Going macro with Canon 50D

[Greeny]

Hi all - I'm interested in shooting macro with my 50D - I've been looking around & I'm considering purchasing a Canon EF 100mm f2.8 macro USM lens. I can't really justify the extra expense of the IS lens equivalent .... does anyone have any suggestions, recommendations etc? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated .... TIA ... Greeny :)

[balwoges]

I used the Canon 60mm macro on my 50D and found it to be a superb lens. The older Canon 100mm macro without IS still rates highly and I have noticed on eBay that they are selling 2nd hand for around $450-$500 since the newer version came on the market.

[Allan Ryan]

Hi balwoges
i also have the 50D and am looking for a macro lens
have you tried the 100 as well as the 60 to compare?
I was thinking the 100 might be better for bugs, but haven;t had a chance to try either as yet.

[balwoges]

Hi Allan, have just sold my 50D and 60mm macro and bought a 5d 11 and am without a macro lens at the moment, am tossing up which 100mm macro to buy or even if I want one :confused013

The 100mm macro with IS & the 100mm macro without are both rated 9.6/10 on Fred Miranda's site, similar excellent reviews can be found on other sites. However after looking at the 100m sans IS at Domayne was dismayed by the size but I am small and so are my hands!

The 60mm macro on my 50D satisfied my needs but others who are more into macro might find the 100mm more to their liking.

Just my tuppence worth.

[Greeny]

Hi Trish & Allan - thanks for your comments - they're really helpful. Trish I didn't know about Fred Miranda's site so I'll do some more reading there .... Cheers Greeny :th3:

[Tricky]

As they say in parliament, "I refer the honorable member to the reply I gave a few moments ago" :D The 60mm vs 100mm macro debate has been covered a few times - below are my thoughts posted in another thread:


Both are very good lenses, very sharp, pretty much faultless from a technical aspect (as are most macro lenses).

The 100mm gives you more distance between you and the insect/flower. However, it is bigger, heavier and doesn't double up quite as well as a portrait lens (160mm equivalent). Though still feasible as a portrait lens, its just more difficult indoors given the extra distance you need.

The 60mm is small, light and makes an excellent portrait lens (96mm equivalent). However, you need to be closer to the insect when shooting macro. How much closer? Well, the "minimum focusing distance" (at which you get 1:1 magnification) of the 100mm is 30cm whilst for the 60mm its 20cm. However, as the 100mm lens is physically LONGER than the 60mm lens, the minimum working distance (ie distance between the end of your lens and the subject) of the 100mm lens is 15cm whilst for the 60mm its 9cm. Do you need the extra 6cm? Personally, I've never really had much of an issue getting close to insects - you soon figure out how to do so without casting a shadow and disturbing them.

Either way, you really can't go wrong - both are excellent lenses.

[hus]

For macro on a budget you can check out the sigma 17-70 lens it will focus right down to the front glass.

[Greeny]

Thanks everyone for your input. I've been reading some excellent reviews on the Fred Miranda site Trish told me about & I'm very impressed with what I've seen ...

[balwoges]

Another excellent site for reviews of lenses is B&H - one of this site's sponsors. Just Google B&H New York and enter Canon 100mm macro in the search box and click on either of the 100mm lenses.

They are also a good place to buy from, any lens under AUS $1,000 much cheaper than buying in Oz especially now the US$ is now .91c AUS

[Greeny]

Thanks Trish - I'll check that out too before I have to go to work ..... :(

[Greeny]

Hi Trish - thanks for your advice!! Followed the sponsor's link to B&H and ordered the 100mm macro and thought "what the hell" and got a 580EXII speedlite as well to save on combined postage - now I've got some time before the credit card statement arrives to come up with some story for my wife!! :) ;)

[Allan Ryan]

hi Greeny
which of 100s did you get - the older or newer type?

[Allan Ryan]

Tricky's quote about using the lens for portraits is a good point.

I had a think about it and come up with -
Since i want to get a 5D, even if only a secound hand mk1, then the 100 would give more reach on the 50D i have now and also suit Portraits on the 5D ( full frame )

Does this make sense or did I miss something..?

[Greeny]

Hi Allan - just ordered it from B&H - didn't know there was a new & old type? What does that mean mate - pardon my ignorance .... :confused013

[Allan Ryan]

i'm no expert
have a look here

http://www.d-d-photographics.com.au/canonlenses.htm

this shows there is an USM
or the L series which i believe is the newer one

[Allan Ryan]

heres a site that compares different lenses

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/reviews/canon-ef-100mm-f-2.8-usm-macro-lens-review.aspx

[Allan Ryan]

I hope i haven't worried you about the lens
both seam to get good reviews
the L does have IS but costs more of course.

either lens would be good - I think :)

Cheers

[Tricky]

Hi Allan - just ordered it from B&H - didn't know there was a new & old type? What does that mean mate - pardon my ignorance .... :confused013

The standard 100mm macro is the one you ordered and the one we've been discussing above as an alternative to the 60mm macro. There's also a relatively recently released 100mm L macro lens with IS (image stabiliser), which is approximately double the price of the standard 100mm macro lens.

Don't worry, you've bought the right lens!


Tricky's quote about using the lens for portraits is a good point.

I had a think about it and come up with -
Since i want to get a 5D, even if only a secound hand mk1, then the 100 would give more reach on the 50D i have now and also suit Portraits on the 5D ( full frame )

Does this make sense or did I miss something..?

Correct - the 100mm lens would be perfect for portraits on a full frame camera and give you a bit more reach.

[Greeny]

Thanks Tricky - I'm happy with the choice I've made after reading heaps of positive reviews - looking forward to getting my hands on it!! Cheers ... Greeny :D

[Allan Ryan]

thanks Tricky

i take it you believe the standard USM version will give as good a result as the L ?

I have been researching athe 50mm Primes - cause i dont have a low light lens
and they say the 50mm f/1.4USM is better in some ways than the f/1.2L
would you agree ?

I am seriously looking at buying the 50mm f/1.4USM don't think i would pay the price for the L just for a 50 Prime.

[Greeny]

Thanks Allan for the info - all's good .... :)

[ZedEx]

my problem with the newer IS L version of the 100mm was that although it's sharper, it lens flares like a b**** and the IS isn't really that effective for macro stuff. I have the non-IS version and it is pretty spectacular. I have some macro shots on my flickr stream a few pages in. Spot on sharp :D www.flickr.com/photos/88ee :)

[Greeny]

Hi ZedEx - you've got some incredible images there - can't wait to have a crack at shooting macro .... to me the photo opportunities seem endless! Thanks for your input - Greeny ... :th3:

[ZedEx]

cheers mate, yes it certainly opens up an entirely different world! It was the same sensation I got from discovering light painting :D

[redhead65]

Hi Greeny, I'm in the market for a 100mm Macro Lens (probably the L version) for my 50D as well. I'm interested to hear how you go with the purchase from B&H. Did you order an extended warranty from B&H for the lens? And whether you have to pay GST when it hits the shores of OZ?

[Greeny]

Hi redhead - I can't speak highly enough of B&H Photos customer service - they were fantastic! With the Aussie dollar currently buying nearly US$0.95!! you should shop around and compare - couple of examples:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/647011-USA/Canon_3554B002_EF_100mm_f_2_8L_Macro.html

or an Aussie company here :
http://www.dwidigitalcameras.com.au/store/product.asp?idProduct=2417

DWI actually looks like a great deal but check them out for yourself ....

If you're buying from overseas as long as the goods cost less than AU$1000 you won't have to pay import duty or GST ... BUT don't forget to factor in the higher shipping costs if buying overseas!!

Read here for info from the Australian Customs Service re importing goods:

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page5549.asp

Good luck with however you proceed & please let me know how you go ....

Hope this has been some help .... :th3:

[redhead65]

Hi redhead - I can't speak highly enough of B&H Photos customer service - they were fantastic! With the Aussie dollar currently buying nearly US$0.95!! you should shop around and compare - couple of examples:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/647011-USA/Canon_3554B002_EF_100mm_f_2_8L_Macro.html

or an Aussie company here :
http://www.dwidigitalcameras.com.au/store/product.asp?idProduct=2417

DWI actually looks like a great deal but check them out for yourself ....

If you're buying from overseas as long as the goods cost less than AU$1000 you won't have to pay import duty or GST ... BUT don't forget to factor in the higher shipping costs if buying overseas!!

Read here for info from the Australian Customs Service re importing goods:

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page5549.asp

Good luck with however you proceed & please let me know how you go ....

Hope this has been some help .... :th3:
Hi Greeny... apologies for my tardiness in replying to your answer to my question but between my job and young children I don't have as much time for photography as I'd like.

Thanks for the information... I looked on the B&H site and did the sums on a 100mm 2.8L Macro lens including delivery and the current exchange rate and it came to more than AUD $1000... so with import duty / GST I would be looking at close to AUD $1200 - as GST is levied on purchase price plus delivery charges. So I ended up buying from Scorptec, one of the site sponsors, for $1279. I haven't decided on an extended warranty for the lens yet as apparently Scorptec don't sell them ... at least for lenses ... I guess I'll see how things go.

[Entrapro]

You can take true macro shots even with your kit lenses as long as you can interpose an extender of some sort between the lens and the body. I used to the kit lenses off my old 35mm EOS, married to an old minolta bellows which was, in turn was bodgied onto my 400D. I used some old lens caps to mount the lens on the front of the bellows and a piece of wood to mount the whole thing on and to hold the camera body up against the back of the lens. Not at all professional to look at but the results were fine. I finally lashed out and bought a set of Kenko extension tubes and a 100mm f2.8 macro and it works just as well. Below is a photo (of a spider catching a hover fly using the old set up) and a robber fly using the new set up. The 100mm is a specialist lens for macro so you would expect it to be better but you can see that the kit lens does quite a respectable job anyway. I think the 60mm would be a little harder to use than the 100mm because the higher magnification makes it necessary to use a tripod whereas I just use the 100mm hand-held, often with the aid of a pole of some sort that I just hold the camera against to steady it. I hope this helps.

[Greeny]

Hi Entrapro - great shots & thanks for the info ...

[Kerro]

Greeny, I just bought the 100mm f/2.8 (non IS and non-L version) about 4 weeks ago. I am more than happy with it as I am sure you will be too. (Check out some of my bee shots).
Look forward to seeing some of your work with the new lens.

Kerro

[Greeny]

Hi Kerro - I've got the lens now mate but my shots haven't been worth posting ... :eek: ... but it's all good learning from every failure! Really enjoying your posts so keep it up mate ... :th3: