Build A Very Cheap Macro Extension Tube

Have you ever wondered what’s the magical substance inside macro extension tubes? Very often they seem like they are just a piece of thick tube.

Well, that’s because they are. Or, at least the cheaper ones are. Usually the more expensive one have the ability to have the electrical contacts maintain between the lens and the body, all the rest is just a fancy, hollow, empty, light-tight tunnel of air.

Being so simple it is really tempting to make a macro tube out of a, say a hollow light-tight-regular-tube.

Which is exactly what Instructables user snelpiller did.

Snelpiller used a lens cup and a body cup to place a light tight tube between camera and lens. The results are surprisingly good.

That is no surprise to, since the air in the tube has very little effect on the optical qualities of the lens. (Click the image below to see big size)

For the full tutorial, visit the instructable page here.

Have you played around with creating a macro extension? Share your contraption in the comments.