are to be used that is an additional 265g. A light-weight tripod will not cope as any small movement at macro distances will make shooting impossible. I personally use a Velbon PH-175Q and this copes perfectly even with all 3 rings plus the SIGMA lens (approx. 815g). You will also need either tethered or cable release capability to prevent camera movement. I personally use a canon alternative Remote Release Switch Cable RS-60E3 for Canon EOS Digital Rebel 300D, 500D, 350D, 400D, 1000D, 450D which gives excellent results for a fraction of the cost of a genuine Canon RS-60E3 cable.For anyone wanting to try macro photography and who already have suitable lenses then extension tubes are a cheaper alternative to dedicated macro lenses, albeit with an obvious reduction in quality. However the results you will get against the price you will pay mean that it is a viable alternative for those who are not sure if macro is for them and do not want to spend a fortune on a single lens that they may not use in the future. There are cheaper rings out there but why risk potentially damaging your camera by using an inferior product; I believe these are a solid product and worth the money.

These are absolutely fantastic, and open up a whole new realm of possibilities for photography.As an enthusiastic amateur photographer, I was interested in developing new areas of understanding, and looked in to macro photography. You have three choices - spend a lot of money on a dedicated macro lens, buy some magnification lenses, or buy some extension tubes. After ruling the first out on cost alone, and the second on quality, I was left investigating tubes. Again, you have options - plain, cheap tubes, or tubes with electric contacts. Since the former don't allow operation of different apertures, I looked into electric contact tubes. Canon OEM tubes are about same price for 1 tube, and this gives you three. A no-brainer as far as I was concerned.The tubes are well constructed. They are instantly recognisable as Canon fit, and fit to camera and lens very easily an intuitively. They store together very conveniently.Taking very close up pictures with an almost impossibly small depth of field is then simply a question of positioning your camera closer than you have ever been able to do before and hey presto, you've entered the world of macro photography.I am really pleased that I purchased these for two reasons.1. you maintain full functionality of the camera. I was a little nervous about this point, as there are older reviews on websites saying these don't work for Canon. These are the up to date version that certainly worked with my Canon 400D.2. you get three rather for the same money that just one Canon would cost you.

A solidly made bit of kit, all metal, very well finished. Fits my Olympus Pen like OE, going home with a reassuringly positive click. Unlike some cheaper extension tubes, this one has all the electronic connections needed so that automatic lenses will still communicate with your camera, enabling you to set exposure and focus on the camera and extract EXIF information. But you'll probably want to shoot on manual anyway.An extension tube isn't the same as a macro lens, but it can do nearly as much. Installation simply enables you to get the camera closer to the object you are trying to photograph...maybe just a couple of centimetres away, so you can get much of the same effect.This presents some significant challenges. Lighting will be tricky, given the additional magnification you'll be getting, and being so close the camera itself may cast a shadow over what you are trying to photograph. So you may need a ring flash unless you can use a very slow shutter speed. Any breath of wind will blur what you are trying to photograph, so for best results you may need to bring the camera and object indoors to a makeshift studio. And focusing at that short a distance may be difficult...I don't bother trying to focus with the camera controls, but put it all on a tripod with a moveable stage, and focus instead by racking the camera back and forth until I get the shot I need.Persevere, and you can take some really cracking close-up photographs to impress your friends. At 90 quid it's a pretty expensive bit of kit, bearing in mind that it contains no glass whatsoever. But I haven't found anything else that is as good at any price. How good your photographs turn out will depend on the quality of the lens you are using it with...I've got some great results with a 45mm and 17mm prime.