Macro Lense

[El Geek]

I am in the process of buying a macro lens. I have a 50D. I was leaning towards the EF 100mm f2.8 Macro USM, but now they are releasing the L series. I've read about the Tokina AT-X 100mm f/2.8 PRO D and the he other Canon macro lenses. Money is not a major problem, but I would love to get the best for my buck. Any suggestions?

[marcfs]

Take a look at the Canon 180 f/3.5 L Macro.  Excellent IQ and boka.  The lens is heavy at 38.3 oz.  Nevertheless it is a terrific lens.

Marc

[KeithB]

If you intend on handholding any macro shots, than the new Canon 100mm IS wins, hands down.

[Bob Atkins]

I'd agree with Keith. If I wanted the best macro lens for a Canon EOS DSLR, I'd get my name down for the new Canon EF 100/2.8L IS Macro USM. It's not in the stores yet, but it should be any day now. Canon said that it would start shipping to retailers at the end of September.

The new IS system which corrects for vertical and horizontal movement as well as rotation (pitch and yaw)should make getting sharp images in handheld macro work much easier.

The 180/3.5 Macro is a fine lens, but it's pretty big and heavy compared to the shorter focal length macros. If more of a dual purpose macro/telephoto. It doesn't have IS either.

[marcfs]

Here’s a website to compare the background blur between the 180, 100, and 60:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-100mm-f-2.8-USM-Macro-Lens-Review.aspx


If you are looking for an image stabilized lens then I too would agree that the new 100/2.8 IS macro is the lens of choice. 

However depending upon where IQ is on your decision criteria, you may reach a different conclusion.  Also consider the distance to subject working space.

IMHO and the opinion of many others, the 180 Macro may be the ultimate nature macro lens.

I always use my tripod when shooting macros.

Good luck.

Marc

[Bob Atkins]

That article gets a bit confused between background blur and DOF.

At the same magnification and aperture, DOF is fixed, i.e. focal length doesn't enter into the equation. However background blur (well outside the DOF) depends on the physical aperture of the lens.

For example a 180mm lens at f16 has a physical aperture of 180/16 = 11.25mm, while a 100mm lens at f16 has a physical aperture of 100/16 = 6.25mm. Background blur is directly proportional to physical aperture, so the 180mm lens will produce a blur that's (11.25)/(6.25) = 1.8x greater (which is the same as the ratio of focal lengths of course).

The chief drawback of the EF 180/3.5 macro is that it's 7.3" long, weighs 2.4lbs and costs $1400, while the 100mm macro is 4.7" long, weighs 1.35lbs and costs $650 ($1050 for the new IS version).

I'd agree that the 180mm macro can yield nicer images at times and is a very useful lens. Another advantage it has is the tripod collar, which can be very useful when switching from vertical to horizontal framing. Just tilting a tripod head means that you have to recompose when you're shooting at high magnification. A tripod collar is much more convenient.

[whizkid]

I don't care for a macro lens that extends the lens barrel when focusing and that is what the Tokina does and quite a barrel stretch it is.

The greater working distance of the 180 macro is certainly hard to argue down but given the viability of image stabilization my hat is in the ring for the new 100 macro. I see it as a macro that one may use without a tripod for getting in close and personal.

[El Geek]

 Thank you everyone for your input.Any idea when the new EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM will come out? I know they said September, but it's already October...

[Bob Atkins]

As far as I a know, Canon started shipping to dealers at the end of September, so my guess is that we'll see the EF 100/2.8L IS USM in stores within a week or two. I do know that the lens does exist and a few have already been shipped to customers. I don't know what the supply will be like or how many pre-orders have been taken for it. Recently some lenses seem to be in chronic short supply and if you didn't pre-order one you'd be waitiing a long time before one would be available "off the shelf". I guess with the economy being bad they don't want a stock of unsold lenses hanging around costing them money!

You can check stock at Adorama via this link  and at Amazon via this link  but as of today neither has it in stock and both are taking pre-orders. B&H simply shows it as "out of stock".