Choice of macro lenses

ozanan

ozanan

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Dan
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Hi folks, since moving over to Canon from Sony I'm trying to decide which of the following macro lenses will be replacing my minolta 100mm (all prices taken from onestop-digital):

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM (£399)
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di (£242)
Tokina 100mm f/2.8 D AT-X M100 AF Pro (£251)
Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG (£283)

I've looked at various images produced by each of the lenses and they all look good, so really it boils down to build quality or bang for the buck, and the compromises that result.

At the moment I'm leaning towards the Tokina not because of any previous experience but namely because my previous experience with Tamron (admittedly a very cheap 70-300) it felt rather plasticy; I've read numerous horror stories relating to the build quality of Sigma and am assuming it applies to EX lenses as well; I don't know that the Canon would be 150 quid better than the Tokina and that money could go towards funding a flash. I've got no personal experience to back up / contradict any of this though, so what I'm asking is - do you? What's your experience and would you recommend one over another and why?

Thanks for any insights.
 
I have the Canon, and it is a belter of a lens. Having said that people rate the Sigma and Tamron very highly. I personally do not think that the Canon is £150 better than the Tamron, so if money was an issue I would probably not take the Canon.

If by going cheaper, this means you can afford a flash, then absolutely go for it. I tried macro for almost a year with no flash, to be honest got nowhere fast. I got a 430EX II, velcroed it on the lens hood and the difference in results was totally amazing. Have a look here for some great ideas.

Hope that helps.
 
I used to have the tamrom F2.8 it was a brilliant lens,i just never used it enough,:)
 
To be honest, they're all excellent lenses! I have the canon, and love it, but when I bought it the price was about £100 less than it is now. Having seen the results from the sigma and tamron, I'd be very tempted if I was buying now! Haven't heard much about the Tokina, so can't really comment though I'm afraid!
 
I've only used the sigma 105 and 150 & the Canon 100mm, both the sigmas have very good image quality but the Canon has better contrast and produces a richer colour but the main advantage of the Canon is its working distance approx 50% more than the Tamron and 30mm more than the sigma 100mm - this is due to internal focusing so the lens stay the same physical length as you focus 1:1 unlike the Sigma.

Minimum working distances (MWD) is the distance from the end of the lens to subject .

focusdistance.jpg


When shooting live things like fly's and spiders the bigger the working distance the better as you don't spook the subject as easily
 
Thank you all for your replies, they were greatly appreciated. I was dreading replies of "It must be Canon or you'll burn in HELL!!!" as I've read plenty of "reviews" that echoed that sentiment and never gave any third party lens any consideration, fair enough if the options are useless but I like choice. Thank you for once again showing me that this is one of the best places to ask a question and get decent answers!

After much deliberation - well an hour or so - and reading your replies and lens test results from Photozone I've decided to order the Tokina.

I did sway towards the Tamron, but swung back to the Tokina because of the slightly increased working distance over the Tamron and the apparently slightly tougher build, and it being 30 quid cheaper than the Sigma. Not much, but then it's £30 more towards the flash! I did consider the Canon and was VERY tempted with the internal focusing but couldn't justify the price difference, especially after quibbling over the £30 difference between the Tokina and the Sigma!

All four were rated as "Highly recommended!" with each being slightly better in some miniscule way than the rest, so I'm sure that I'll be a happy bunny with the Tokina.

Next step, the flash! Any recommendations? :D
 
Flash - depends on whether you want a ring flash for the Macro lens or a general flash - for the general flash the 430 EX (I or II) is a good buy, esp if starting off - you could always upgrade later on to the 580 range, which would fire the 430 as a secondary flash :thumbs:

Good luck with your new lens :thumbs:
 
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