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Dedicated macro or stick with my achromatic close up lens?
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Currently when taking macro images i use a sigma 70 -300 at full zoom with a nikon 5T (1.5 dioptre)and 6T (2.9 dioptre) achromatic closeup lens ( sometimes just one, sometimes both). I get good images occasionally, but depth of field is pitiful. apart from the DOF i dont see any huge problem with these lens’s. should i invest in a dedicated macro lens, or stick with what ive got? will a macro lens give me something that i cant achieve with the close up lens’s?
also, when getting a macro lens, how do you decide the focal length? common ones are 50 and 100mm. will a 100mm macro give you more magnification?
I’ve a 100mm Canon macro, and it’s my favourite lens, it just gives lovely results. I used the Sigma before, though without the close up lenses, and there’s a large gap in image quality between the two, the macro is just so much sharper, and adding the close up lens isn’t going to improve IQ. Autofocus is also superb on this lens.
DOF is always an issue when you’re working closely to anything – at closest focusing distance wide open it’ll be measured in millimetres. As to which focal length, it depends what you’re going to shoot. All the lenses that are considered true macro give 1:1 magnification, though watch out for Sigma who stick “macro” onto just about everything (actually strictly speaking not true, I believe the term is supposed to refer to lenses that’ll give greater than 1:1 magnification, but for here we’ll assume 1:1). As to focal length, the shorter the focal length, the closer you need to be to get 1:1 magnification. If you’re after bugs, a longer focal length would be good, 150mm or 180mm, if you’re only doing things which don’t run away, then you’ll be fine with a shorter focal length (they’re also lighter, and DOF won’t be so much of a problem). 100mm or thereabouts is a good halfway house and there’s a good range of options available in Canon, and 3rd party manufacturers.
cool. i think il look about for a 100mm macro 2nd hand. thanks for the advice JMcL.
Have you tried extension tubes instead of close up lenses?
They have no glass, so they don’t affect the images, they just shorten the minimum focusing distance of a lens.Darragh
I use close up lenses on my 70-200 F4 L lens but on a +6 or +10 lens i get a lot of Abberations and distorsions the closer i go the 200mm! so i use it on 70mm.
I tried extension tubes and still the same was happening but photoshop CS3 raw converter can correct the abberations but not the distorsions towards the outer edges of the pic.
i would love a CANON 100mm but have a lot of money tied up in equipment as it is!
i use a 105mm f2.8 macro from sigma, is a less expensive option than the canon and although ive never used the canon, im very happy with the results v sharp 1:1 magnification. I bought mine new but if you can find a second hand one could work out a bargain
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