m4/3s extension tubes

[OzRay]

For those using m4/3s cameras for macro etc, there is now available a set exclusively for that system, available from (no association whatsoever on my part): http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0483712000.



I enquired a while back about the possibility of these being made and was pleasantly surprised that the manufacturer saw fit to do so. I'm now eagerly waiting the RMS adapter which is supposedly also on it's way, both flat and cone I believe. I've got several RJ adapters for my 4/3s and m4/3s systems and the quality is very good.

Cheers

Ray

[rjlittlefield]

Thank you for the link.

I'm not sure I understand how these things work. I think that what I'm seeing is one adapter with bayonet to fit the camera on the adapter's back and female threads on the front; a second adapter with male threads on the back and bayonet to fit the lens on front; and a set of extension tubes with threads on both ends. Is that correct?

--Rik

[OzRay]

Thank you for the link.

I'm not sure I understand how these things work. I think that what I'm seeing is one adapter with bayonet to fit the camera on the adapter's back and female threads on the front; a second adapter with male threads on the back and bayonet to fit the lens on front; and a set of extension tubes with threads on both ends. Is that correct?

--Rik

Yes, you effectively get four extension tubes for the price of one (if you include just the camera and lens flange). You just mix and match between the three tubes to suit the magnifcation that you're after, depending on the lens being used. This really makes for a very effective and inexpensive way to get a wide range of magnifications. There's no electronic coupling between lens and camera of course, but just about everyone here is used to manual focus/exposure anyway.

Cheers

Ray

[Craig Gerard]

This appears to be a generic set of tubes made by Massa (whoever they are). Pricing for these can vary; but they appear to be the same.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Macro-Extension-Tub ... 0446252337

The set I have jiggles. You need to consider protecting the electronic contacts on the camera. These tubes offer no such protection.

If Kenko or Olympus make such adapters, I'd choose to pay the extra money...

Craig

[ChrisR]

They look like the common "Chinese" sets which are under $10, and are just like Rik describes. I have a couple of sets with different fittings, so it's easy to adapt between makes. Unfortunately one fitting which is not available, is "OM" format Olympus. Mine have threads about 57mm in the middle.

The bayonets on mine are adequate, but not great. They benefitted from some judicious bending with pliers.
There aren't any baffles inside, and the internal coating is quite shiny, too, but those things can be dealt with.

[OzRay]

There are lots of Chinese brands about, some are very good, others are average. These are the only ones so far that suit micro 4/3s specifically and I think they should be good, as RJ camera has always made a quality product. If they aren't good for any reason, I'll be letting him know and I'm sure that he will fix any issues.

It's very unlikely that anyone will make fully electronic extension tubes, Olympus won't allow even the tele-extender and macro tube to couple together with the camera. That said, I don't really see any need for such coupling, as the exposure function works fine without and in most cases with macrophotography etc, you're manual focussing anyway, whether it's just rocking back and forth or using a focussing rail.

Mine's on order, so I'll pass on what I think about it when it arrives.

Cheers

Ray

[Craig Gerard]

Ray,

It will be good to hear your report once they arrive.

I wanted to introduce a note of caution, because I believe the tubes I purchased contributed to the demise of my Nikon D100

I'm not familiar with the micro 4/3s specifically. There may be some relevant or helpful information at the links below.

http://www.cameraquest.com/adp_micro_43_fd.htm

http://www.cameraquest.com/adp_micro_43.htm


Craig

[OzRay]

Craig

In the majority of cases, there should be no issues with any of the adapters designed for m4/3s. There are a few lenses, such as the wide ones for the Contax G series, where the rear element protrudes so much that it simply can't be used on m4/3s (short flange distance). With any lens designed for SLRs, there shouldn't be an issue, as the adapter is quite long. Lenses designed for rangefinders usually all work well.

I've got adapters to suit Leica/Voigtlander/Minolta M mount, Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, M42 SLR mounts and C mount lenses, and all work fine. The versatility of the system is simply amazing and kind of addictive as well.

Cheers

Ray

[OzRay]

The extension tube set arrived today, so I'll give a quick and dirty report, including some quick and dirty shots.

The bayonet fit on both the camera and lens side is nice and tight, with no slack. The tubes screw together neatly and it's not difficult to find the start of the thread for each tube. The inside of the tubes are machined to reduce internal reflections and flare, but they don't have a matt surface, so whether this induces problems will remain to be seen. It's a nice, compact set of tubes and means that I can easily use all of the lens combinations that I already have, with their own m4/3s adapters.

The only thing that's a minor annoyance is that the the lens and camera body don't line up when attached to the tube/s. I guess this can be difficult to do, without extensive work to ensure that each thread aligns perfectly with the mounts. It could be done, but the cost I'd say would rise significantly. But it's not really a problem, as when doing macro work, you need to take your time and be methodical anyway. Or if you wanted to be industrious, you could possibly work the tubes so that they did line up, by adding a stop or somesuch in the body of each tube.

Overall, I'm fairly pleased with these extension tubes.

OK, here are the quick and dirty, hand held, shots taken with a Minolta M-Rokker 90mm f4 lens @f5.6 (I like the standoff distance), at ISO800.

With 4 tubes (including front and rear mount):



With 3 tubes:



With 2 tubes:



With 1 tube (front and rear mount only):



I've still to experiment with dedicated macro lenses but, overall, this simple set of tubes provides a lot of versatility for my m4/3s system.

Cheers

Ray

[ChrisR]

Maybe try some plumbers' PTFE/Teflon thread seal tape on the threads? It would make the thread go tight before it hits its end-stop.

[OzRay]

Maybe try some plumbers' PTFE/Teflon thread seal tape on the threads? It would make the thread go tight before it hits its end-stop.

Unfortunately that won't work, as the thread is too fine and taking tubes on and off would mean you'd be forever winding tape on and off, and risking geting tape inside the camera. You could probably fix it by simply stripping the tread on the female part, to stop the male part from turning past a certain point. But it's not really a big deal in any case, more cosmetic than a functional issue.

Cheers

Ray

[Tesselator]

Just a quicky note to add in support.

Don't use teflon (pipe) tape on surfaces that are exposed to the sensor. Pipe tape produces really fine, really sticky, almost microscopic flecks. Lots and lots of them - when rubbed or abraded. I have no anecdotal evidence to offer but I would think this would be one of the worst things you could ever get on your sensor - for once on it's likely to act like a gum - so self cleaning techniques would be out the window.

[PaulFurman]

Oh, the alignment issue must have to do with getting the aperture ring readable from the top. That's a tough one I've encountered too. It would indeed be more complex to have an adjustable rotation with a set screw and a cheap solution would end up wobbly. Probably RRS or Novoflex has such a thing for $300 or so :-)