Macro - On a Budget

I heart Macro. It can take an ordinary subject and make it look otherworldly. It makes you look at your subject closer, to notice characteristics you wouldn't have otherwise. I knew I wanted to do macro when I first bought my DSLR. Then my heart sank when I saw the price of a macro lens. But after some research I realised there are many other options to a dedicated macro lens. So a couple of months ago my husband bought me a Canon Extension Tube EF 25 II for my birthday. They're also available in Nikon and Kenko.

So straight out of the box I took these comparison shots of my birthday flower bouquet with my 50mm 1.8 alone and together with my new extension tube. My focus was off but you get an idea of the magnification capabilities.
The extension tube goes between your lens and your camera body. My extension tube moves my lens 25mm away from my camera body. This means that I can focus closer to my subject and increases the magnification by 0.5, makes sense, right!? See this site for an explantion of this.
An extension tube doesn't have any optics but the Canon does have electric coupling. Some cheaper brands don't. This means that you can still control your settings.Which is really handy!
Autofocus is a bit flaky, so you have to focus manually. Although I believe this is recommended for a macro lens also. I have this little trick that I was a bit embarrassed about but I see Megan Cieloha does it too so I feel I can admit it now. I set my focus ring close to where I need it then I sway gently in and out from my subject till I see it in focus then I snap. If it's a moving target I may shoot in bursts.

So these are the pros and cons of extension tubes in my opinion:

Pros:

• Cost, compared to a macro lens it's really cheap
• Weight, it's really light and my Canon one comes in a little drawstring pouch so I take it with my camera all the time. You never know when you'll see something that would be great in macro. 
• Compared to lens reversing rings, another macro option, you have electronic coupling and your lens is protected.

Cons:

• The magnification isn't as great as a macro lens and depending on the lens you're using it with the clarity and sharpness may be inferior. But that's why you pay so much for a macro lens.
• Depending on the lens you use it with you may end up with an long unwieldy lens and I've read that you may end up practically touching your subject. My 50mm focuses quite a distance away and is so small anyway that it's great for me.

So that's my take on macro with an extension tube. I'm so glad there are budget options out there. I think practicing macro photography has really improved my photography, because it hones your skills, makes you look closely at your subject and there is little room for error. I love the images it's allowed me to capture.
For inspiration and information check out these two great tutorials about macro photography on Clickin Moms, one by Sarah Wilkerson and another by Megan Cieloha.