Review of the Canon Extension Tube EF 12. Shooting close-ups can be slightly expensive for some, especially when a true Macro lens is being used for such situations. Canon offers four Macro lenses in its EF line-up - the EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro, EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro, EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM and EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM - of which the 180mm telephoto is the most expensive of the lot. Of course, one doesn't really need to use a true Macro lens for shooting close-ups. There are alternatives to this: the first is with close-up lenses, which can be screwed onto the front of the shooting lens just like a filter. Canon offers three types of such lenses: the 250D, 500 and 500D. The sizes available are from 52mm to 77mm. Type 250D is available in only 52mm and 58mm. Or, one can rely on EF zoom lenses that have close focusing capabilities built-in. The close focusing of the EF zoom lenses will not get you magnifications greater than 1:4X but good enough for most applications of objects not smaller than an EOS 300 camera body. Another affordable alternative is the use of automatic exposure extension tubes for shooting close-ups. Canon has two such tubes: Extension Tube EF 12 and EF 25 (reviewed in issue No: 2). In this issue, the focus is on the EF 12 version. The EF 12 tube is thinner and more compact than the EF 25 version (see photos below). Canon Extension Tubes EF 25 (left) and EF 12 EF 25 (left) and EF 12     Some of the EF lenses usable with EF 12 Comes with a soft leather case However, while these tubes are great alternatives to shoot close-ups, there are several EF lenses that cannot be used with them. With the EF 25, it cannot be used on lenses such as the EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye, EF 14mm f/2.8L USM, EF 20mm f/2.8 USM, EF 24mm f/1.4L USM, EF50mm f/1.0L USM, TS-E 24mm f/3.5L and the extreme wider end of the EF 17-35mm f/2.8L USM, EF 20-35mm f/3.5-4.5 USM and EF 20-35mm f/2.8L AFD zoom lenses as well as EF lenses that cannot be focused manually. For the EF 12, lenses that cannot be used are the EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye, EF 14mm f/2.8L USM, EF 50mm f/1.0L USM and EF lenses that cannot be focused manually. The reason for this will be explained later. Specially for EF lenses, both of these extension tubes are installed between the prime lens and camera body. It is a simple way to enable close-ups at high magnifications. The magnification depends on the prime lens used. With a standard zoom lens, the EF 12 can give a magnification of 0.3x to 0.5x. Although autoexposure is possible, manual focusing or using the focus aid is recommended. << Back to Main . 1 . 2 . 3 .