Hey, I'm photographer David Bergman and
this is Two Minute Tips for AdoramaTV.
Today I'm going to give you a simple way to
shoot close-up photos, by using an
extension tube. Macro lenses are cool, they
allow you to get in really close to your
subject, and can open up a whole new
photographic world for you. If you can
buy a dedicated macro lens that's great,
but they're pretty expensive, so if
you're not someone who does much
close-up photography, then a macro lens
might be too much for you. This is where
extension tubes can come in really handy.
All lenses have a minimum focusing
distance. An extension is just a hollow
tube with no pieces of glass, that lets
you pull your lens further away from the
camera body. You can buy extension tubes
in many different lengths. The further
away the lens, the closer you can focus
on your subject, which means you get more
magnification. There are generally two
types of extension tubes. The cheapest
kind are really just a simple tube with
no mechanical connections at all. These
are fun to play around with, but unless
you're using an old lens with a manual
aperture ring, you're stuck shooting at a
wide open aperture. This is because the
camera can't talk to the lens, and make
it close down. I've even heard of
do-it-yourselfers, who have made their
own extension tubes out of a toilet
paper roll, and it actually works!
However if you'd like to have full
control over your settings, then get
something that's made for your camera -
like this Canon EF25, which has
electrical contacts built into it. It's a
bit more expensive, but allows you to
change your aperture, and when shooting
that close you generally want to be at a
small aperture. Depth of field is
severely limited, and even at f/22, you'll
find that when you're focused so close,
you'll still have a really shallow focus
area. So why would you prefer a dedicated
macro lens if extension tubes are
lighter and less expensive. The main
reason is, that you do lose some image
quality since you're really using your
lens in a way that it wasn't designed.
But it's a great way to get started with
close-up photography, it can open up a
creative world like you've never seen before.
Thanks for joining me today on AdoramaTV.
Don't forget to subscribe for more
amazing videos follow me on social media
@DavidBergman, and go to the Adorama
Learning Center for lots of other great
tips and tricks.
