Extension tubes

[stephen_lilley]

I'm still waiting for the delivery of my Nikon 500mm F4 P lens so have to content myself for the moment with

planning how I am going to use it and asking questions on the forum , which seems to ease my frustration, so

thankyou for bearing with me. My question tonight is , as the closest focus distance of this lens is about 6metres, I

may have to use an extension tube in certain situations. I often see the Nikon PK series of tubes recommended for

this type of use, I have a PN11 which I use for close up work, would this be of use to me with my 500mm lens. to

reduce CFD.

Regards Stephen

[oskar_ojala]

Sure, the PN-11 will give you a magnification of 1:10 when the 500/4 is focused to infinity and obviously more when you focus it closer. For a lens that long, the PN-11 should be a good choice to get a bit closer. Don't try magnification ratios like 1:2 though, the focal length is too long to do that conveniently.

[joseph_smith3]

Any of the Nikon made ext tubes work fine with this lens. Many photographers attach the smallest ext tube, the Nikon PK 11A tube, 8mm thick, to the lens so you can get closer shots and not lose any f stops if an animal or bird gets closer than the minimum focusing distance of the lens. If the tube is left on, you will not be able to achieve focus at maximum distance. You can use your PN11 tube too with it or without it. Joe Smith

[curt wiler]

The above are correct, but you will give up the information the P lens transmits electrically. I carry the Kenko 36mm tube in case I need to get slightly closer with this lens - or my favorite 400mm f/3.5 which has been chipped. Depending on what I am doing, anything longer will slow me down because of the limited focus range. Given the price, I would recommend the complete set of 3 tubes.

[leicaglow]

I did a test to help another member here on pnet with a 300mm AF and an extension tube. I was actually quite surprised that the sharpness was superb.

[joseph_smith3]

Regarding Curt's response, Curt is correct that the Nikon tubes are non electronic. However, whether the info, like metering, is transferred or not is a function of the camera body used with the 500 P lens/Nikon tube. With Nikon digital cameras like the D 200, D 300, and up, the info is transferred. AF is not transferred, but is a non issue in that the P lens is manual focus. Joe Smith