Beginner Macro lens for Canon EOS 40D

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Donna
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Hi. I'm wondering if anyone can shed light on which type of lens to buy for close up shots for a canon EOS 40D? My 11 year old son is just starting out with photography and I'm trying to find a lens for his birthday but am finding it all a bit bewildering! He would like to take close up shots of plants and insects etc. He already has a lens for
 
There are various options depending on how much you want to spend.

Ideally a lens designed for macro - try search Canon 100mm macro, Sigma 105mm, Tamron 90mm for three popular choices.

Much cheaper if less easy to use is a set of extension tubes - £40 or less on ebay.

A complicated subject as you have found but that's a start.

Do not get the Tamron 70 - 300mm macro (not a good lens!)
 
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Hi Steve. Thanks for your advice. I'm looking at a canon EF macro lens 35-80mm. Would you recommend that?
 
If he has the normal kit lens (18-55mm) then a set of close up filters from Ebay would allow him to start cheaply - and much lighter than anything else.
And they can give good results:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/20926615@N05/albums/72157623715955928

Check the tags to see which lens and camera combo was used etc.

But to get the best results with macro do what I do - take loads of pics and bin the bad ones.

If you're thinking of extension tubes then ideally you should get a set of DG AF ones which automatically couple to the lens exposure and aperture.
 
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Hi Steve. Thanks for your advice. I'm looking at a canon EF macro lens 35-80mm. Would you recommend that?
No, that’s not a true macro lens (just a bad old kit lens that focusses fairly close)
 
F611F3BD-4F72-4100-9233-380473975C7C.jpegThis is the sigma lens he already has.
Sorry to be a bit clueless but I’m a complete novice when it comes to cameras like this!
Could he attach a filter to this for close up photography? Please could you clarify what type of filter? Thanks
 
I'm not familiar with Sigma 70 -300mm but I think that has macro capabilities.
To check look for a switch with something like macro / normal on the lens.
If so you do not need a filter.

The problem with using that sort lens for macro is it is going to be heavy, slow to focus
and not very sharp. A tru macro lens such as those I quoted will give better and easier results.

As Peter says you have to take a lot of shots to get one really good one even with the best of lenses.
and it doesn't get easier with practice - not for me anyway
 
View attachment 236800This is the sigma lens he already has.
Sorry to be a bit clueless but I’m a complete novice when it comes to cameras like this!
Could he attach a filter to this for close up photography? Please could you clarify what type of filter? Thanks

No a close up filter for that would be useless.
The close up filters work best with a small diameter lens, eg the 18-55 kit lens.
For that lens he would be better with a set of auto extension rings, but if he is only 11 yrs old then it might be difficult for him to handle.
If he already has the 18-55mm kit lens which often comes with the camera then definitely go with the close up filters.
For an 11 yr old anything else would really be overkill which could put him off photography for good.
A cheap set like this would be a fair start:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lens-Mac...m=254012709911&_trksid=p2045573.c100281.m3567

But the diameter of his lens must be the same as the diameter of the filters, which I believe is 52mm as shown - but check on the lens.

Small steps....
 
Nifty fifty and some cheap extension tubes perhaps?
 
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Nifty fifty and some cheap extension tubes perhaps?

Unfortunately cheap extension tubes don't link to the camera's aperture and exposure meaning that you may be shooting wide open all the time - not much good for macro, although the nifty fifty with a set of good extension tubes is an excellent investment.
 
Thanks very much for all your advice. It’s a whole new world to me and you’ve been really helpful
I went with the canon EF 50mm lens and filters as recommended. Hopefully he’ll get some good results!
 
Thanks very much for all your advice. It’s a whole new world to me and you’ve been really helpful
I went with the canon EF 50mm lens and filters as recommended. Hopefully he’ll get some good results!

Mind if I just chip in as someone fairly new to macro? I started off with the larger insects, mainly butterflies, using my 18-135mm kit lens (Canon shooter). It was pretty impressive but I wanted more so decided to ease my way into true macro with the Raynox 150. The big issue was the vignetting, using a 49mm filter on a 62mm dia lens, but if I composed carefully I could live with it. It was just a try out to work out if I was actually going to use a true macro lens enough to justify the purchase price. The answer was yes and I bought the Sigma 105mm macro. Expensive, fairly heavy and not recommended for your lad. However, the point of this post is just to say that macro/close up isn't easy. So close to the subject, and possibly with low light requiring wide apertures, the dof is so limited that focus and stillness is critical, although the 50mm lens will be a bit easier to work with than 105mm. Be prepared for a lot of failures and frustration, especially if he's the 'instant gratification' type. If he's the persistant type and is prepared to work at it, he should do well. Good luck to both of you.
 
Thanks for your advice Janny. It’s good to know that he’ll have to keep working at close up shots. I think he’ll persevere. He seems keen but being still isn’t his forte so plenty of practice needed I think!
Peter, I found a 50mm canon lens on eBay for £50. It’s good to know it’s a good lens to have.
Thanks again to all for all your help :)
 
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