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Close-up lenses Three Canon Close up lenses are available. The Close-up lenses 250D and 500D both use two lens elements to reduce colour aberrations. The Close up lens 500 is a one-element accessory for low-cost close-up photography. The 250D is recommended for lens focal lengths from 38mm to 135mm and is available with a 52mm or 58mm filter thread. The 500D and 500 lenses are recommended for focal lengths from 75mm to 300mm and are available with a filter thread of 52mm, 58mm, 72mm or 77mm. Extension Tube EF25 An extension tube is a non-optical device which increases the distance between the lens and the film. This allows the lens to focus much closer than normal, giving increased magnifications. The Extension Tube EF25 adds just over 25mm of extension. It is provided with a full set of EF lens contacts, which allow shooting data to pass between the lens and camera. All camera exposure modes can be used, but spot metering is not possible. A few wideangle EF lenses cannot be used for practical reasons. Extension Tube EF12 Like the EF25, the Extension Tube EF12 is a non-optical accessory. It is about half the length, extending the distance between the lens and the film by just over 12mm. This gives less magnification than the EF25 tube. With both Extension Tubes, autofocusing may operate in some conditions, but will not always be available. Manual focusing is recommended, since a slight change in focus at close distance can have a major effect on the image. The EOS autofocus system can be used for focus confirmation. Close-up lenses and Extension Tubes Close-up lenses screw to the filter mount at the front of the lens, providing a simple, inexpensive method of increasing magnification of the subject. There is no loss of light, and all the camera and lens functions are retained. However, autofocus is not always effective and manual focusing is recommended. With the camera lens at infinity focusing, the working distance between the front of the close up lens and the subject is 250mm (with Close-up lens 250D) or 500mm (with Close-up lenses 500D and 500). Extension tubes fit between the lens and the camera body. The increase in distance between the lens and the film reduces the amount of light reaching the film, but exposure compensation is provided automatically by the EOS system. The increased magnification given by close up lenses and extension tubes means that a tripod is recommended to prevent camera shake spoiling the images. EF Macro Lenses The EOS system features two high-quality macro lenses. These are specifically designed for photography at close shooting distances. Unlike other EF lenses fitted with a close-up lens or extension tube, Macro lenses focus from infinity to extreme close-up without any accessories. This makes them very versatile and convenient to use in a wide variety of shooting conditions. The EF 50mm f2.5 Compact Macro lens focuses down to about 230mm for magnifications up to half life-size. It will give life-size magnification when used with the Life Size Converter EF. The EF 100mm f2.8 Macro covers the full range from infinity to life-size magnification without any accessories. The longer focal length also provides more working distance between the lens and the subject. Macro Ring Lite ML-3 and off Camera TTL Flash Accessories Working with close subject distances can provide lighting problems. The Macro Ring Lite ML-3 overcomes these. Designed for use with the two EF Macro lenses, the ML-3 fits around the end of the lens barrel using a special built-in attachment ring. Twin flash tubes are mounted in the ring. The tubes can be fired together or separately to control the shadows given by the lighting. The flash head rotates so that you can position the shadows to suit the subject. Exposure is handled automatically using TTL flash metering, and there is an exposure confirmation signal lamp. Canon Speedlites can also be used for close-up photography by attaching Off camera TTL flash accessories to move them away from the accessory shoe. This allows you to angle them towards the subject for ideal lighting. FD-EOS Macro Lens Mount Converter & Specialised Accessories For extreme close-up photography, you need the Canon Auto Bellows unit. This can be attached to EOS cameras via the FD-EOS Macro Lens Mount Converter. 20mm and 35mm Macrophoto lenses are used at the front of the bellows. These lenses are designed exclusively for macro photography, giving high-quality results at magnification up to 10x life-size. The Auto Bellows does not have the electronic contacts used in the EOS camera lens mount, so EOS functions such as automatic diaphragm control, auto-focus confirmation and spot metering are not available. However, stop down metering is possible with these accessories.