Will Nikon be making ext. tubes for auto lenses?

[cmonkey]

I'm going on a trip to Brazil, where I hear the flowers and insects are quite beautiful. I want to carry minimal

equipment because I'll be taking a tripod, and just a dslr and my 50mm lens. Normally I would use my bellows to

do closeup shots, but thought I would look into buying an Nikon extension tube. I was a little surprised that

Nikon doesn't make tubes that meter and autofocus? Does anyone know if they plan to, or have any experience with

Kenko (I think) that makes tubes with the contacts? Will newer AF lenses work with these tubes? The camera will

be a D100 by the way.

[adolphius_st._clair]

I have the Promaster Extension Tube set that fits Nikon AF (code 9860) that works ok with my N90 and the model D40X. This set is made in japan.

[ronald_moravec1]

Buy some quality multielement close up lenses such as the ones made by Nikon.

[william_john_smith1]

Nikon extension tubes will meter but not auto focus.

[alex_lofquist]

The Kenko Uniplus tubes will meter and AF with your Nikkor lenses. I use the 30mm tube to get a little closer with some of my lenses. In your case I'd definitely think about getting a longer macro lens instead of an extension tube. It's all about having some working distance between you and your subject. (Especially if you expect to photograph those colorful Brazillian butterflies.) As for the close-up lenses, Nikon stopped manufacturing the 3T-6T achromats a couple years ago. You may still be able to find them around, but you'll still have that problem with enough working distance.

[frank uhlig]

How will anyone benefit from autofocus in macro work? Manual focus is what one uses with macro. Exposure control is nice and useful, however.

[joseph_wisniewski]

"Nikon extension tubes will meter but not auto focus."

 

They will not meter on a D100.

 

"How will anyone benefit from autofocus in macro work?"

 

Two words: "live insects".

[joseph_wisniewski]

Cheryl, unless you need the speed of a 50mm f1.8 or f1.4, I'd suggest that you take a 60mm f2.8 macro instead of the 50mm. (get a used one from KEH, then sell it after the trip, unless you get addicted to it). The 60mm isn't particularly heavy, and it packs as small as a 50mm and a set of tubes.

 

Pretty much all lenses will work with the Kenko tubes. I've used them with small primes like your 50, with AF macro lenses, with zooms like the 70-200mm f2.8, and even with my 300mm f2.8.

 

I don't expect to see any new tubes from Nikon: their tubes were all designed to solve specific "problems" that no longer exist in 2008. The PK-13 and PN-11 were designed back in the days where their macro lenses only went to 1:2 magnification, and take the 55mm and 105mm macros up to 1:1.

 

The Kenko tubes exist because Kenko makes a large line of low cost teleconverters, and all they have to do is leave out the lens "capsule" to be able to offer them as a line of tubes.