"Troy Piggins" wrote in message
...
* Gerrit wrote :
I wish to buy a set of rings to give macro capability to my camera.
I have a Nikon D50 body married to a Tamron AF LD 28-200 lens.
My question to all you knowledgeable people is this: would a Kenko
Automatic
Extension Tube Set DG for Nikon AF be suitable and would all the
functions
on the D50 be enabled?

G'day mate. My take on it is this. A 28-200 lens with extension
tubes will allow you to focus much closer than the lens can do
without, but it won't be macro sort of magnifications. I don't
think you'll be able to achieve 1:1 lifesize.

With a 28mm or longer extension tube, you should be able to get to 1:1 at
28mm. You may not like the results, though. Wide angle lenses are especially
poor at close focus.

Another approach is closeup lenses. The single-element ones are OK (if you
don't mind CA), but on a good lens, the apochromatic (multi-element) ones
can be very good. I have a 67mm Kenko apochromatic 2-diopter (or "500") that
performs very well on the Canon 70-200/4.0 IS and the 5D2. It's not 1:1, but
it's OK for flowers and things that are 3x5" and larger. The subject ends up
at 500mm from the sensor plane, and I can adjust magnification with the
zoom. (With closeup lenses, the longer the lens, the greater the
magnification. Extension tubes are the opposite.) But holding the subject
within the range the lens can focus is a pain. See below.

A commonly recommended cheap macro kit is something like a 50mm
prime lens with a full set of extension tubes (about 68mm). That
will give you 1:1 magnification, true macro. Not sure about
Nikkor, but I know the Canon 50mm f/1.8 is very reasonably priced
a around AU$100-$150.

Personally, I wouldn't buy the tubes and 50mm lens, though.
Well, actually I did do this originally. What I mean to say is I
wouldn't do that if I had my time again. I'd just get a true
macro lens first up.

Agreed. Completely.

The reason, though, is not only quality. With extension tubes and/or closeup
lenses, the range one can focus over is extremely narrow. With a real macro
lens, you just aim at the thing you are thinking of shooting and the AF
grabs it. Want a different magnification? Move in closer or back off. With
zoom + tubes and/or closeup lenses you have to stay the exact same distance
away. This is, of course, not a problem with stationary subjects and a
tripod (if you have a macro rail), but a friggin bear handheld.

Something around 100mm focal length. I
have the Canon 100mm f/2.8, but have experience with the Sigma
105mm and the Tamron 90mm. Both are excellent and cheaper than
the Canon. I'm sure you'd find the same with Nikkors. That
focal length is a good balance of affordability and working
distance. These true macro lenses give you 1:1 magnification at
minimum focus distance and are much easier to use than the
extension tubes plus normal lens.

There's a new Tamron 60/2.0 macro lens for APS-C cameras only. The f/2.0
makes focusing easier, and the 60mm focal length gives you similar
compositions/perspectives you'd get with a 100mm lens on FF. (Actually, it
is better than a 100mm on FF, since you get a magnification effect due to
the crop (or due to the finer pixel pitch for people who perversely insist
on that distinction)). This guy should also be a good portrait lens on
APS-C.

--
David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan