Macro lens for the missus for christmas

[Hannes]

She expressed some displeasure yesterday that I hadn't bought her a macro lens yet and told me I ought to get her one for christmas. Question is which one though? She prefers the 40D but I want to be able to use it on my 1D as well so that rules out the 60mm macro. She wants to mainly photograph flowers with it so I imagine the 50mm 2.5 would work quite well but I'm a little put off by the age of the design and the short focal length, I'm hoping to be able to use it as a normal lens as well as a macro. In that kind of focal length I'd rather just get the 40mm pancake. The 100mm non-L stands out like a winner when it comes to price but the problem is she has zero patience for either eternal flashes or tripods so I would expect a lot of blurry shots without IS (yes I understand the limitations of it in macro but every little helps after all). Given that she doesn't like the weight and heft of a 70-200 f2.8 I doubt a big lens like a sigma 150mm 2.8 OS would go down very well. In reality she could probably do well with just a normal close focussing lens but I don't mind flashes or tripods and would quite like to have a proper macro lens myself. The zeiss macros are too expensive unfortunately

Shall I just buy her a 100mm L macro and be done with it? Of course I could just get a 100mm non-L and a ring flash for her for the same money. How well does it work to do handheld flower macro with a non stabilised lens? Most of the shots will be at less than 1:1 magnification I expect.

 

[Marsu42]

Shall I just buy her a 100mm L macro and be done with it?

Yes, if you can afford a 1d there is no question this is the lens to get...

How well does it work to do handheld flower macro with a non stabilised lens? Most of the shots will be at less than 1:1 magnification I expect.

... because of exactly this reason: the IS does make a big difference handheld at longer distances.

 

[Random Orbits]

+1 for the 100L. For serious macro stuff, a tripod and flash are required, but the 100L does well informally and especially well for portraiture. I really like having the ability to take a picture of something and then get close for a detail without changing lenses. IS helps, but for outside work, wind can often be a bigger obstacle than light/camera shake.

 

[Deleted member 91053]

I normally use the Canon 100 F2.8 (non L) macro on my 1D4 and love the results that it gives. The only real problem I have with this lens is that it is a little on the long side for flowers in confined areas. As a result of this I tried a friends EFS 60mm Macro (with a 13mm extension tube) on my 1D and got very good results with little, if any, vignetting + I wasn't tripping people up!

 

[Jim Saunders]

Going by the subject alone I'd say it's a great idea but don't settle for anything less than the 100L...

Jim

 

[K13X5C]

Where would these flower shots be taken most often ? An outdoor botanical garden ? Indoor flower shows ? Your backyard ? Your backyard flowers, cut and brought inside ? It makes a difference. The Canon 100 L will be great in all of the above, naturally, but she'll still need a tripod and better lighting on occasion. I use a cheap Walmart monopod while traipsing around the woods and such, and it works great for that little extra steadying support.

 

[Menace]

If you can afford it get the 100L - lovely macro and great portraits

 

[Hannes]

Where would these flower shots be taken most often ? An outdoor botanical garden ? Indoor flower shows ? Your backyard ? Your backyard flowers, cut and brought inside ? It makes a difference. The Canon 100 L will be great in all of the above, naturally, but she'll still need a tripod and better lighting on occasion. I use a cheap Walmart monopod while traipsing around the woods and such, and it works great for that little extra steadying support.

All of the above unfortunately. Looks like the 100L might be the winner, especially with the weather sealing

 

[Deleted member 91053]

All of the above unfortunately. Looks like the 100L might be the winner, especially with the weather sealing
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There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Canon 100 L IS Macro - you will be VERY pleased with this lens. I have not changed to it as my older 100 F2.8 Macro is on a par optically and cheaper - also I shoot from a tripod so the IS is not needed. Either are as good as it gets at around 100mm, but the L is definitely better for hand holding.

 

[K13X5C]

Where would these flower shots be taken most often ? An outdoor botanical garden ? Indoor flower shows ? Your backyard ? Your backyard flowers, cut and brought inside ? It makes a difference. The Canon 100 L will be great in all of the above, naturally, but she'll still need a tripod and better lighting on occasion. I use a cheap Walmart monopod while traipsing around the woods and such, and it works great for that little extra steadying support.

All of the above unfortunately. Looks like the 100L might be the winner, especially with the weather sealing

I think the 100 L is an excellent choice and I don't see Canon, or anyone else, coming out with a macro in that focal length that would be significantly better for a very, long time.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I've had a number of the 100mm USM Macro lenses, and was disappointed in the images I took with all of them. They were fine lenses, but just too difficult to use handheld and slow AF did not help.

When the 100L came out, I was very skeptical and waited for over a year to see what early adapters thought. There were so many positive reviews to its operating ease and effectiveness of the IS that I finally went for a new one. It was even better than I expected. The lens is not exceptionally sharp, its very good. Instead, its strong point is the faster autofocus and the IS. I can walk around, and get close focus shots that are sharp. I almost never use a tripod with it, I may brace my arms for a extreme close shot, and for that type of use, it pays.

I was very pessimistic about the IS, and would have never expected to get handheld images like these. Obviously, I'm now totally sold on the lens.

Aphids

Baby Robins just holding the camera over my head and taking a blind shot into the nest. Getting this with a tripod would be totally impractical. I did, however, use a camera mounted flash.

Or this bug that was on my front screen door one morning, just grabbed the camera and snapped him. I used my flash, and braced my elbows on the door.