Macro extension CONFUSION! What should I buy???

Macro extension tubes simply add distance between the sensor and the lens. The build quality of the cheap ones is fine but you lose all automation between your camera and lens. I have a 35mm lens adapter so the cheap ones work fine for me because I am already limited to manual lenses. The Kenko one includes the wiring and circuits that allow you to retain the automated features of your lens/camera.
 
^ that indeed: dumb piece of cheap metal vs. good quality, expensive wiring and AF control (if you don't need AF or aperture control, the dumb ones are just fine; it's what I use for my vintage primes)
 
It depends what lens you want to use the extension tubes with. If it is a Canon EF mount lens it means you can no longer have control the over aperture. You will have to stop the lens down on the body by removing the lens with the stop down pressed down before attaching it to the tubes. You will almost certainly want to stop the lens down if you are using extension tubes because the DOF will be too shallow wide open. It's okay for the odd creative effect, but it is shallower than you would normally want. However, if you are using a manual focus lens with an aperture ring the cheap manual tubes will do exactly the same job for a lot less money. Incidentally, if you look on eBay etc, you can find electonically connected extension tubes for a lot less than the Kenko tubes.
 
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