Macro lenses - go old school?

roadeh

roadeh

Messages
137
Name
Ben
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi guys,

I quite like the idea of getting a macro lens, but have no idea how much I would use it right now. I've looked into it a bit and considered the Tokina 100mm f/2.8 AT-X PRO, which seems good value at £305 (though I haven't seen any come up second hand, which seems strange).

However, a friend of mine recommends getting a vintage lens, as a) they are much cheaper and can produce some good results (see the Vivtar one here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/odderikgarcia/sets/72157605564009337/).

The only downsides seem to be the need for an adaptor (if anyone can help with this to work on my 450D that would be awesome :)) and that the lens is fully manual (i.e. no aperture priority or automatic focus), but with macro that seems reasonable, given you are likely to be shooting wide open and want to control focus anyway?

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
 
Want to try macro but dont know if you will use it or not? Have you got a nifty fifty (50mm1.8)by any chance? If you do get a set of manual extension tubes from ebay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/UK-Macro-Extension-Tube-Ring-4-CANON-EOS-EF-DSLR-SLR-/220679082738?pt=UK_Photography_CameraLenses_Lens_caps_hoods_adaptors_ET&hash=item33617f92f2

and mess around with them. I have had some astounding results using this very set up. Cheap and cheerful but better than spending £300 then saying Nah its not for me.

If you like the results using a fifty with tubes (and you will) then go for fully automatics.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/EXTENSION-TUBE-SET-MACRO-AF-CANON-13-21-31mm-NEW-UK-/300447525662?pt=UK_Photography_CameraLenses_Lens_caps_hoods_adaptors_ET&hash=item45f4116b1e

If you really love macro then definitely get a real deal macro lens. The tamron 90mm rates highly at a much cheaper price than the canon.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/reviews/Tamron-90mm-f-2.8-Di-Macro-Lens-Review.aspx
 
Last edited:
Before spending a lot of money you could try a lens reversing ring for macro.
Everything will be manual but that's no hardship for macro. If you don't take to macro then you'll only have spent a few quid.
 
I must say I have tried all the 'not quite macro' solutions, extensions tubes, reversing rings, add on lenses, a cheap Cosina macro, the whole nine yards. It's only when I laid my hands on the Minolta 100mm f2.8 macro that I got the sort of results I wanted. If I were you and you really like Macro work then I would not hesitate to get a dedicated macro lens. I would look at the Tamron 90mm and work around that as a quality/price benchmark. The Canon 60mm is also a superb lens. If you want to do butterflies and bugs then you should consider the Sigma 150mm f3.5 I have a Sigma 180mm f3.5 and it is a sweet lens.

If you want to do macro a lot and you can afford a dedicated lens then get one, you will not regret it.
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys, but I don't mind spending a bit of money - when I say I don't know how much I'll use it, I mean that I definitely like doing macro style shots so it would get used - but not enough to justify spending £700 for a Canon L!

I'm always happy to buy second hand as it means you can normally not take any real loss on something, but as I said I hadn't seen the Tokinas second hand despite spending a few months lurking here!

What I know a lot less about are the vintage macro lenses; what's good - and how easy is it to get an adaptor for my 450D (and I don't really want to spend £70 on a lens and then £70 on an adaptor if it means it'll be hard to flog on!)
 
The danger with vintage lenses is there potential lack of compatibility with a digital sensor. As far as I am aware macro lenses tend to be less of a problem that zooms. My two pre digital lenses work fine on my Sony A100 & A200 bodies but my Minolta 100-300mm zoom does not. At the long end there is awful ghosting on high contrast subjects. It was fine on film. So if your going to fork out for a vintage lens see if anybody here has tried it on a digital body as it may not work well optically, if at all!
 
Evolutionist said:
I must say I have tried all the 'not quite macro' solutions, extensions tubes, reversing rings, add on lenses, a cheap Cosina macro, the whole nine yards. It's only when I laid my hands on the Minolta 100mm f2.8 macro that I got the sort of results I wanted. If I were you and you really like Macro work then I would not hesitate to get a dedicated macro lens. I would look at the Tamron 90mm and work around that as a quality/price benchmark. The Canon 60mm is also a superb lens. If you want to do butterflies and bugs then you should consider the Sigma 150mm f3.5 I have a Sigma 180mm f3.5 and it is a sweet lens.

If you want to do macro a lot and you can afford a dedicated lens then get one, you will not regret it.
Click to expand...

The Sigma 150mm is F2.8 and coming soon in an OS version.

I had one, very good lens.
 
Ben, I have a Canon 100mm FD macro lens which I have used with an FD-EOS converter and must confess that the results have been less than satisfactory. I only bought the converter because I already had the lens, I wouldn't recommend "buying" both the lens and converter, it's really not worth the effort. You would be better putting the money towards a dedicated macro lens.

I also have the 450D and have read lots of reviews on the Tokina 100mm macro and have decided to get one in the spring.

Alan
________
Maine dispensaries
 
Last edited:
I've just gone back to "old school" having sold a dedicated macro lens, just completely underused and planning to get by with 50mm f/1.4 and "sensor connected" extension tubes. I've also got m42 mf lenses - the only adapter you need is one which gives focus confirm beep.

Killwilly might your FD/EOS adapter have glass in it and that be the cause of your problems? As part of a general "coo - let's try manual focus lenses" I also tried FD lenses and quickly decided they weren't for me.

People talk about manual focus being "better" in macro photography; by and large I'd agree that this is fine if you're shooting static objects and not waiting for crawling/flying things to cross your field of view!
 
Last edited:
tikkathreebarrel said:
I've just gone back to "old school" having sold a dedicated macro lens, just completely underused and planning to get by with 50mm f/1.4 and "sensor connected" extension tubes. I've also got m42 mf lenses - the only adapter you need is one which gives focus confirm beep.
Click to expand...

I think that is probably a common outcome. Found the same thing. Got kitted up for macro but found my enthusiasm for it soon waned.
 
Hmm I suppose this will always open up a can of worms with regards to people's personal experiences.. I guess I will just patrol the classifieds and see if I can have a go at macro without risking too much devaluation!

Thanks guys
 
roadeh said:
Hmm I suppose this will always open up a can of worms with regards to people's personal experiences.. I guess I will just patrol the classifieds and see if I can have a go at macro without risking too much devaluation!

Thanks guys
Click to expand...
Well I'd get a Tamron 90mm f2.8 is I were you. It has a fantastic reputation and has for over 20 years. It'll be better than you're ability to use it for a while and it will really show you what a dedicated macro is all about.
 
roadeh said:
The only downsides seem to be the need for an adaptor (if anyone can help with this to work on my 450D that would be awesome :)) and that the lens is fully manual (i.e. no aperture priority or automatic focus), but with macro that seems reasonable, given you are likely to be shooting wide open and want to control focus anyway?

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Click to expand...

Au contraire. DoF when taking macro shots is razor thin at the best of times, so most macro shots will be taken with the lens stopped down to maximise that narrow DoF.

This may not be a problem with a manual lens, if you can stop it down manually before taking the shot. The downside is that it makes the viewfinder rather dark.
 
tikkathreebarrel said:
I've just gone back to "old school" having sold a dedicated macro lens, just completely underused and planning to get by with 50mm f/1.4 and "sensor connected" extension tubes. I've also got m42 mf lenses - the only adapter you need is one which gives focus confirm beep.

Killwilly might your FD/EOS adapter have glass in it and that be the cause of your problems? As part of a general "coo - let's try manual focus lenses" I also tried FD lenses and quickly decided they weren't for me.

People talk about manual focus being "better" in macro photography; by and large I'd agree that this is fine if you're shooting static objects and not waiting for crawling/flying things to cross your field of view!
Click to expand...

My converter does have glass, which is supposed to enable the lens to be focused to infinity. The glass can also be removed for use with a macro lens, but as I said earlier, it's just not worth effort. I bought mine off EBay from a supplier in Hong Kong, it was less than ?20 including shipping.

Canon did make a converter which worked very well, but they are very scarce and cost a small fortune, if you can find one.

Alan
________
Dominatorqueen
 
Last edited:
I went "old school" with tubes rather than get a dedicated macro lens this time round, I hardly use them, yet with my old set up my Tamron SP90 was rarely off my camera... guess what I'm doing ;)
 
I have tried vintage lens with an adapter and its time consuming. To me its not worth it.

If you have a nifty fifty lens, get the kenko auto extension tubes and pair it with your lens. What's good about the auto extension tubes is abvious... it allows autofocus so its easier to use than the cheap tubes. I've used one with my 50 1.4 with good results. Then you can always buy a macro lens, you can still use the kenko tubes with the macro lens for more magnification.

If you want to jump and get a macro, I highly recommend the canon 100 f2.8 macro. The killer spec of this lens is its quick focusing which is helpful for chasing bugs, even a crawling snail will be difficult to catch with a slow focusing lens like the sigma 105 or tamron 90.
 
Last edited:
RichardtheSane said:
The Sigma 150mm is F2.8 and coming soon in an OS version.

I had one, very good lens.
Click to expand...


Have to agree it's a stunning lens and I am not parting with it :) I was sitting im my garden taking not to shabby photos of hover flies at about two feet away.

 
Last edited:
Have a look on ebay for a M42 fit macro lens (1:2 or 1:1 ratio) and then look for a Canon EOS to M42 adapter (cheap as chips!). The 1:1 ratio is best and is proper Macro. The M42 fitting on old lenses is or rather was the most common so you should be able to find a decent lens without too much trouble.

With the Canon cameras you can shoot using old lenses on Aperture priority which will give you decent exposure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top