20 Best Extension Tubes For Canon (2023 Updated)

Best to wrap plastic tape around the extender where it comes through the rim to stop it rattling. But a good product overall

Far better choice for deep carbon aero wheels (I’m using with Zipp 808’s) than other extenders, especially Zipp’s own. Relocating the valve core out to the end, as these do, makes for far more accurate inflations (and subsequent pressure measurements).

Works great on my 80mm continental tube. I did put some teflon tape on the threads, as is normally recommended. About 25mm shows above my 90mm wheel so tube is easy to air up now.

This extension tube is well made and makes a tight fit with camera and lens. The electronic contacts allow all the lens functions to take place. Unrelated to the quality of the piece, which is high, I found that there is a significant learning curve.

I have use it with various focal lengths. With 23 mm the focus distance is very short, objects almost touching the front of the lens. With 90 mm there is a little more distance but a very shallow depth of field.

I have also used it with zoom lenses with similar results, depending on the focal lengths used. Handholding requires a steady hand. I can see why users get into focusing rails and similar accessories.

All that said it opens a new perspective with opportunities for creativity. Given my experience with the 11 mm tube I think the 16 mm, or longer from off brand sources, would require even more of a learning curve.

I have to say, I am really enjoying the results with only the little bit of dabbling I’ve done so far on my roses with the MCEX-11 extension tube. Currently I’m using it with my 50mm f/2 lens. I love having an inexpensive option for beautiful macro photos, especially since macro photography is just a once-in-a-while kind of thing for this photo enthusiast.

Spending less than a hundred dollars is much better than spending several hundred dollars on a lens that I’d only use occasionally. It really is a great alternative.

Build quality is great. Autofocus is awful on all 3 rings, compared to much cheaper alternative sets. I tried these, some Shoot extension tubes (poor build plastic mounts but cheap) and some Viltrox Z mount tubes + FTZ, with different Nikon and sigma lenses, side by side tests.

These were the worst by a long way missing almost all shots of moving insects like bees and butterflies, They would not lock on the focus or were very slow and inaccurate missing almost every potential shot, in comparison to the other brands which worked very well on autofocus, getting fast and accurate autofocus on both brands.

I cannot recommend these when there are much better extension tubes at a much lower cost.

I had a set of these Kenko extension tubes before when I was trying macro. I liked them so much that I bought a macro lens then sold the extension tubes. I rather regretted that because as well as turning any lens into a macro lens, they can also be great for using WITH a macro lens.

You can then get extreme macro images, although you your field craft may need practising as the depth of field can become razor thin. A tripod may well be needed unless you have very steady hands. So I bought a new set.

I went for Kenko as, although much more expensive than some extension tubes you can buy, they are good quality and give electrical connectivity between your lens and camera, something which I find very useful.

Also, cheaper tubes of poorer quality can jam on the lens/camera, which can be very expensive. I’ve added a couple of images taken with the tubes and my 90mm macro lens to give you any idea. The bush cricket was about 3mm only and the spider about 7mm.

The moss was tiny too but looks cool when taken with the macro lens and tubes, so you can see what can be achieved with care.

Lucky to find this front cap for my Canon extender, most others out there look identical but are designed for lenses, not extenders, and won’t fit. I often choose OEM for equipment when fit + quality are essential.

In this case, the lens extender sits in an outer pouch so OEM-quality isn’t important, but it’s a low-volume, specialty product so non-OEM caps don’t seem to be available for this. So without competitors, this OEM cap is expensive for the simple hunk of plastic that it is, but I’m paying for the peace of mind my extender is well-protected.

For the past few years, my walk-around combination has been a Nikkor 28-300mm lens on a Nikon D850. I have loved the versatility of the big zoom range. But I bought the new medium format Fuji GFX100s which is fantastic (separate review) so I needed a lens for it, and Fuji doesn’t make an ultra zoom (yet?) so I chose the 45-100mm as closest to the range I usually use.

The 35mm e quivalent of the Fuji 45-100mm is 36-79mm, so that sounds as if I’m giving up a lot at the top end. But in fact I’m not. Suppose I shoot an 11648×8736 image at 100 mm that includes a much larger image than the one I wanted, and then I crop out all but a 4928×3280 portion that is what I was after.

I get the same image, with the same resolution, that I would have gotten shooting with the D850 at 236 mm. So in fact I am only losing the upper 64mm of my 300 mm lens zoom range. And at shorter focal lengths, I’m getting way better resolution.

But what I really want to talk about is the fantastic performance of this lens. I did my first few dozen pictures in a low light setting that mostly pushed the auto-ISO up to 12800, and I was expecting noise and maybe shake problems.

But the images are fantastic – nearly noise-free, and the image stabilization kept them superbly sharp. This lens works wonders. In operation it is fine. It is a bit bigger and heavier than my 28-300mm Nikkor, but not so much that it becomes a problem.

The larger sensor requires a larger diameter lens, namely 89mm versus the 77mm of my Nikkors, and that extra glass makes it weigh about half a pound more. But that was not enough to make it unwieldy.

It isn’t cheap, but it’s in the same price range as eg the Nikkor 24-70mm. I may eventually buy its 32-64mm partner for wider shots. For now I’m just blown away.

Firstly, the value point is not a reflection of the retailer I bought this from. I actually got the best price for this grip, from the eBay outlet. The grip itself adds around 2. 5 cm / 1 inch to the height of the Canon EOS RP camera body.

The RP is comfortable to hold, but people with moderately larger hands might find their little finger sitting underneath the camera, or they claw their hand to make the whole of it fit. This grip adds that little bit of extra depth and makes holding the camera truly comfortable.

You do have to remove the RP battery door to fit this – keep it safe as this body does not have storage space for the door. You can still access the battery and card compartment very easily as the grip has an easy access door.

The battery may need a bit of help out, but it’s not an issue. The card just pops out. The grip is very well built and looks and feels like part of the camera. It does not add a great weight. Value-wise, it is very expensive for what it is.

Canon knows how to charge for accessories, and they certainly charge you for this one. A nagging thought is that this grip addresses a late discovered design flaw in the body dimensions, and we pay for that.

However, quality comes at a cost, I suppose, and this is far better than some of the cheaper alternatives I’ve seen advertised.

I was so glad I got this grip at the same time I purchase the camera, I was blown away by how compact this camera was so tiny. Coming from full sized DSLR, the cameras feel in the hand was underwhelming at best, this grip changed all of that.

With precision fit, matching aesthetics (in black) and extra grip it gives the camera the perfect sized grip. Still compact but gives your pinkie somewhere to rest. Even though it makes the battery and SD card slightly more recessed you are still able to access them with no issues.

Battery tab is a liiiiitle cramped but has no issues coming out, I feel like canon should have just made the camera a tad bigger and added a bigger battery. Then again a ain’t no engineer what do I know?!.

First off; I’m happy I purchased this for my RP. It looks and fits well, and access to the camera battery and SD Card is quick and easy. I considered the bulkier (and heavier) options that hold extra batteries, but didn’t like the excess weight or need for a cable connection.

For my needs, changing a battery periodically is no real deal-breaker. As for use, its balance is very good on the RP and the extra inch of bottom gripping area it provides make it helpful for my average-size hand.

The other non-battery style of base extender (made of aluminum) was not as wide and would not have provided even one inch of gripping area even though it would be lightweight as well. So: I decided on the EG-E1, and have been pleased based on the other options available to me.

The only thing I didn’t like was the cost, which I believe is excessive for what one gets. I think that $40-$50 would suffice. But, then again, when Canon charges $30 (excessive) for a lens hood, I can see why they believed they were justified in charging $79 for the EG-E1.

BTW: I did not purchase the lens hood from Canon. There were better, less costly options available that work just as well.

As a pixel peeper I didn’t expect much out of this 1. 4X extender, but after my ist day of shooting birds-in-flight I was pleasantly surprised with the results. I use it primarily with the Canon 100-400mm II lens to bring it close to the long end of my Sigma 150-600mm Sports lens (560mm vs 600mm).

Now I always have the extender on that lens when I use it in the wild. Is the 100-400mm sharper without it. Maybe, but if so, not too, too much. I was equally surprised with the AF performance. Is it as fast or versatile as the naked 100-400mm – NO! Is it acceptable – Yes, and with practice it can be awesome.

With the Canon lens I mention hear I seem to get all of my focusing points, but in reality, even though it looks like they are all working, and they will grab a focus, they do not lock on perfectly. so you will get a lot of soft images using anything but the center focusing points.

As advertised, its not as fast, but it is surprisingly fast compared to what I expected. Surprisingly! Another thing worth mentioning is that it is Super easy to manually focus my combination. Ive shot dragon flies from 10′ perched on a dancing weed on a windy day and got excellent results, as well as birds-in-flight.

Yes, the experience of the photographer comes into play, but if you need that extra reach, this extender will give it to you, and with great results if you learn how to work with it.

I bought this extender specifically for the total lunar eclipse of January 20-21, 2019, to use with my Canon 200-400 zoom. My intent was to make the image of the moon as large as possible for maximum clarity.

I had reservations as to how successful I would be with this combination, but decided to make the plunge after reading an on-line review of this specific lens combination. I realize that, in theory, the extender does not result in as clear an image as a standard lens of similar focal length, but I am quite happy with the results.

I have compared my best images using the 200-400 lens with and without the built-in 1. 4x extender, and then attaching the 2x extender. If there is any loss in clarity, it is more than compensated by the added pixel detail from the closer image.

Photos taken of the moon using the lens combination proved to be noticeably superior to those taken with the zoom lens alone, both at 400mm and 560mm (using the built-in 1. 4x extender). One issue to note is that the lens does not auto focus with the lens combination using the built-in 1.

4x extender, because the resulting aperture of f/11 does not allow for auto focus to function. Auto focus does operate without use of the 1. 4x built-in extender, however. All my lunar eclipse photos were taken at maximum focal length (1120mm) using the internal (1.

4x) and external (2x) extenders together. This required use of precise manual focus with my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV live view 10x zoom function, which became more and more difficult as the moon light subsided.

In hindsight, perhaps I should have also tried autofocus without using the 1. 4x internal extender (800mm focal length, f/8 aperture) and compared those images. But that’s for another time. I have also tried the 2x extender with my Canon 100-200 f/4 zoom and found it easy to take hand held shots with rapid auto focus, perfect for wildlife and outdoor sports photography where portability is a must.

Needless to say, I am happy with my purchase and eager to to experiment with its use in a wide variety of photographic projects in the future.

I recently purchased another Fotasy brand adapter which works just fine. So, I presumed I can trust this brand, and purchased this Nikon F mount with aperture ring for G lenses to Nikon Z mount adapter.

F Mount Tightness When I attempted to attach a lens to the F mount end, it wouldn’t go on all the way. So, I tried a couple more lenses with the same result. With the third lens, I tried twisting a little harder, and prayed I don’t break the lens.

To my surprise, the lens twisted further onto the bayonet mount. I gave it a stronger twist, and the mount lock clicked. I removed the lens, and tried it again. Then, I tried the other two lenses. As it turns out, the F mount on the adapter is a little out of specification.

So, a lot of force is required to mount and dismount lenses. I’ve owned enough Nikon F mount camera bodies and F mount accessories to know this adapter’s F mount is faulty. Mount Lock Release Lever The mount lock pin release lever has a wedding cake shaped button.

It functions, but I dislike it. The shape implies that it should be pressed in. However, it must actually be pulled toward the camera body. This is a bad design. Other F mounts on the accessories I have which are made by Nikon employ a press-in button in the same place.

Alignment Indicator Nikon camera bodies, lenses, and lens accessories all have a white dot on the exterior for aligning with the white dot on the exterior of the item with which it mates. This Fotasy adapter instead has a red dot on the mating surface for the F mount.

This is counterintuitive. A white dot on the exterior should be used. Mechanical Inclination Requirement I’m not bragging, but I’m more mechanically inclined than most. My partner, however, is average.

She was unable to figure out how to mount and dismount a lens onto and from this adapter. On the other hand mounting and dismounting the same lens onto and from an old Nikon extension tube was very easy for her – and me.

Price Fotasy’s adapters are priced lower than their competition. Although you might get lucky to purchase one of their adapters which works fine, I recommend against this particular one. Spend a little more and get something that has better design and quality control.

I won’t be purchasing Fotasy products again.

Solid build – all metal. Use the tiny hex key included to line up the center line of the lens with the mark on the adaptor. The adaptor bayonet locks into place on the Nikon Z camera. I have a Z 7 and Z fc and the adaptor works perfectly on both.

A word of caution for anyone just getting started with vintage lenses. The M42 and T Mount threading are nearly identical. Both are 42mm in diameter. But the M42 has a 1mm thread pitch and the T Mount has a 0.

75mm thread pitch. So if it feels like the lens isn’t screwing on properly it could easily be that.

The body of the adapter is well made. The machining is clean, the anodizing crisp, and everything bolts together with just the right ‘snug’ factor. The big weakness is the tripod adapter. It’s attached to the barrel with two dinky screws and two locating pins.

This setup ‘works’ to a degree, but is not as rigid and durable as it needs to be. There is tactile flex, and I suspect that the small threads will give up the ghost after just a few re-tightening cycles.

To address this, I filed the anodizing off the barrel and tripod mount and glued the parts together with good old JB weld. Now the tripod adapter is solidly attached and the entire assembly is ‘properly functional.

‘.

This adapter works as expected. It allows me to use my original 58mm Canon MR macro ring flash on my new 67mm RF 100mm macro lens. The construction seem sturdy and not some cheap plastic. I only wish it wasn’t as expensive.

I tried to purchase this in NZ (New Zealand), but could not, so I went international (B & H), and must admit that I was a little nervous about doing so. Well, B & H proved to be top notch and reliable, and dispatched the ring immediately; it reached me (from the USA) within 10 days, and most of that delay was probably domestic (I am a little isolated where I live – from a nearby city to home can take 3 days in the regular mail).

Thanks. The ring might appear expensive, but when you receive it you’ll be surprised about the amount of engineering involved, and it feels like quality. Even though I said that the ring was expensive, what it fits to is considerably more expensive(!!).

Moreover, through B & H this ring was CONSIDERABLY cheaper than it was through any other source I found online. So, at the end of the day I give B & H and this little ring 5 stars.

This adapter should come included with the macro lite flash but it doesn’t. This adapter is essential to use the macro lite flash with the Canon 100mm is macro lens though so I had to buy one. It does it’s job well and the macro light easily clips on and off which is convenient.

It’s built of sturdy metal but doesn’t get 5 stars because it gets stuck on the lens too easily and is difficult to remove. If canon made the edges perforated like most lens filter edges are then you could grip it with your finger more easily.

This adapter is smooth all the way around so if you cross thread it onto the lens or overtighten it onto your lens there’s nothing to grip and it’s a pain to remove.

I wanted to check out macro before having the expense of a dedicated macro lens. These are perfect with my Canon 50mm lens and work so well that I don’t think I’ll even bother with the macro. I shoot jewelry so my subjects don’t move.

I was told AF would not work with these, but it does. Not a feature I’d use often, but nice to know it does work.

Very well made Extension tubes. Identical quality to the Canon set, except that Kenko supplies 3 tubes while Canon has only a 2 tube set. The Kenkos are also considerably less expensive. However, do not put the Kenko tubes in the same class as the cheap, ($15-50) class of tubes available mostly from China.

There is no comparison. Mechanically, they lock flawlessly into the camera body and the lens. There is virtually no mechanical slop or wiggle. Electrically, the gold plated contacts connect the camera electronics to the lens without issues.

Auto-focus and aperture control is maintained without the intermittent problems that cheaper tubes exhibit. The interior is flat black with anti-reflective ribbing; something the cheap tubes do no include.

Even if you pay $130. 00 for a new set, it is still a bargain.

This set of extension tubes do what they are designed for. They allow you to focus closer to the subject so you get a basic macro capability without having to purchase expensive macro lenses. These seem to be well made.

They have the electronic connections for operating the lens, however auto focus is usually not workable. That is likely due to the nature of the camera and / or the lens. So, even if they have the connections, just be aware that auto focus likely will not work well, if at all.

I made two images as tests for the tubes. On the first, I stack all of the tubes together for a 68 mm stack. Auto focus would not work as the camera could not determine a focus point. This is the image of the flower below.

I made another image of an ornament on the 12 mm tube and I was able to get auto focus on occasion. On this image, the auto focus worked. Depth of field is very shallow when macro is also shot so close to the camera.

The flower image is shot at f9, and only the very front of the flower is in focus. The ornament was shot at f14 and it has a slightly longer focal plane. Likely, I will approach the use of these tubes with image stacking to get more detail in the images.

The build quality seems well enough. There is a little play in the tubes, but I do not feel it is a problem. I like the fact they have metal connectors, versus plastic. I removed one star because auto focus is not a reality.

Outstanding results on my 105mm 2. 5. Even better image quality than I expected. Allows close focusing and substantially greater image magnifcation, increasing the lens’ versatility. One caveat: if you aren’t familiar with macro or close up photography, recognize that your depth of field will be narrow, and you will need to use a small aperture especially if shooting hand held.

Excellent addition to my video kit. I was told that this would not work on a Canon XA30 camcorder by the staff but I had already ordered it. When it arrived I was very apprehensive. It fitted the camera without any problems.

At first I could not get it to focus (panicing). then I moved my tripod/camera closer to the subject and voila. Wow! Highly recommend a suitable close up lens to anyone. I am now considering a 250d in future to get even closer.

Don’t think of it as a magnifier. It lets you put the front of the lens closer to the object. Now you have more pixels of the object and fewer pixels of unwanted background. Depth of field is reduced as well because the object fills more of the frame.

You’ll probably want to use a tripod. Doesn’t everyone? There are websites and books that explain how to calculate the effects of close-up lenses. I carry a small notebook with depth-of-field and minimum focusing distances for various lenses I use with other c/u lenses.

The Canons weren’t available when I wanted a 72-mm to go on a Canon 28-135 mm so I bought another double-element lens from Adorama. It goes everywhere. Even though I have a 60-mm Canon macro, I use the c/u lens more often because it’s convenient.

It halves the minimum focusing distance. I mostly use it for flowers and cooperative bugs.