Many people who own Nikon 1 camera gear have an interest in close up photography. Unfortunately at the time of writing of this article there was no 1 Nikon macro lens available. Photographers can use their DX or FX Nikkor macro lenses on their Nikon 1 bodies by using an FT-1 adapter. I’ve done this in the past with my Nikkor 105mm Micro f/2.8 and found that the resulting set-up felt unbalanced as the lens dwarfed my V2 body. The autofocus on my macro lens tended to hunt quite a bit when used with the FT-1 I for close up work. As a result I typically used it on a tripod and manually focused the lens.
NIKON 1 V2 + 30.0-110.0 mm f/3.8-5.6 @ ISO 3200, 1/500, f/5.6
I’ve always preferred to shoot hand-held and I was looking for a different close-up photography solution. I decided to give the Vello Econo Auto Focus Extension Tube Set for Nikon 1 Mount a try.
NIKON 1 V2 + 32.0 mm f/1.2 @ ISO 3200, 1/250, f/2.5
The Vello Nikon 1 extension tube set includes two extension tubes, one 10mm and one 16mm. They can be used independently or joined together for maximum effect. Extension tubes place distance between your camera body and lens. This reduces the minimum focus distance of the lens and allows subjects to fill more of your frame. Extension tubes are hollow and do not contain any glass elements so they do not degrade the optical performance of any lenses that you use with them.
NIKON 1 V2 + 10.0-30.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ ISO 1600, 1/30, f/5.6
These Vello extension tubes are made of plastic and are very lightweight. I don’t think their construction is an issue since most 1 Nikon lenses are also small and lightweight. These tubes do not come with any kind of protective caps.
NIKON 1 V2 + 32.0 mm f/1.2 @ ISO 3200, 1/125, f/2.5
I would recommend storing the extension tubes stacked together and packed in bubble wrap or in some kind of other protection to reduce the likelihood of damage to the electrical connections. Or, simply buy a 1 Nikon camera body cap and a lens end cap. The body cap does fit a bit loose so I’d still recommend having some additional protection on these extension tubes.
NIKON 1 V2 + 32.0 mm f/1.2 @ ISO 3200, 1/125, f/2.5
The Vello Nikon 1 set of extension tubes are fully automatic and allow your Nikon 1 body to continue to auto-focus and auto expose. Using extension tubes does reduce the amount of light coming through to a camera’s sensor and it can affect auto-focus performance. I found no discernable difference in auto focus performance with my Nikon 1 V2. It was still very fast and accurate and I really enjoyed using these extension tubes.
NIKON 1 V2 + 10.0-30.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ ISO 3200, 1/60, f/5.6
They are as easy to install as any lens. You simply line up the guide mark with the one on your camera mount and twist. There is a bit more play between the connections so you will need to make sure that they are all aligned properly.
NIKON 1 V2 + 32.0 mm f/1.2 @ ISO 3200, 1/250, f/2.5
John Bosley wrote a great review on the Vello F-Mount extension tubes for F-Mount Nikkor lenses. In his review John did a series of images showing the impact of various extension tubes as well as what happens when tubes are stacked.
NIKON 1 V2 + 30.0-110.0 mm f/3.8-5.6 @ ISO 1600, 1/160, f/5.6
Rather than duplicate the demonstration that John has already done, I decided to focus on some real-life examples for this review to give readers a good idea of what kinds of images can be captured when using these Vello extension tubes on their Nikon 1 cameras.
NIKON 1 V2 + 30.0-110.0 mm f/3.8-5.6 @ ISO 1600, 1/640, f/5.6
For all of the images in this article I used both tubes stacked together and mounted with the 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 zoom lens and Nikon 1 V2. I thought this was a pragmatic set-up for this review since the 30-110mm is a very affordable lens that many owners of Nikon 1 cameras have in their bags. This set-up also allowed me to capture images from a distance of approximately 12-15 inches (30.5 to 38 cm) from the front of my lens to the subject, which in the case of live bees is a prudent distance.
NIKON 1 V2 + 30.0-110.0 mm f/3.8-5.6 @ ISO 3200, 1/200, f/5.6
All images were shot hand-held. Realistically I don’t think anyone buying a Nikon 1 camera does so with the intent of using a tripod to any great extent.
NIKON 1 V2 + 30.0-110.0 mm f/3.8-5.6 @ ISO 1600, 1/250, f/5.6
I used matrix metering, AF-S, and single-point AF-area mode. I tried a few shots using Auto-area AF mode and found that this did not give me sufficient control of what was in focus in the frame so I would not recommend using this setting. On occasion I did choose to move the single-point auto focus point with my V2. This is easily done by pressing the “OK” button on the back of the camera, then depressing the control wheel on the back of the camera to move the focus point in the desired direction.
NIKON 1 V2 + 30.0-110.0 mm f/3.8-5.6 @ ISO 1600, 1/640, f/5.6
As Photography Life readers will know from many of my previous articles about using Nikon 1 gear I like to push my V2 to see what it can do. I carried on this tradition with my test subjects for this review. I shot hand-held under very dull, overcast conditions with some light misty rain falling at times. If you look at the details under each image you’ll notice that I used a minimum of ISO-800. Most of the images in the article and accompanying YouTube video were taken ISO-1600 and as high as ISO-3200. I shot primarily at f/5.6 but did the occasional image at f/8 to see the impact on depth-of-field.
NIKON 1 V2 + 30.0-110.0 mm f/3.8-5.6 @ ISO 3200, 1/160, f/5.6
All images were processed using DxO OpticsPro 9 with the PRIME noise reduction function used for all images in this article. Additional adjustments were made in CS6 and Nik Suite.
NIKON 1 V2 + 30.0-110.0 mm f/3.8-5.6 @ ISO 3200, 1/200, f/8.0
To give readers a good idea on the size that subjects can be captured on their Nikon 1 cameras none of the images in this article, or in my accompanying YouTube video, have been cropped. Each is a 100% view of the frame as it was captured.
NIKON 1 V2 + 30.0-110.0 mm f/3.8-5.6 @ ISO 1600, 1/100, f/5.6
NIKON 1 V2 + 30.0-110.0 mm f/3.8-5.6 @ ISO 800, 1/320, f/5.6
NIKON 1 V2 + 30.0-110.0 mm f/3.8-5.6 @ ISO 800, 1/125, f/5.6
NIKON 1 V2 + 30.0-110.0 mm f/3.8-5.6 @ ISO 1600, 1/400, f/8.0
NIKON 1 V2 + 30.0-110.0 mm f/3.8-5.6 @ ISO 3200, 1/100, f/8.0
NIKON 1 V2 + 30.0-110.0 mm f/3.8-5.6 @ ISO 3200, 1/640, f/5.6
To view more images taken with my Nikon 1 V2 and these Vello extension tubes click on the video below.
I had a blast shooting with these Vello extension tubes! They are so lightweight, easy to use, and affordable that they really are a ‘no-brainer’ purchase for any owner of a Nikon 1 camera that is interested in close up photography, especially if you already own the 1 Nikon 30-110 f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens. I plan on having these Vello extension tubes with me whenever I’m shooting with my Nikon 1 V2.
Where to Buy
You can purchase the Vello Econo Auto Focus Extension Tube Set for Nikon 1 Mount from B&H for $49.95 (as of 10/18/2014)
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