Is one brand of tubes better than another? I see B&H only caries Kenko tubes. Adorama has a couple Canon tubes. Are the Canon tubes that much better than the aftermarket brand to justify the extra price? I can get a set of 3 Kenko tubes for about the same price as one Canon 25mm tube. If there was glass in the tubes, I'm sure there would be a noticeable differance, but since thier isn't, is this one accessory where someone can get away with the less expensive alternative, and not have the image quality suffer? I see the new Canon tubes will accept the EF-S lens, but I don't think that alone is enough reason to go with the Canon version.

What are youru thoughts?

Michael, I have always tried to buy "brand" specifc equipment so that quality (at least perceived) and compatibility would never be an issue. However, like you I went to buy Canon tubes until I found out that they are the most expensive hollow tubes of air you can buy. I tested them anyways along with a different third party set of three (yes, same as the cost of 1 Canon). I could feel a difference in the mounting integrity of the non-Canon tubes. But since there was no problem mating the electrical contacts, I went with non-Canon tubes and saved $360 ($180 x 2).

Now if my lens falls off and shatters because of a failed mount, then I'll be a little perturbed. Until then, I'm happy with the savings. Image-wise, no one will notice the difference.

Michael, let me know if you would like to see some samples using these tubes. What lens are you thinking about using it with?

Thanks for the info Loupey. I would be using the tubes with the EF 100mm F/2.8 USM macro lens for the most part, but would also like to use them with my 170-500mm Sigma, EF70-200mm f/2.8 IS (when I finally make the purchase) and possibly a kit lens or two.

Do you have any problem hand holding the camera when using them? What brand did you get? Some sample images would be great if you have them handy.

I have te Kenko set for both nikon & minolta. They work just fine & are well built.
Mark.

I have te Kenko set for both nikon & minolta. They work just fine & are well built.
Mark.

Thanks for the info Mark!

Yes, you can use them hand held, but for the most part you may want to use a tripod and small apertures to get some dof. at high mag dof will be very short.
Mark.

Thanks for the info Loupey.

Do you have any problem hand holding the camera when using them? What brand did you get? Some sample images would be great if you have them handy.

OK, please note for the record that I am going out on a BIG "limb" ;) posting such horrific photos. But I'm doing it only for the purpose of helping someone else out. These are from the EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS shot near the 200mm end with various tubes (12mm, 20mm, and 36mm). By the way, my tube set is an inexpensive Promaster, Spectrum 7.

I shot these test images with full intentions that not even my wife would see them (let alone 8.4 billion people). Oh well, what the heck! Yes, those are my ugly toes (didn't have time for a pedicure, sorry). And the hamster, don't look into its eyes as only the tip of the nose and some whiskers are in focus - that bugger is faster than anything I've come across in the field.

As for the lenses you listed, I would attempt hand-holding only with IS lenses (which works by the way in addition to the AF) and even then only under ideal conditions. If you use tubes with the 100mm macro, which already has extension built in, your focusing distance is going to be something like an inch or two? Nice thing about using the tubes with high quality zooms is that you have infinitely adjustable magnification (within limits of the total magnification range) by altering the zoom and focusing distance. In other words, if you and your subject are immovable (like having a perfectly placed tripod and a perfectly placed gecko) you can alter the magnification by zooming even with tubes in place. Try that with any dedicated macro!

Careful! If I get a lot of flack about these gruesome photos, I'm going to go back and delete them:D

By the way, I chose those photos because I figured all of you would know the relative sizes of the subjects shown. I'm a size 10 shoe.

Again, if you knew me, you'd call me...
Loupey (I know it's spelled the other way)

Thanks for all the info and the pics Loupey!