Macro Lens?

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Liam
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Hello,

I'm new to photography and I'll be getting my first DSLR for christmas.
I am particularly interested in macro shots, so when I get my camera I will also be buying a macro lens.

How do I know which macro lens is best? (which lens can get closer to the object).

Cheers.
 
oops, wrong section.
This was meant to go in the "Talk Basics" section.

Replies are still welcomed though.
 
It all depends on your budget really, But I have the canon 100mm macro, it was quite pricey at just over £300 you can get the 60mm a little cheaper

There are others that will tell you better whats around, I have seen people get great results from using tubes on say a 18-55 kit lens.
This is a much cheaper option if you are just starting out and cash is a little tight.

spike
 
SpikeK6 said:
It all depends on your budget really, But I have the canon 100mm macro, it was quite pricey at just over £300 you can get the 60mm a little cheaper

There are others that will tell you better whats around, I have seen people get great results from using tubes on say a 18-55 kit lens.
This is a much cheaper option if you are just starting out and cash is a little tight.

spike
Click to expand...

So, the higher the mm lens the better the lens?
 
not nessesserily, the longer the lens the farther away you can be from the object, specially if its an insect etc etc,

It all depends on what sort of macro you are looking to do. If its stills then a shorter lens will do as you will not scare it off by getting too close.

have a look in the macro section and see what lens have been used to get the shot then that way you can decide on what focal length will suit you best
 
SpikeK6 said:
not nessesserily, the longer the lens the farther away you can be from the object, specially if its an insect etc etc,

It all depends on what sort of macro you are looking to do. If its stills then a shorter lens will do as you will not scare it off by getting too close.

have a look in the macro section and see what lens have been used to get the shot then that way you can decide on what focal length will suit you best
Click to expand...

ohhh.
Ok, thank you. :thumbs:
 
Depends on the subject.
60mm would be better for flowers for example, the 100mm or 150mm for insects for which you would need to shoot from a distance.

Good, cheaper choices, would be the Tamron 90mm, Sigma 150mm and Tokina 100mm.

A budget (under £100) 2nd hand choice, if you can find one, is also the Cosina 100mm.
 
micloi said:
Depends on the subject.
60mm would be better for flowers for example, the 100mm or 150mm for insects for which you would need to shoot from a distance.

Good, cheaper choices, would be the Tamron 90mm, Sigma 150mm and Tokina 100mm.

A budget (under £100) 2nd hand choice, if you can find one, is also the Cosina 100mm.
Click to expand...

Oh, ok. That's really helpful, cheers! :notworthy::notworthy:

What size lens would you need to do stuff like this:

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=275955
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=269370
 
shorter focal lengths are cheaper and lighter, and perfectly good for static subjects.

Unless you want to photograph skittish insects, I'd be looking in the ~100mm range (tamron 90mm, sigma 105mm, tokina 100mm)


Any focal length macro lens can take shots like the ones you link to.
 
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All true prime macro lenses have the same magnification on thier own - 1:1. This means the subject will be life sized on the sensor. The focal length (mainly) determines how far away from the subject you are when focused at maximum magnification. With a 60mm macro you will be about 2-3" away from the subject to the front of the lens at 1:1, with a 150mm about 10-12". So the 150mm is better for insects as it less likely to scare them off.

There is one exception, the Canon MP-E 65, which can do up to 5X magnification on its own. Other macro lens need tubes / TCs / diopters / bellows to increase magnification.
 
I'd second Spikes recommendation for the Canon 100mm. Works great on a full frame camera for both normal and Macro work. Also have a look at the Sigma 105 and 150.Obviously the Canon will only fit onto a Canon but the Sigma is available in several mounts

Yes you can use extension tubes and they'll set you back around £100. Not as easy to use as a Macro lens but a lot cheaper.

Another option are close up lenses . Cokin do a range of these which are not that expensive. They could represent a good investment to start with. You'll need the filter holder as well but that's not a lot of money. Only drawback is that you may find the image quality may suffer a little. It all depends on what you are after
 
squishy said:
shorter focal lengths are cheaper and lighter, and perfectly good for static subjects.

Unless you want to photograph skittish insects, I'd be looking in the ~100mm range (tamron 90mm, sigma 105mm, tokina 100mm)


Any focal length macro lens can take shots like the ones you link to.
Click to expand...

Oh ok. Thanks so much. :thumbs:

jomike said:
All true prime macro lenses have the same magnification on thier own - 1:1. This means the subject will be life sized on the sensor. The focal length (mainly) determines how far away from the subject you are when focused at maximum magnification. With a 60mm macro you will be about 2-3" away from the subject to the front of the lens at 1:1, with a 150mm about 10-12". So the 150mm is better for insects as it less likely to scare them off.

There is one exception, the Canon MP-E 65, which can do up to 5X magnification on its own. Other macro lens need tubes / TCs / diopters / bellows to increase magnification.
Click to expand...

Ahh, ok.
Thanks, really really helpful! :notworthy::notworthy::notworthy:
 
Chappers said:
I'd second Spikes recommendation for the Canon 100mm. Works great on a full frame camera for both normal and Macro work. Also have a look at the Sigma 105 and 150.Obviously the Canon will only fit onto a Canon but the Sigma is available in several mounts

Yes you can use extension tubes and they'll set you back around £100. Not as easy to use as a Macro lens but a lot cheaper.

Another option are close up lenses . Cokin do a range of these which are not that expensive. They could represent a good investment to start with. You'll need the filter holder as well but that's not a lot of money. Only drawback is that you may find the image quality may suffer a little. It all depends on what you are after
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply.
I'll go and look these up. Thanks again. :thumbs:
 
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