Looking for Macro: I have the Canon 100 mm macro, but was looking for a macro that would give me more area to work. I checked out the Canon 180 mm, Tamron 180 mm, Sigma 180 mm and...

bioteacher Loc: Brooklyn, NY

I have the Canon 100 mm macro, but was looking for a macro that would give me more area to work. I checked out the Canon 180 mm, Tamron 180 mm, Sigma 180 mm and Sigma 150 mm. They all have mixed reviews, especially with the auto focusing. I was wondering if anyone had a recommendation. Thanks

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

AF is difficult on macro no matter what lens is used.

MF will work better due to the razor thin DOF at magnification levels of 1:1 or higher.

If you feel AF is a necessity, try a 1:2 micro magnification and crop the photo to the desired size.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

bioteacher wrote:

I have the Canon 100 mm macro, but was looking for a macro that would give me more area to work. I checked out the Canon 180 mm, Tamron 180 mm, Sigma 180 mm and Sigma 150 mm. They all have mixed reviews, especially with the auto focusing. I was wondering if anyone had a recommendation. Thanks

You might want to ask this in the macro section of this forum.

bioteacher Loc: Brooklyn, NY

How can I change the category?

Rongnongno Loc: FL

bioteacher wrote:

How can I change the category?

You cannot...

Direct link: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-102-1.html

You may want to explore the various 'private sections' offered by UHH. Many are small and look like 'dormant' but in reality they are active, if only we used them correctly.

To find them:
- Click on home
- Click on all sections
- Explore
- Check subscribe to access them on regular basis

From that point forward whenever you create a new topic using the top menu you will have a drop down that will show these sections....

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

bioteacher wrote:

I have the Canon 100 mm macro, but was looking for a macro that would give me more area to work. I checked out the Canon 180 mm, Tamron 180 mm, Sigma 180 mm and Sigma 150 mm. They all have mixed reviews, especially with the auto focusing. I was wondering if anyone had a recommendation. Thanks

I have the Tamron and the Sigma for Nikon mount. If you need more working distance any of these will be good. But for very close work, AF is not at all reliable. Live view is considerably better.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Gene51 wrote:

I have the Tamron and the Sigma for Nikon mount. If you need more working distance any of these will be good. But for very close work, AF is not at all reliable. Live view is considerably better.

And how are you Gene?

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

LWW wrote:

AF is difficult on macro no matter what lens is used.

MF will work better due to the razor thin DOF at magnification levels of 1:1 or higher.

If you feel AF is a necessity, try a 1:2 micro magnification and crop the photo to the desired size.

Stupid of me, but I always thought my Sigma was constantly shunting around for focus because it was an inferior lens to the CANON. I'd never even considered that the razor thin D.O.F. was probably a contributory factor - not to mention every time I breathed. Optically, the lens matches my neighbours CANON macro, just makes a little more noise doing it.

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

John N wrote:

Stupid of me, but I always thought my Sigma was constantly shunting around for focus because it was an inferior lens to the CANON. I'd never even considered that the razor thin D.O.F. was probably a contributory factor - not to mention every time I breathed. Optically, the lens matches my neighbours CANON macro, just makes a little more noise doing it.

Its not stupid, life is a learning experience and Ive been shooting for over 50 years.

Liveview ... or whatever CANON calls it ... helps a lot as can a mono/tripod.

As to breathing, yes we all have to do it, here's an experiment to demonstrate the effect with no camera needed. Point your index finger, arm extended, at an object 10 feet or so away and watch how your finger bobs as you breath.

Solution, catch your breath very briefly and depress the shutter release.

I hope this helps.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

My post was mainly truth and part jest but your reply serves as a useful reminder. I use a reasonable quality tripod and remote release most times and now carry some garden wire and twine to minimise plant movement when out in the field.

Many thanks.

bleirer

I drool over the Canon 180. I'd be interested in the negative review you mention as it comes up roses below. 1:1 magnification with 9 inches between the front of the lens and the subject. 1.2x if you add a 25mm extension tube, and compatible with the 1.4 and 2x extender to double your magnification, with the compromises tubes and extenders introduce of course. Still your 100 is no slouch either and should be giving good results.

Seriously, what review is not to recommending it, other than the high price?

The other non macro lens that is often recommended to give good closeups is the Canon 100-400 ii, it gives .31 magnification as is, and can also be used with 25mm extension tubes to get up to .46x.

https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-180mm-f-3.5-L-USM-Macro-Lens-Review.aspx

bioteacher Loc: Brooklyn, NY

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/112541-USA/Canon_2539A007_Telephoto_EF_180mm_f_3_5L.html/reviews

Slow Focus - Really Slow Focus
Byejkosinski
VERIFIED BUYER
Configuration:Lens Only
This lens is great for quality no doubt, however I own a 100mm Macro 2.8 IS lens as well. Because the 100mm focuses much closer than the 180 and much faster, it is a much more practical lens.... no doubt the image quality is great and if using only for manual focus macro shooting, a perfect fit. Don't expect to get this if shooting weddings and have any better performance than with the 100mm lens. In fact, the slow focus is horrible. I have never experienced any lens that focuses so slow. Seriously. It is almost a joke how slow this thing focuses.

bioteacher Loc: Brooklyn, NY

CHG_CANON (a regular here) (online) Joined: Feb 13, 2013 Posts: 15929 Loc: the Windy City

To put it bluntly, probably not, given the 100L.

The 180L is amazing. The focal length givens an amazing working distance, even full-frame. The lens is regarded as a top-5 sharpness in the entire line. But, the AF is weak. It hunts more than it locks. If you can get a subject that lets you manually focus in Live View, like the spider example, it's a wonder, especially when working from a tripod. But, tracking the bee was a mixture of skill and luck where I missed half the bee targets as the lens zoomed out and in rather than grabbing and holding focus on a clear subject around the center AF point.

Your current subjects or desired targets will help determine if this AF functionality will be an issue.

Chicago Orb Weaver by Paul Sager, on Flickr

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

I have a dedicated macro that I seldom use.

I do use a NIKKOR 28-105 MICRO that gets me to 0.5:1, autofocuses well and gives good working distance.

In the days of hues megapixel sensors, I’m not sure why so many are terrified to crop an image ... but I’m not so much a purist as I am a pragmatist.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

bioteacher wrote:

I have the Canon 100 mm macro, but was looking for a macro that would give me more area to work. I checked out the Canon 180 mm, Tamron 180 mm, Sigma 180 mm and Sigma 150 mm. They all have mixed reviews, especially with the auto focusing. I was wondering if anyone had a recommendation. Thanks

You have a good one to begin with, the Canon 180 is excellent and albeit af is slow, it does not matter with a macro lens, as af is seldom used anyway, most focusing is done manually! I like using my 120 mm Pentax macro on my Canon's, it is excellent and it gives me a working distance of about 2 feet!