Macro lens

jewlee728

I have a Canon Rebel T5 and purchased a Raynox DC250. Do I need an extension tube for this? Are there any cheat sheets for this?

PBked

Hi,
The Raynox is not a lens per se. It is an attachment for use on your camera lens to enable super close-ups. You do not say which lens you are pairing it to, but it should have come with adaptors to fit various diameters of lenses. You do not need extension tubes as these are yet another way of producing super close-ups.
Many shots of the compound eyes of flies have been achieved with the Raynox. There are a few downsides such as a very limited depth of field and lighting (obviously, you are so close to your subject that you or your camera block out the light). However, using the T5 and live view with your camera mounted on a sturdy tripod, you should be able to get some good results.
@Moose will not have produced cheat sheets for the Raynox as it is an accessory not an actual lens.
Regards,
PBked

bruto

I do not know all the details of the Rebel in question, but one of the great advantages of a diopter lens such as the Raynox is that it does not require extension tubes, which tend to be quite expensive if you want to retain electronic control of the lens. The camera's interaction with the lens is not lost when you simply put something in front of it.

In the case of Nikon "G" lenses, a manual extension tube does not work at all, because there is no manual aperture control. So unless you use electronically compatible tubes, the lens will operate only at minimum aperture.

Obviously, if the Raynox in question is not giving you enough macro magnification, you either need a more powerful diopter or extension tubes, bellows, or other macro-specific gadgetry. Within its range, it should work alone, and there is no other macro accessory as convenient.

jewlee728

I was just pairing it with the 18-135mm lens that is on the camera, and I also have a zoom lens. Would it be more beneficial to use the zoom lens also?

bruto

An 18-135mm is a zoom too. Not sure what your other lens is. The beauty of this setup is you can put it on nearly anything, and see for yourself how it works. Just try it. Keep experimenting and erasing mistakes until you find what you like.

Basically, whatever lens you put this on, the image will be magnified, focus made closer, and you will lose long or infinity focus. Edges may be less sharp and linear, but for many things this is simply not important.

A longer focal length will allow you to be further from your object, and for things like bugs on flowers, or where you and the camera tend to shade your subject, you may like the long end of the 18-135mm. With the kit 18-55mm zoom, you'll almost certainly want it at the long 55mm end. On the other hand, longer focal lengths can be harder to hold steady, so you might need to go shorter if light is poor and shutter speed low. Your depth of field will be very shallow, so you most likely will need to keep the aperture down in the range of f/11 or so.

The review on this site includes some sample pictures that are pretty impressive, but no specifics on what lenses were used for them. The review suggests that the 18-55mm zoom set at 55mm will give good results. Try it and see.

jewlee728

Thank you for all your suggestions.