Advice on macro lens. - Ducati.ms

ducati2242 · Oct 31st, 2011, 6:15 pm

Im pretty new to photography and have owned an entry level dslr camera for a year.Canon 450 eos. I have a tripod and I am looking to take some real close ups of my marine tank. Fish and corals. I dont want to spend more than I need for a lens that I will not use much , so , what macro lens would you advise . Bear in mind that I am a beginner and need something easy. Thanks for any advice.

DUCeditor · Oct 31st, 2011, 7:20 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ducati2242

Im pretty new to photography and have owned an entry level dslr camera for a year.Canon 450 eos. I have a tripod and I am looking to take some real close ups of my marine tank. Fish and corals. I dont want to spend more than I need for a lens that I will not use much , so , what macro lens would you advise . Bear in mind that I am a beginner and need something easy. Thanks for any advice.

A "real" macro lens such as Canon's EF-S 60mm 2.8 is more than a lens that focuses closely. It also has a flat field, very even illumination, and exceptional corner to corner sharpness.

But Canon makes several zoom lenses with amazingly good close focusing ability. One of these is the standard "Kit" 18-55mm.

When I first bought my Canon small frame SLR I bought both of these. During tests I sometimes could not tell which of the two I had used.

Now that would not have been true if I had been shooting a flat subject, but for rounded objects relatively well centered in the frame (such as flower photography) it was.

Interestingly the far more expensive 18-85 EFS lens is nowhere near as good in "macro" mode.

-don

SS904 · Nov 1st, 2011, 4:35 am

Not really into macro myself, but I've viewed shots taken with macro extension tubes that are pretty interesting. You add a "spacer" (the tube) between the body and whatever lens you're using and it allows for closer minimum focus distance. Not sure how well a kit a zoom would work. Many seem to favor the inexpensive 50 1.8 MK2 for this task. The tubes come in different sizes equating to differing magnification factors. The Canon branded ones are a bit pricy for what amounts to hollow tubes with lens mounts and electrical connections, but there are some very inexpensive options around as well. I assume the least expensive will have you fully manual, as in no auto focus or aperture control, but I haven’t looked into them that deeply.

A quick Google search for Macro Tubes brought this up. Neat run down.

Macro Extension Tubes & Close-up Lenses

This article discusses a few other Macro options, but the tubes seem to be the least expensive, and on the photo forums, the most popular short of an actual macro lens.

Anyway, maybe a decent way to get into macro for cheap before dropping big money on that special built lens.

Bill_Anderson · Nov 1st, 2011, 6:05 am

You may want to check out the Tamron line. They offer a lower priced, after market alternative to the name brand Canon or Nikon lenses.

Tamron -60mm F/2(Model G005)

DUCeditor · Nov 1st, 2011, 6:33 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill_Anderson

You may want to check out the Tamron line. They offer a lower priced, after market alternative to the name brand Canon or Nikon lenses.

Tamron -60mm F/2(Model G005)

One nice thing about that lens is the F2 aperture. Not that you'd likely use that for actual macro shooting -- the depth of focus would be zilch. But a 60mm lens on a small sensor Canon camera makes a near perfect "Portrait" lens. I.e, one whose perspective neither flattens (as a tele would) or exaggerates features (as do so-called "standard" or wide angle lenses).

The F2 aperture would allow for lovely soft backgrounds. Unknown to me, however, is the look of the lens' bokeh -- its out of focus highlight appearance -- another critical aspect for portraits and many other types of images.

-don

ducati2242 · Nov 1st, 2011, 12:19 pm

Thank you for your help. Im going to try a tube as they are so cheap I cant loose. If I like the macro photo I will then go for the 50mm macro lens. I will probably buy the one designed for the eos as like I say I need it easy. I find spannering my duke much easier to understand.
This is as close as I can get with my standard canon 18/55 that came with my camera. This was set to close up with everything on auto Ill take the same photo when the tube comes and post it here.

ducati2242 · Nov 4th, 2011, 5:34 pm

Still just fiddling but I picked up a sigma 70-300 with a macro function. Not brilliant but I know they are getting better. You should see my bad ones.

mlukason · Nov 6th, 2011, 9:40 pm

There are three mainstream options for you 2242: macro lens, extension tubes, and close focusing filters. I use all three, each has their own pros and cons. The lens will give you the greatest depth of filed (great for your corals!) but will be on the expensive side. The close focusing filter is simply a lens element mounted in a filter ring. When attached to your lens (works best with telephotos) the closest focusing distance is reduced therefore the subject is "magnified." I use a Canon 500D (canon 500d lens). Extension tubes will give you some great magnification but have really shallow depth of field. You can get some great effects though. I would recommend the Kenko brand rather than Nikon or Canon...as extension tubes don't have any optics...just a simple spacer between the camera and the lens.

Good luck!

SpeedLimit? · Nov 7th, 2011, 1:56 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ducati2242

Still just fiddling but I picked up a sigma 70-300 with a macro function. Not brilliant but I know they are getting better. You should see my bad ones.

Is it the lens with macro mode only for 200-300mm range? I was also looking at this lense as well as the Tamron 28-300mm lens for possible additions to my collection. More photos and feedback whenever you find the time please.

ducati2242 · Nov 7th, 2011, 2:30 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpeedLimit?

Is it the lens with macro mode only for 200-300mm range? I was also looking at this lense as well as the Tamron 28-300mm lens for possible additions to my collection. More photos and feedback whenever you find the time please.

Yes it is only 200 to 300 Their is a fix for this but as of yet I havent plucked up the courage to do it but given time I will.

Macro Ringnikon | Camera Lens Blog

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlukason

There are three mainstream options for you 2242: macro lens, extension tubes, and close focusing filters. I use all three, each has their own pros and cons. The lens will give you the greatest depth of filed (great for your corals!) but will be on the expensive side. The close focusing filter is simply a lens element mounted in a filter ring. When attached to your lens (works best with telephotos) the closest focusing distance is reduced therefore the subject is "magnified." I use a Canon 500D (canon 500d lens). Extension tubes will give you some great magnification but have really shallow depth of field. You can get some great effects though. I would recommend the Kenko brand rather than Nikon or Canon...as extension tubes don't have any optics...just a simple spacer between the camera and the lens.

Good luck!

I have ordered an extension tube, There so cheap, but it hasnt arrived yet.