RAUK - Archived Forum - Canon EOS lense question.

I'm new to photography (and herping).

I bought a Canon EOS 400D with the standard 18-55 lense and a 70-300 zoom lense with image stabiliser.

I bought the zoom mainly for sports photography, bike racing etc....

The 70-300 is a bit frustrating when trying to photograph reptiles due to the fact that the minimum focusing distance is 4.9ft.  I'm trying to achieve better results than the ones I added to the Portland thread in the adder forum.

Having seen the excellent quality of the photos on this forum I'd like to ask other users what lenses they use/recommend for my camera.

I'd like to achieve good crisp clear close ups which can be taken from about 2-3 feet away.

Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the response.

Is this the lense http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/EF_Le nses/Macro_Lenses/EF_100mm_f28_Macro_USM/index.asp

I have a Tamron 90mm macro and have found that's very good. The Sigma 105mm macro is also well thought of. Some people also use 60 and 70mm macros on reduced frame cameras like yours. There's a Canon EFS 60mm macro (only fits EFs mount cameras like yours + 450/20/30/40 D) and Sigma 70mm macro.

The Canon 100mm macro doesn't come in L flavour (the Canon designation for top range lenses) but has an Ultrasonic motor for focussing - which is faster than the Tamron and Sigma (70, 105). However, because they focus so close, macro lenses need many revolutions to focus from one end to the other so none are that fast, also autofocus is of limited use for near/small subjects so you tend to end up using manual focus a lot. The Tamron has a one-click clutch to switch between auto/manual which I like. The Canons, with USM focussing, let you manually overide focus.

Thursley lizard Tamron 90mm Macro - wide open

Quality wise you'll find all the fixed focal length (prime) macro lenses very high quality, my Tamron is of equivalent/close optical quality to my Canon 200mm L. Your best bet is to try a few different lenses on your camera and pick the one that you like best - and fits your budget. You can find user reviews at http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews 

HTH - Dom

Hi,

Okay I'm by no means an expert, but maybe my experience may be useful (?).

1.  I use a Nikon D200 with a 200mm macro lens - seems to work okay for me, but is longer than other people's suggestions above.

2.  I do have a 105mm macro lens, but have rarely used it for herps.

3.  Autofocus is unhelpful for macro shots.  Other people may well disagree.

4.  With today's technology a good zoom will give you plenty adequate quality.  The limiting factor in most people's photography is NOT the quality of their equipment!  That's certainly true for me.

5.  Regarding Deano's post - if Boris uses an extension tube with his zoom, he'd need to check compatibility (not sure how well they work with zooms, may lose metering etc) but it seems a reasonable low cost option.

6.  Otherwise, if Boris is planning on getting 2-3 ft away, a 100mm macro lens would seem ideal.  That's pretty close though (Grass Snakes for example).

7.  The main problem I have with photographing herps is that there's always undergrowth in the way, no matter how close you get.  Not sure there's a magic solution to that problem!

8.  Depth of field and shutter speed are an issue with close-up work.  Yesterday I cranked up the ISO to 640 to (typically) get an aperture of f11 and a shutter speed of 1/750.  I believe the smaller aperture and faster speed more than made up for the slight increase in noise.  Not sure how well the Canon performs at higher ISOs, but I'm sure there are all kinds of sites that make comparisons (try Ken Rockwell's site).

Good luck Boris.

Regards,

Tim.

Boris

Extension tubes can be useful, Canon sell them individually or you can buy a set of three made by Kenko for the price of one canon one. I've got a set and they're very well made and include contacts to retain metering and autofocus - although you MUST check the manual for each lens you have to check compatibility before you buy. Extension tubes are always useful but they cut down light (as Tim points out light is one of the limiting factors) and you lose focus at infinity so have to remove them if you want to focus at a distant subject.

Another alterative you could consider is a close-up lens you fit onto the front of the lens in the filter thread - a good quality one will cost around ú100. You have to buy the specific size for your largest lens but can buy step up/down rings to use them on smaller lenses.