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guidance on macro? lens
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Jul 30, 2021 17:51:04   #
gouldopfl
 
drummy21 wrote:
my 11 year grandaughter wants/needs a lens to take closeups of flowers etc. I have nikon D90 mostly in auto mode which liimits me. she has a canon rebel t6. I have looked at several websites of canon lenses but don't understand model numbers/description. the kit lenses do not fit the need. i don't remember the range of zoom, one reaches about 55mm the other definetly 300mm. IF you have time, suggestions for appropriate or THIS IS THE ONE lens, CANON or other would be appreciated. I am a regular daily reader. right now she feels she is a good photographer after winning 1st place in local county fair photo contest and a photography club in her middle school. She talks the talk with confidence I want to help her walk the walk for her future. She will eventually be regular on this forum. Thank you for any help and guidance.
my 11 year grandaughter wants/needs a lens to take... (show quote)


I am a Canon shooter but have used the Tamron 90mm for about 5 years. You get very crisp shots. Used by many macro photographers and won't break the bank. You can usually find them used from a reputable dealer like mpb, adorable, b&h and keh.

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Jul 30, 2021 19:47:52   #
Mud711
 
I also recommend the Tokina 100mm. I tried tube extensions, lens reversal and just getting close. My best results were the Tokina. I too love flowers, bees and any chance to get close. Whatever lens you go for make sure you get to 1:1, and it's also a very good portrait lens without a huge expense......

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Jul 30, 2021 23:46:08   #
Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI
 
As mentioned, extension tubes (on a short prime lens) is an expensive option and is attractive for a beginner. But for a young person this can add to complications, as one will need to add and remove combinations of tubes to give the right mag for different situations. Lets not make it complicated for her.
The various true macro lenses suggested are all good, and these will work in all situations including landscapes and so on. Even the less expensive ones are still super sharp.

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Jul 31, 2021 16:04:14   #
Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.
 
ABJanes wrote:
I am in the midst of working on a presentation for our photography club on Macro/Closeup. Our goal was to study alternatives above & beyond a true 1:1 macro lens. A big concern is working distance from your subject i.e. moving insects as an example. How close does she really want to get to her subject and what does she hope to capture i.e. just flowers? I work with a Nikon D7100 crop sensor and a 36MM extension tube with my 50MM f/1.8 gave me great results for flowers but a 2" working distance was too close for bees as an example. I spooked them. I personally find closeups of flowers with my 18-140MM at 140MM to be very pleasing. I did have some nice results with my 18-140MM at 140M with a screw on +4 Opteka screw-on diopter. The other issue is lighting when you get this close. I used my on-camera speedlight with the Angler Diffuser for walk around shooting for the extension tube shots & diopter as well. My partner on the presentation really liked her Sony Bridge Camera shots at 600MM and our birders have similar results with their long lenses. Focusing is normally manual tipping in and out unless you use a tripod except for the long telephotos. All of the attached photos were taken with my 18-140MM at 140MM f/5.6. Are these close enough? If not, I can share what I took with my extension tubes and diopter. Please advise.
I am in the midst of working on a presentation for... (show quote)


I used to shoot a lot of Macro with a reversed lens set up with and without tubes, you have to use flash to do this. The first three images were shot with an old 28mm film lens reversed onto a full set of non electronic tubes, after cropping they are well beyond 5:1. The entire set up cost me probably less than $50. The last image is simply to show the effect of shooting through a reversed lens.


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Jul 31, 2021 16:17:57   #
MrBob Loc: lookout Mtn. NE Alabama
 
robertjerl wrote:
I do a fair number of macro/closeups in fits between doing birds etc. I find that in the realm of close ups for flowers, butterflies etc. I use my Canon 100-400L more than one of my true macro lenses. It focus to a bit under 3 feet. But that is an expensive lenses. What is your budget for this lens? If she wants to do closeups of flowers a close focusing non macro lens will do. If she is out to get down to the details and parts that calls for a true macro lens. I have the Canon 100 f/2.8 and Tamron 180 f/3.5, used copies are available and reasonably priced, esp. if you get an older version, a Canon 100 macro v1 will do a good job a lot cheaper than a new vIII.
I do a fair number of macro/closeups in fits betwe... (show quote)


Yep... I still use my Canon 100mm non-USM older version which is sharp as a tack and doesn't have that digital look. Should be fairly cheap on the used market.

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Jul 31, 2021 16:31:21   #
Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.
 
MrBob wrote:
Yep... I still use my Canon 100mm non-USM older version which is sharp as a tack and doesn't have that digital look. Should be fairly cheap on the used market.


LOL... That was my first macro lens, I sold it when I purchased the USM model, I have owned all the Canon EF lenses as well as the Sigma 150mm OS and the 180mm OS but throughout owning all those lenses I missed that old metal tank, the original EF 100/2.8 so a couple of years ago I bought one out of Japan on Ebay, now it sits between my EF 100 f/2.8 IS and my Sigma 180mm f/2.8 OS. I did not like the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L and only owned it for a short time.

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Jul 31, 2021 19:11:47   #
robertjerl Loc: Corona, California
 
MrBob wrote:
Yep... I still use my Canon 100mm non-USM older version which is sharp as a tack and doesn't have that digital look. Should be fairly cheap on the used market.


Oops, in my first post I called the newer version the "vIII", it is the "L" and only the second version they have put out. I have the original non "L".

And as to using it as a portrait lens, it works great for that, here are versions of a portrait I did of my daughter to include with a resume to a Medical School (she picked this version, I wanted to change it a bit more but she needed to send it NOW). This older lens has no IS and is hand held with an open window on the south side of the house to the left and a blank north wall as background.
Canon 6D, 100 f/2.8 USM, 1/100 @ f/3.5, ISO-2000
handheld by natural light

Oh, in my own opinion I suck as a portrait photographer, but on a few rare occasions I have accidentally gotten a portrait close to right.

I added a very close up (almost macro) of a bee on a flower taken with the same lens to show how sharp it is (and how shallow the depth of field is). This shot is OOC, just my signature added.
Canon 6D, 100 f/2.8 USM, 1/500 @ f/8, ISO-2000
handheld on a cloudy bright day

OOC, Jasmine wanted this but allowed me 5 extra minutes to do an edit
OOC, Jasmine wanted this but allowed me 5 extra mi...
(Download)

Jasmine gave me enough time to soften things a bit and change the background
Jasmine gave me enough time to soften things a bit...
(Download)

OOC, no flash, spot meter on Bee, a cloudy day with soft light
OOC, no flash, spot meter on Bee, a cloudy day wit...
(Download)

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Jul 31, 2021 19:26:35   #
mundy-F2 Loc: Chicago suburban area
 
E.L.. Shapiro wrote:
I have the lens: The EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro. I use it to shoot jewelry and other small objects in my commercial work.

Flowers- I am a city cat without a green thumb- I know little about flowers except they are pretty and smell nice and make cool photographic subjects as per lines, shapes and lovely colours and tones.

Enter my granddaughter who is a horticultural expert and a landscape designer. So she asked Grandpa (me) to shoot a "few" flowers for her research papers, articles for her association newsletter, etc.

I love the 100mm focal length because it does no require my getting too close to the subject so when working in an ornamental garden I don't need to walk on the flower beds. I can fill the frame nicely and get sharp detail. I am too old to climb trees to get a good shot of a Magnolia.

So, I am teaching my granddaughter photograhy, buying her a nice camera body and giving her my lens. This is a decision I made after the 1,000th flower "assignment"!
I have the lens: The EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro. I use... (show quote)


Beautiful pictures.
Mundy

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Jul 31, 2021 20:24:51   #
MrBob Loc: lookout Mtn. NE Alabama
 
Blurryeyed wrote:
LOL... That was my first macro lens, I sold it when I purchased the USM model, I have owned all the Canon EF lenses as well as the Sigma 150mm OS and the 180mm OS but throughout owning all those lenses I missed that old metal tank, the original EF 100/2.8 so a couple of years ago I bought one out of Japan on Ebay, now it sits between my EF 100 f/2.8 IS and my Sigma 180mm f/2.8 OS. I did not like the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L and only owned it for a short time.


Yep, I think I will keep it... Ha Ha. Actually I really like it as a long portrait on my crop body 60D ( 160mm ). Great for chasing the dogs around the yard and has a really nice look with Canon's color science....

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Jul 31, 2021 20:29:53   #
mundy-F2 Loc: Chicago suburban area
 
Blurryeyed wrote:
I used to shoot a lot of Macro with a reversed lens set up with and without tubes, you have to use flash to do this. The first three images were shot with an old 28mm film lens reversed onto a full set of non electronic tubes, after cropping they are well beyond 5:1. The entire set up cost me probably less than $50. The last image is simply to show the effect of shooting through a reversed lens.


Very nice pictures.
Mundy

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Aug 1, 2021 08:35:01   #
agillot
 
first , there is macro and close up , for flowers close up work well .you could try extension tubes on your existing lens , this work well for close ups .i use meike 3 piece macro extension tube set , around $ 50 .all the functions work .well made .google it .

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Aug 1, 2021 12:44:00   #
DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area
 
kpmac wrote:
Most macros, true 1 to 1 macros, range from 90mm to 105mm. There are many choices. The Tamron 90mm is highly rated and fairly priced as is the 100mm Tokina.


Agree - I've been using the Tamron 90mm on my Canon cameras for about 10 years. It's a good trade-off for macro work - you can keep far enough from bees and bugs to keep from scaring them away, while it costs far less than a 200mm macro.

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Aug 1, 2021 13:39:04   #
chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY
 
For 1:1 macro the Tokina 100/2.8 is a great bang for the buck ratio - I have a the Tamron 90mm and is also a great lens but will cost a bit more. Of course there are great native Canon choices as pointed out above.

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