They only cost me £8 on ebay and are superb quality Japanese made Chinon tubes, that although they don't have aperture control do fit extremely well with no chance of getting stuck on the camera or lens. I don't feel I need the 'A' control as I usually use the tubes in conjunction with prime lenses that have an aperture ring, so no need for me to spend more. I find I get excellent images from something like my K55 F1.8, or my M50 F1.4, when used at between F11 and F16.

I do think that a good starting point for learning macro is to use an older 50mm lens with tubes, or reversed, as it's great fun and usually gives excellent IQ.

Regards
David

Hi Carl, you're probably right, I was quoting what I paid, but I'm damned if I can remember which seller I bought these from and I don't have the receipt! I usually shop around quite a lot, so most of my stuff is bought at bargain basement prices!

Regards
David

How did you control the aperture on the 55-300 Roger? Do your tubes have the aperture control, as mine don't, so I can't use them with the 55-300 as it has no aperture ring.

Regards
David

Thanks for this Gary, very useful /informative.

Regards
David

I would try to stretch to a Hitech set of ND Grads if you can. For a 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 85mm soft grad set you will pay about £45 and IMHO it's worth spending at least this amount. A cheap Chinese made holder (Cokin A type) will only cost a few pounds.

I would also recommend buying something like a Haida 10 stop filter, screw-in type, in the largest size you can afford and then buy some cheap step-up rings so you can use it on lenses with a smaller diameter filter ring. The Haida 77mm is about £45 and with this you can easily create exposures of 2 minutes or more.

I know this is a significant investment if you're on a budget, but I doubt if you will find anything as good for much less.

Regards
David

Have you checked that the contacts are clean on both lens and camera? Also, does it happen with just one lens, or with several? I've experienced similar with my Sigma 105mm DG EX Macro as it seems more sensitive to being mounted absolutely spot on than any of my other lenses, but I keep the contacts clean and don't have a big problem with it.

Of course, it might not be this that's affecting your camera, but it may be worth cleaning both lens and camera to see if it makes a difference.

Regards
David

Excellent shots Mike, beautifully presented. The only one I'm not sure about is the sunset one which looks a bit too dark. I do think pictures are better than words, as words often seem to get me into trouble

Cheers
David

I have the non-OS version and it's not at all soft, in fact it's very sharp; I don't think there's any difference optically between the two lenses AFAIK.

I can understand the benefits mentioned above by Blythman and others with regard to the in lens stabilisation being preferable, but whether or not it's worth the extra £200 would be down to personal preference and I can't offer any opinion on this as I haven't used the OS version.

If Alan (Blythman's) shots are anything to go by it looks like the OS works a treat, but I suspect this is more due to Alan's technique and expertise with a camera!

Regards
David

Did you find any?

We are lucky as they are resident in our garden, although they are still quite hard to find. I have seen some up to 5 or 6 feet in length on occasions.

I think I've gone a bit off-topic!

Cheers
David

It seems to work pretty well David! These are excellent, great detail and I really like the tight framing the lens has enabled.

Regards
David