Extension tubes for Nikonos

[Swimjim]

I just picked up a set of extension tubes for use with my good old Nikonos II. I have used extension tubes on land with my Minoltas over the years so I thought it might be interesting to try some underwater. Has anyone used these? Any tips?

Thanks

Jim

[Colin]

Easy....just set your lens for minimum focus, minimum aperture (f22), and shoot away. Depending on the extension tube and framer attached, you will have a depth of field anywhere between 1/2 and 1/4 inches forward or behind the framer. This is the hardest part for newer macro shooters to understand. Get close, and fire away. Since the NikII does not have TTL capabilities, a manual strobe will be the best option. You'll need to bracket your shots, using the power control, if the strobe has one, or move the strobe toward or away from the subject if it doesn't. You can also go through some mathematical calculations to determine strobe-to-subject distance, based on film ISO, shutter speed and aperture.

I typically will start my U/W Photo students out with a macro setup like this to start getting good shots right away.

Colin.