I must be doing something wrong - FB Tube problem?

[WesternGuy]

I am shooting with a Canon 5D IV (supported) and a 24-105L IS II lens (supported). I received my FB tube and attached it between my lens and my camera, having already downloaded the Helicon FBT software to my iPad Pro. I entered all the required data into the FBT software, with an aperture of "8", a recommended step of "20" and clicked "No" for Suppress Focus. I attached the iPad to the FB tube with the cable that came with the tube, turned up the volume to "max" and uploaded the settings to the tube - green lights flashed. I was going to do my first test of a landscape out my back deck window (it was -25°C and the ground is covered in 20-30 cm of snow, so I opted to do this from inside the door. I mounted my camera on my tripod, pointed it out the open patio door, and fired away. My results were disappointing. Everyone of the pictures were out of focus.

My question then is - "What am I doing wrong? What do I need to change as I thought I was following the directions in the manual correctly? Any insight that anyone would care to provide will be greatly appreciated.

WesternGuy

[Stas Yatsenko]

As for landscape photography, Helicon FB Tube changes the properties of the optical system, bringing focusing points much closer. Here is the table with some figures that will give you the idea of the focusing range of some of the lenses when using an extension tube: https://www.heliconsoft.com/helicon-fb-tube-focusing-distances/

As you can see, lenses lose their ability to focus at infinity, the farthest focusing point is being shifted from infinity to, for instance, 3 m for Sigma 150 mm lens and to 1 m for Nikon 105 mm lens. These specifics of operation of the optical system should be taken into account when considering using Helicon FB Tube for landscape photography.

[WesternGuy]

Thanks for the reply and the information. It would appear then that the FB tube is of little use for landscapes and is really only for macro work - no problem - I just wish this had been made more obvious in the descriptive sales literature. Can you point me to a video that shows how to set up the tube for a Canon 100mm L IS lens, if such a video is available?

Can I use the FB tube in conjunction with other close up tubes, e.g., the tubes that come in the Kenko set - 12, 20 and 36mm?

WesternGuy

[Stas Yatsenko]

Unfortunately, we don't have a video tutorial, but here are the set up recommendations: the lens AF switch should be set to AF position, focus range switch on the lens to FULL, camera drive mode should be set to Continuous and camera focusing mode to AF - One shot.
Yes, the tube is compatible with other extension tube with electrical contacts, including Kenko.

[WesternGuy]

Stas, thanks for the information. I will give it a try when I next use the FB tube.

WesternGuy