{"id":4553,"date":"2015-01-23T21:12:28","date_gmt":"2015-01-24T02:12:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/?p=4553"},"modified":"2015-01-24T08:05:30","modified_gmt":"2015-01-24T13:05:30","slug":"review-fujifilm-11mm-extension-tube-mcex-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/review-fujifilm-11mm-extension-tube-mcex-11\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Fujifilm 11mm Extension Tube MCEX-11"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Fuji surprised the market by releasing something that is both the first of its kind and something that people have been waiting for since the beginning of mirrorless: Native OEM extension tubes. It&#8217;s surprising to me that\u00a0it took 6 years for the first\u00a0original equipment manufacturer to\u00a0create extension tubes for their system. \u00a0In November 2014, Fuji announced the MCEX-11 and MCEX-16: 11mm and 16mm extension tubes for their X-Series cameras. \u00a0Third party manufacturers have made a handful of extension tubes for various mounts\u00a0for some time, but these two are the first from the camera manufacturers themselves. \u00a0In this short review, I&#8217;m going to take a look at the Fuji 11mm extension tube, the MCEX-11, which retails for $99 (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/1102440-REG\/fujifilm_mcex_11_macro_extension_tubes.html\/BI\/19952\/KBID\/13081\/kw\/FUMCEX11\/DFF\/d10-v2-t1-xFUMCEX11\" target=\"_blank\">available here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4557\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4557\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4557\" src=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex-1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Fuji MCEX-11 11mm Extension Tube\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4557\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fuji MCEX-11 11mm Extension Tube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>A bit about Extension Tubes<\/h3>\n<p>This review is going to be a bit different from many of my other reviews. \u00a0I will have some image samples of the tubes used with various lenses, but I&#8217;m not doing my standard shooting for this review because I think it&#8217;s more important to go over what adding a tube gets you vs. native macro lenses and how it works with the current Fuji lenses.<\/p>\n<p>First off, for those uninitiated, let&#8217;s go over what an extension tube does for your photography. An extension tube is simply a small tube that duplicates the lens mount a bit further from the sensor plane than usual. \u00a0This has the effect of shortening focus. \u00a0As such, lenses will focus significantly closer than usual, while the ability to focus at a distance is removed. \u00a0The gist is, an extension tube allows you to do the following things:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Get additional magnification for macro lenses<\/li>\n<li>Utilize non-macro lenses for macro or close-up work<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4558\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4558\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4558\" src=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex-2-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"The MCEX-11\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex-2.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4558\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The MCEX-11<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Basically, it&#8217;s a cheap way to enhance the macro capabilities of macro lenses and turn non-macro lenses into macro lenses (or at least, close-up lenses). \u00a0The longer you extend the lens, the closer you can focus. \u00a0At the same time, the more the extension, the more of the distant focus capabilities are lost. \u00a0With normal and short telephoto lenses, adding an extension tube gives a very narrow range of focusing capabilities, usually from 1:2 magnification to about 1:4 or 1:5 magnification. \u00a0Focusing outside of this range is impossible, which makes working with extension tubes a bit more frustrating than with a dedicated macro lens. \u00a0This is also the reason why I opted for the 11mm tube instead of the 16mm tube. \u00a0I get a bit less maximum magnification, but a bit more workable range of focusing. \u00a0In theory, you should be able to stack the two extension tubes to get even greater magnifications.<\/p>\n<p>There are also some optical downsides that need to be considered when using extension tubes. \u00a0Some lens designs aren&#8217;t conducive to good quality when extended, and with the short register distance of mirrorless cameras, these compromises may be large depending on the design. \u00a0I will get into this in more detail later in the review, but it&#8217;s worth noting that almost all Fuji X-mount lenses show some\u00a0corner smearing when used with extension tubes. \u00a0More on that later.<\/p>\n<h3>Construction<\/h3>\n<p>The MCEX-11 is an extension tube. \u00a0There&#8217;s not much to a tube&#8230;it&#8217;s an extended lens mount with electrical contacts and a hole in the middle. It&#8217;s worth noting that Fuji has done a nice job with construction here. \u00a0It&#8217;s a very solidly built tube with tight tolerances. \u00a0Both the mount to the camera and mount for the lens are tight without slop, and the entire body of the tube is constructed of metal. \u00a0The lens release mechanism operates smoothly and surely, and the electronic contacts mean that all lens functions continue to operate as you&#8217;d expect, with aperture control, OIS and autofocus remaining intact.<\/p>\n<h4>Continue: <a href=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/review-fujifilm-11mm-extension-tube-mcex-11\/2\/\">Use with selected Fuji X-Mount Lenses<\/a><\/h4>\n<p><!--nextpage--><br \/>\nMost shooters will use the 11mm and 16mm extension tubes for two main reasons: to get higher magnification with the 60mm Macro lens or Zeiss Touit 50mm Macro lens, and to get macro capabilities with the non-macro Fuji X-Mount lenses. \u00a0I&#8217;m going to take a look at both use cases in a bit more detail.<\/p>\n<h3>MCEX-11 with the Fuji XF 60mm Macro<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4569\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4569\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/60_close.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4569\" src=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/60_close-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Maximum Magnification with 60mm, f\/8: Click to Enlarge\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/60_close-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/60_close-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/60_close.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4569\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maximum Magnification with 60mm, f\/8: Click to Enlarge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The first use case is to get more magnification with macro lenses. \u00a0I tested the MCEX-11 with the Fujifilm XF 60mm f\/2.4 Macro lens. \u00a0This lens has a native maximum magnification of 1:2, which is less than the 1:1 magnification of many macro lenses. \u00a0Adding the MCEX-11 or MCEX-16 will get you closer to that true 1:1 magnification (though neither will get you all the way there). \u00a0With the 11mm tube tested here, the maximum magnification is increased to 0.68x (or 1:1.5). \u00a0This is a fairly significant increase in magnification, and essentially enables you to shoot the same area as a 1:1 macro lens will shoot on a Full Frame camera.<\/p>\n<p>The image quality with the 60mm+11mm extension tube is quite good over the central 80% of the image frame when stopped down, which will cover you for the vast majority of macro situations, including shooting insects or other tiny objects. \u00a0Sharpness in this zone is similar to the lens without extension, and lens aberrations are likewise similar.<\/p>\n<p>The extension tube does cause some smearing in the corners on a flat plane subject even when stopped down. \u00a0Wide open, the smearing extends further into the frame, but depth of field is exceptionally shallow at this magnification, so stopping down is advisable in most situations anyway. \u00a0However, if you are looking for maximum magnification on something like a printed circuit board or other flat item, it&#8217;s probably better to use the bare lens and take the hit in resolution by cropping. \u00a0This limitation doesn&#8217;t raise its head in most macro shooting situations, but it&#8217;s definitely something to keep in mind. \u00a0Note that the smearing appears to be somewhat due to field curvature, so if you are focusing towards the edges of the frame, you should still be able to get pretty sharp shots.<\/p>\n<h3>Performance with non-macro lenses<\/h3>\n<p>One of the big reasons to grab an extension tube is if you have a desire to dabble in macro photography, but don&#8217;t want to lay out the cash for a dedicated lens. \u00a0It&#8217;s also helpful as a small item to throw in the bag if a macro opportunity arises, but you didn&#8217;t bring your macro lens because macro shooting wasn&#8217;t planned. \u00a0In any case, the MCEX tubes are useful for turning any lens into a closer focusing lens.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4559\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4559\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4559\" src=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex-3-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"The Fujinon XF 27mm f\/2.8 with the MCEX-11 on the Fujifilm X-T1\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex-3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex-3.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4559\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Fujinon XF 27mm f\/2.8 with the MCEX-11 on the Fujifilm X-T1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With any extension tube, the shorter the focal length the greater the magnification gained from the tube. \u00a0With the 11mm tube, you can actually get to 0.69x magnification with the wide end of the 18-55mm zoom (magnification decreases to 0.37x at the long end of the zoom), though working distance is extremely short. \u00a0Normal lenses like the XF 27mm f\/2.8 and the XF 35mm f\/1.4 work quite well, with both allowing for close to 1:2 magnification (0.48x and 0.47x, respectively). \u00a0I&#8217;ll show some image samples showing the performance with a range of lenses, but I have to say, examining the stable of XF lenses, my favorite non-macro lens to shoot with using the MCEX-11 is the XF 27mm f\/2.8.<\/p>\n<p>The reason the 27mm f\/2.8 is well suited to use with the extension tubes is that it a good normal focal length, yielding high maximum magnification. \u00a0It&#8217;s also a pancake lens, which means the overall package of the lens plus tube is still extremely small. \u00a0This is important because it still leaves a very usable working distance of 76mm from the front of the lens. \u00a0As a result, shadowing from the lens isn&#8217;t much of an issue, and you still get good closeup shots. The XF 35mm is also good in this regard, with just a slightly shorter working distance and very slightly lower magnification. \u00a0The XF 56mm f\/1.2 has a good working distance of 181mm, but the longer focal length and longer native minimum focus distance means that it is only capable of approximately 1:4 magnification, though this is a useful range for closeups of flowers.<\/p>\n<p>In any case, with all these lenses the corner smearing issue is still present, though again, it&#8217;s only really an issue with flat field subjects, which are rare in macro photography. \u00a0Also worth noting is that the fast lenses don&#8217;t perform well at maximum aperture with extension. The 56mm f\/1.2 is notably soft when used at f\/1.2, as spherical aberration becomes a major issue when the lens is extended. \u00a0Stopping down and utilizing flash or a tripod at apertures from f\/8 to f\/11 is recommended (though this is the case for most macro shooting anyway).<\/p>\n<p>Below is a series of shots showing the perspective and magnification capable with some of the XF lenses. \u00a0Note the significant shading from the lens at the 18mm end of the 18-55mm zoom. \u00a0Working distance here is a miniscule 11mm, so extreme care must also be taken not to impact the front lens element while shooting. \u00a0The shell photographed is around 2.5 inches in total length, and the first image below with the 18-55mm represents a distance of around 1.5 inches.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4564\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4564\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_18-55-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4564\" src=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_18-55-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Maximum Magnification - XF 18-55mm @ 18mm\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_18-55-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_18-55-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_18-55-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4564\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maximum Magnification &#8211; XF 18-55mm @ 18mm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4563\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4563\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_18-55-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4563\" src=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_18-55-2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Maximum Magnification - XF 18-55mm @ 55mm\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_18-55-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_18-55-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_18-55-2.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4563\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maximum Magnification &#8211; XF 18-55mm @ 55mm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4565\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4565\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji27.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4565\" src=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji27-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Maximum Magnification - XF 27mm f\/2.8 \" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji27-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji27-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji27.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4565\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maximum Magnification &#8211; XF 27mm f\/2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4568\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4568\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_351.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4568\" src=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_351-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Maximum Magnification - XF 35mm f\/1.4\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_351-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_351-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_351.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4568\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maximum Magnification &#8211; XF 35mm f\/1.4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4561\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4561\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji56.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4561\" src=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji56-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Maximum Magnification - XF 56mm f\/1.2\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji56-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji56-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji56.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4561\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maximum Magnification &#8211; XF 56mm f\/1.2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4566\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4566\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji60.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4566\" src=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji60-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Maximum Magnification - XF 60mm f\/2.4 Macro\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji60-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji60-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji60.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4566\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maximum Magnification &#8211; XF 60mm f\/2.4 Macro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4567\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4567\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji60_bare.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4567\" src=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji60_bare-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Maximum Magnification - XF 60mm f\/2.4 Macro - Without Extension Tube\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji60_bare-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji60_bare-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex_fuji60_bare.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4567\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maximum Magnification &#8211; XF 60mm f\/2.4 Macro &#8211; Without Extension Tube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As you can see, the tubes add some notable extra magnification for the 60mm macro, and enables nice close-up capabilities for the non-macro lenses in the Fuji lineup. \u00a0While I don&#8217;t present samples from the 55-200mm lens above, as the focal length makes it a bit long for macro shooting, it&#8217;s actually a great lens to use with the 11mm extension tube. \u00a0Of course, infinity focus is still lost, but due to the longer focal range, the 55-200mm gains the ability to do closeup shooting at 1:4 magnification (throughout the range), while also being able to focus out several feet at the long end of the range, making it a great lens for walkaround closeups and tight portraiture when used with the MCEX-11.<\/p>\n<h3>Conclusion<\/h3>\n<h4>Pros<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Well constructed and very small &#8211; you can slip it in any bag<\/li>\n<li>Enables macro shooting with non-macro Fuji lenses<\/li>\n<li>Adds magnification to macro lenses<\/li>\n<li>Full lens communication keeps IS and autofocus intact.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Cons<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Most XF lenses show corner softness when used with the extension tube<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Overall, the MCEX extension tubes are a generally inexpensive way to add some flexibility to your kit and gain macro capabilities without shelling out for a macro lens. \u00a0If you already own a macro lens for your Fuji camera, this will help get even greater magnification. \u00a0While $99 may seem somewhat expensive for a tube of air, the tube is very solidly constructed with very tight tolerances and flawless operation with the electronics. \u00a0Given the capabilities you get, it&#8217;s not an unreasonable price.<\/p>\n<p><em>Buying your photographic equipment through the B&amp;H link below helps support Admiring Light at no\u00a0extra cost to you<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none;\" src=\"http:\/\/mer54715.datafeedfile.com\/widget\/aff_widget_prdt_generate-2.0.php?aff_num=13081&amp;aff_net=1&amp;widget_num=6216&amp;sid=\" width=\"468\" height=\"60\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\">Your browser does not support iFrame.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ll leave you with one more quick shot, taken with the 27mm f\/2.8 on the MCEX-11<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4573\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4573\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/flame.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4573\" src=\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/flame-678x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Flame - Fujifilm X-T1 with Fujinon XF 27mm f\/2.8 + MCEX-11 Extension Tube @ f\/8\" width=\"640\" height=\"967\" srcset=\"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/flame-678x1024.jpg 678w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/flame-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/flame.jpg 683w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4573\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flame &#8211; Fujifilm X-T1 with Fujinon XF 27mm f\/2.8 + MCEX-11 Extension Tube @ f\/8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fuji surprised the market by releasing something that is both the first of its kind and something that people have been waiting for since the beginning of mirrorless: Native OEM extension tubes. It&#8217;s surprising to me that\u00a0it took 6 years for the first\u00a0original equipment manufacturer to\u00a0create extension tubes for their system. \u00a0In November 2014, Fuji [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4557,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mcex-1.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p28RGq-1br","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4553"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4579,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4553\/revisions\/4579"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}