Pghaworth wrote:.

Got mine yesterday. Packaging came in damaged and I'm concerned thatthe tubes could be damaged without it being visible..

They are pretty simple beasts. Just a tube that (hopefully!) passes through all the body coupling to the mounted lens..

1. Using only the small one I get some auto focus but not all theway. I have to move in finally to get full focus. Is this normal?.

Yes. That's the whole point of tubes. You gain the ability to focus much closer, you lose the ability to focus to infinity..

2. Using more than one no focus at all unless I move-in.

Yep. A 100mm lens with around 30mm of tubes stacked behind will give you a max working distance of a few inches, and that's with the lens focused on infinity..

105mm VR/D300 on manual focus.

1. There is no focusing with the lens. All focus is achieved bymoving closer..

Of course there is focusing. Turn the focus ring. However the focus is really close, even at infinity. You won't see the lens snap into focus unless you are very close to the subject..

So, are they reacting properly or is something amiss?.

Sounds like they are working fine. You could try changing the aperture and use the DOF preview button to check that the camera is able to stop down the aperture..

Thanks in advance for all info offered..

You're welcome..

Seen in a fortune cookie:Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed..

Nickleback wrote:.

Pghaworth wrote:.

105mm VR/D300 on manual focus.

1. There is no focusing with the lens. All focus is achieved bymoving closer..

Of course there is focusing. Turn the focus ring. However the focusis really close, even at infinity. You won't see the lens snap intofocus unless you are very close to the subject..

The ring turns but no focus is achieved with moving in..

So, are they reacting properly or is something amiss?.

Sounds like they are working fine. You could try changing theaperture and use the DOF preview button to check that the camera isable to stop down the aperture..

I was at f13. How much more do you recommend?.

Thanks in advance for all info offered..

You're welcome..

I'm a redhead but my natural color is blonde so I'm at a real disadvantage here.  JK.

Thanks once more.

Seen in a fortune cookie:Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed.

This is truePerspective is Everything..

Pghaworth wrote:.

Nickleback wrote:.

Pghaworth wrote:.

105mm VR/D300 on manual focus.

1. There is no focusing with the lens. All focus is achieved bymoving closer..

Of course there is focusing. Turn the focus ring. However the focusis really close, even at infinity. You won't see the lens snap intofocus unless you are very close to the subject..

The ring turns but no focus is achieved with moving in..

I think you meant without?.

That's the whole point of rings. It makes the lens focus closer. Much closer. What was infinity is now two inches (or whatever, depends on the tube length and focal length)..

Sounds like they are working fine. You could try changing theaperture and use the DOF preview button to check that the camera isable to stop down the aperture..

I was at f13. How much more do you recommend?.

Closing aperture won't help you with focusing..

All I was suggesting was that assuming the ring isn't obviously physically broken, the only thing that can really go wrong is communication between the lens and the camera body. You've already confirmed autofocus works, so the other thing is aperture. You should be able to set the aperture, and confirm by looking into the front the lens while pressing the DOF preview button that the aperture is indeed stopping down..

I'm a redhead but my natural color is blonde so I'm at a realdisadvantage here.  JK.

I've always wondered about this blond = dumb thing. Does this mean the average IQ of a Swede is below room temperature?.

Thanks once more.

You're welcome..

Seen in a fortune cookie:Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed.

This is truePerspective is Everything.

So's this..

Seen in a fortune cookie:Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed..

Nickleback wrote:.

Pghaworth wrote:.

The ring turns but no focus is achieved with moving in..

I think you meant without?.

Duh, blonde roots again. .

I'm a redhead but my natural color is blonde so I'm at a realdisadvantage here.  JK.

I've always wondered about this blond = dumb thing. Does this meanthe average IQ of a Swede is below room temperature?.

Oh yeah, you've just made a lot of blonde enemies. .

Perspective is Everything..

Pghaworth wrote:.

Posted this in the D300 forum and got replies but didn't get the infoI was looking for so thought I'd try here..

I've never used tubes before..

Got mine yesterday. Packaging came in damaged and I'm concerned thatthe tubes could be damaged without it being visible. Since I've neverused tubes before I don't know how they should act to compare whereor not there's a problem. They look fine but aren't doing what Ithougth they would..

I got the Kenko set for Nikon [auto] and here's what I've noticed:.

105mm VR/D300 on auto focus.

1. Using only the small one I get some auto focus but not all theway. I have to move in finally to get full focus. Is this normal?2. Using more than one no focus at all unless I move-in3. Using largest one same as #2.

105mm VR/D300 on manual focus.

1. There is no focusing with the lens. All focus is achieved bymoving closer..

So, are they reacting properly or is something amiss?.

Thanks in advance for all info offered..

When you put extension tubes on a lens, it won't focus to infinity any more. The entire focal range is pretty near the lens. The lens's normal focusing action doesn't do much. Most of the time, you focus by moving the whole camera nearer or further from the subject. I prefer manual focus for macros; I don't know what happens if you try autofocus..

Focusing racks are used a lot for this type of work; they let you put the camera on a tripod and move it in and out with good control..

Leonard Migliore..

For the info. At least now I feel sure the tubes are undamaged since they attached properly and there are no visible signs of damage. They do rattle quite a bit when off the camera but I suspect that's normal..

I'm also looking into purchasing rails but that will be later on as I have to do a lot of research on them first - I have no idea which type is best or what features to look for.Perspective is Everything..

Pghaworth wrote:.

I'm also looking into purchasing rails but that will be later on as Ihave to do a lot of research on them first - I have no idea whichtype is best or what features to look for..

What to look for is smooth operation, range of motion, and movement in 2 axis..

You can go expensive. You'll need two rails, as each rail does one axis only, so to get 2 axis you need to stack. Should be very smooth, very fine adjustment, and obviously lots of range of motion. I haven't used these, but this company's stuff is almost always very well made:.

Http://reallyrightstuff.com/rrs/items.asp?Cc=MACRO&Bc=.

More moderately priced. Not quite as much range, pretty smooth, not quite as fine control. I used to have one of these (but with a different label):.

Http://www.adorama.com/MCFRS.html.

Even less expensive, with less range. Haven't tried these, but had a similar looking unit from Pentax which was 1 axis:.

Http://www.bhphotovideo.com/...11-REG/Velbon_SMAGSLIDER_Super_Mag_Slider.html.

You can also find rails on eBay, especially ones similar to the Adorama rails. oJust search for macro rail. You can usually find these for about $50. I haven't tried these. No idea if they are really comparable or not..

Seen in a fortune cookie:Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed..