Zeikos ZE-CVAFN Auto Focus Macro Extension Tubes for Nikon

I've never had/used extension tubes, my photography had mostly involved people and landscapes, but I found myself increasingly interested in more diverse techniques, including long-exposure and what I'd call "subject studies" (musical instruments, wineglasses lit by candles, icicles) including close-ups that were sometimes pushing the limit of my shortest lens (a 50mm F/1.4G)Now I'm no pro, I seldom earn money at this; I've had a little formal training, and I have a good working grasp of depth of field, and I love vibration reduction because I don't usually like to bother with a tripod. It's probably relevant to know I paired these to a Nikon D5000, so there's already some funny math involving the focal length as it regards hitting the DX sensor, and to set the stage the lens in question has a minimum focus range around 16-18" which already allows for some fairly close-in work.With the 20mm tube on I can focus as close as 4" but (and this is a big but for most people) if I've got the lens open all the way to F1.4 and focus that close the depth of field is quite literally no more than 1/16" and for a lot of subjects that's really not enough. Even set to max/infinite range the effective focus point is well inside a foot (with this particular geometry, I haven't tested the 12mm tube in such exacting detail yet.)In other words, you've got to tighten the F-stop down and lengthen the exposure time (or add a LOT of light,) so you'll virtually always want to mount the camera, since the slightest little shimmy from camera shake will undermine your effort and make the whole image just look out of focus - and you'll probably be getting better results by either using a remote shutter release (or a delay so the camera settles down on the tripod after you've pressed the button before the shutter actually opens.) I have gotten some acceptable results with the camera very firmly braced against a solid table and relatively long exposures...So do it. Absolutely get some tubes, you're reading these reviews, you're curious - do it.I've seen two objections in other reviews:First, there were some who bemoaned the absence of any alignment marks - well, either they don't know what to look for or Zeikos has done an update, because there are certainly very clear marks on the set I got.Second, stiffness threading them on or off, including one reviewer who said a tube was stuck. This does not have the feel of Nikon equipment (in fact, it's the first non-Nikon hardware I've used other than keeping a third-party spare battery on hand) but I can't compare it to how a similar Nikon set would feel. It is stiff, and the release levers are not of the quality you have on your Nikon body, by any means. So, 4 stars rather than 5 based on stuff that doesn't actually impact the photos: there's stiffness cranking them on, or off, no question, particularly the "tube to lens" side of the process (but there's some stiffness on the "tube to camera" fit, too) and that means I won't change them constantly out of concern I may be putting wear and tear on the Nikon fittings, and the release levers aren't confidence-inspiring.Still I didn't expect the quality of a Nikon engineered product from Zeikos, and all the tube really has to do is twist on (and off) then pass signals between the lens and the body, and for that I give this very high marks indeed. If I could justify more money I'd surely have skipped the Zeikos, but it was a whim and I'm rarely paid for my work (and thus far never for anything that didn't involve people as the subjects.)I've been inspired to take pictures - lots of pictures. Some are amusing, some are junk, a few are gems, but the bottom line is in the title at the top: inspiring.Footnote: my Amazon order was fulfilled by Cameta - and they got the shipment to me sooner than they promised (some credit goes to the USPS, too.)

I ve been using them every day for a week. The metallic button to release the rings is not well done, you have to push hard and if you attach only the little one to the lens is very hard to remove it. One of the three rings,the bigger one, when is attached to the camera and lens, you can move it up and down,I mean, I use a tripod, a manual macro and a remote control to be sure nothing moves, but every time the camera shoot, I can see the entire lens moving itself,crap. The other two are working perfectly and they fit with precision.Is a cheap product that works but obviously there is no quality control, then is a lottery.Maybe you get the whole 3 rings working properly or maybe not, I wish I could use all of them at the same time.:/Cant say anyhitng about autofocos cos I own the Tokina 100/2.8 ATX Digital Ready 1:1 AF-D Macro (great macro, super sharp)and the Nikon D5100, nice pictures tho.

I was somewhat hesitant to buy these tubes because some people complained that they get stuck occasionally when mounted on the camera. The set that I got works perfect. It attaches and de-attaches from the camera and lenses flawlessly.Build quality is actually very good (obviously not as good as original Nikon tubes but I am really impressed).When I researched this product (and I have done A LOT of research!) no one mentioned that using extension tubes reduces focus range DRASTICALLY!I knew that they allow to shorten minimum focus distance for non-macro lenses but I didn't know that they also reduce maximum focus distance.For example: My Nikkor 18-105 has minimum focus distance of 1.48ft.(0.45m)and maximum is infinity. After attaching one tube the focus range drops from 2cm to maybe 10cm. No infinity focusing. It's not a big deal if it comes to pseudo macro photography but please be aware that bigger extension tube = smaller focus range. And believe me, it gets really small. Add all the tubes on your lens and your focus range is maybe 2cm.You cannot use extension tubes for anything else than macro shots.Another thing worth mentioning is that extension tubes don't work well on wide angle lenses. In my case I noticed that I have to be zoomed in to at least 50mm to have things in focus. Anything wider and the subject would have to be inside the lens to stay in focus.One more thing. Extension tubes have bigger effect on normal zoom lenses than on the telephoto lenses.Overall I am satisfied with this product. It has limitations but it is great, inexpensive alternative to using macro lens (but not a replacement! Nothing beats dedicated macro lens).Sample shots at:[...]I hope this review helps :)

The extension tubes work as advertised... easy to put on the camera, Auto focus still works but the user will be limited to take pictures of static objects: flowers for instance. Almost impossible to use the extension tubes for taking pictures of bugs.A tripod is almost a must when using these extension tubes.As mentioned, nothing wrong with the extension tubes but I would rather save the money on the extension tubes and invest in a true macro lens if this is the type of photography that you are interested in.Hope this is helpful