Waching daily Dec 4 2017

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.