which canon macro lens and why

[landy]

i have narrowed down to:

100mm canon L ( new 970 )
100mm canon non L ( used for about 450 )
180mm canon L ( used for 950 )
150mm sigma ( new 730 )

im not afraid to spend some money up front to have the right lens, but at the same time no need to waste. the 180mm canon seems to be a great deal, but i could not do any top down shots as my tank is only 15" deep.

i have a canon xti that i never use because my pos takes better pictures than the kit lens does.

landy

 

[BlueCorn]

At their minimum focusing distances all have the same magnification and all are sharp.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1762095

 

[fatrip]

I like my 100mm 2.8 non-L lens. It is very sharp and perfect for small tanks and large alike.

 

[IPT]

are you using a crop factor body or FF? If crop, the 100mm is essentailly a 160mm. Why can't you use the 180mm for topdowns? Is that your car in the Avatar? What s it?

 

[this is me]

DX- buy 100mm
FX- buy 180mm

 

[dendronepthya]

I had the 100mm non-L and sold it to purchase the 100mm L. My reasoning was I wanted an image stabilized short telephoto when I wasn't using it for macro. Both lenses produced the same quality images shooting macro.

 

[landy]

are you using a crop factor body or FF? If crop, the 100mm is essentailly a 160mm. Why can't you use the 180mm for topdowns? Is that your car in the Avatar? What s it?

I have a canon xti, so that would be cropped.
The min focus is 18" something inches. I guess if I made some extended box I could make it work..
yes that is my car, google "factory five racing" for more info.

Landy

 

[landy]

So the 100mm non l seems to be the favorite for a cropped body macro only lens.

For some reason I was thinking the sigma would be the one, mainly for its min focus distance.

Landy

 

[BlueCorn]

So the 100mm non l seems to be the favorite for a cropped body macro only lens.

For some reason I was thinking the sigma would be the one, mainly for its min focus distance.

Landy

As mentioned in the sticky thread that I linked, he only drawback, to the Sigma, is that it's external focusing. External means the lens barrel extends/retracts during focusing. In your garden it isn't a big deal but if you're up against the aquarium glass it can be a real hassle.

The Canon is internal focusing; i.e. the length of the lens doesn't change during operation.

 

[x19]

I use a Nikon 105mm f/2.8G VR Micro (Nikon's word for Macro), so I can't provide any specifics on the Canon lenses but I think there is one important factor to keep in mind. I recently upgraded from a Minolta SLR to a Nikon D90, and when I was making the decision to switch to Canon or Nikon I spent a lot of time researching the two companies. I assume, you did as well...making a decision to go with a Canon camera.

Now, Camera bodies are updated about every 1.5 years and they are really just a product of the day's technology. Occasionally there is a big feature that they have and the competitors don't, but that advantage is always short lived. However, the quality of lenses is what truly makes the difference, and a good lens well taken care of will last you 20 years or more.

Now obviously you and I came to different decisions when it came to picking a camera brand, but you chose Canon. Sigma makes DSLRs too, as does Pentax, Sony, and lots of other brands. Now why, would you choose to invest in a canon body but go for a 3rd party lens?

Buy a Canon lens, if you can afford it then go for the pro-glass, but make an investment that will pay you back time and time again with high quality pictures.

 

[landy]

I decided to go with the non L 100mm canon. If it is as sharp as the L, and only lacks IS, then i think that is a fair deal @ half the price. If it comes to the point that i want the L lens, i will get 80% of my investment out of the non L and upgrade.

thanks for all the input.

landon

 

[Jstdv8]

whats the L stand for?

 

[BlueCorn]

Believe it or not, "Luxury."

Canon "L" lenses, are considered (by Canon) to be their very best, professional lenses.

 

[landy]

my new lens was waiting for me when i got home today. slapped it on the body and snapped about 20 pics. i have a less than basic understanding of how to take a proper macro picture, but non the less here are a few i thought turned out well.

thanks again for all that helped with the selection. now i just need to learn how to use this thing.

landy