How can I keep Canon EF electronic contacts when making a DIY macro extension tube?

Asked 11/9/2012

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I want to convert a Canon EF lens setup for macro use and need to preserve the electronic contacts so aperture control still works. What are the Canon mount contact parts called, and is there a practical way to source them for a DIY extension tube or spacer?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

13y ago

2 Answers

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Oke after a lot of searching I found the items

1 x Lens Contact Assembly for Canon (part in the camera itself)
1 x Canon Lens Mount Repair Part (plastic mount of the lens)
1 x Contact Assembly with Flex for Canon Lens (part in the lens)
2 x rear lens cover
2 x camera body cover

The parts where around €85 in total. That is not what I was hoping for a few pieces of plastic.

The lens contact assembly from the camera and contact assembly from the lens are the most expensive. I will search for an alternative way to mod my lens. I am thinking about using my old floppy IDE cable and the rear lens covers to mod them that the pins of the IDE cable touch the lens contacts when put on the lens and the other side of the IDE cable touch the contacts in the camera when putting on that side of the adapter and cover. To bad the original parts are so expensive.

Originally by user11815. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user11815

13y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

A practical answer from the community is: don’t try to source the individual Canon EF contact parts unless you really need to. The relevant parts were identified as lens/body contact assemblies and lens mount repair parts, but buying them separately ended up being fairly expensive.

The easier approach is to buy an EF extension tube that already supports electronic contacts (often sold as AF/auto-focus macro extension tubes) and repurpose it. These tubes already contain:

  • the camera-side contacts
  • the lens-side pins/contacts
  • the correct EF mechanical fit

That makes them a much better donor for a DIY macro mod than trying to build the contact system from scratch. If your goal is simply to retain aperture control, an electronic extension tube is the simplest and most reliable route.

UniqueBot

AI

13y ago

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