Posts Tagged ‘Macro Photography’
Canon EF 100mm f 2 8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Autofocus lens is suitable for macro photography up to life-size (1x) magnification. Inner focusing affords a long working distance of 5.9 inches to infinity.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Huh? This Isn’t an L-Series Lens??
I’m a stickler for sharp lenses and rich contrast. My 70-200mm/2.8 is VERY sharp, so I was wondering how this 100mm Macro non-L lens would compare. After using it for several days, I’m convinced it’s from another planet. The images are so striking I’m blown away everytime I open them up in Photoshop. I’ve read tons of reviews stating the same thing about the sharpness of this Macro lens, and they are RIGHT. BTW, this lens needed no backfocus microadjustment on my 5D2. Funny, I had to sell my 17-40mm and get the 16-35mm because the 17-40mm couldn’t keep up with the 21mp sensor. This 100mm Macro laughs at it. I can’t understand why this Macro isn’t marketed as an L lens, it’s that good. I’m starting to realize just how much better prime lenses really are.
Lastly, 100mm on a full frame body is an excellent all around lens! I’ve barely taken it off since getting it, GREAT focal length.
‘Nuff said… get this lens and be blown away.
5 Stars Excellent Lens for just about anything macro.
Pros:
Excellent lens for anything macro, I have had the lens for over a week and it has been excellent, the detail is astonishing and the auto-focus is great. It does not however have IS but for this lens you want to have your shutter speed at a minimum of 1/100 so the capture is always great and i don’t own a tripod yet. this lens is the BEST macro lens for the price, and the best you can get without paying another 400 for the luxury lens. although it does not say
it DOES HAVE 1 to 1 zoom.
F/2.8 is amazing.
Cons: I bought it at 630 so the price went down in the short time that I’ve owned it and thats a bit depressing.
The auto focus can be a bit screwy with moving targets and your better off using manual focus for some things but, for me that adds part of the experiance.
Overall excellent for everything even portraits come out excellent. Nature is an obvious thing to use it for but if you get this lens USE IT FOR PORTRAITS TOO!!!
5 Stars Excellent lens.
The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens is an extremely good lens. I spent weeks researching which single lens I should first purchase for my (now extinct) 10D, and this lens won out on three points: sharpness, f/2.8 and 1:1 macro capability. The only thing it’s missing is zoom… and that I can do with my feet.
I have since added a Canon 28-135 to my (small) collection of lenses. The 100 mm macro is not the lens I usually use, except when I am doing studio work of small things… which means that whenever I am working in my studio it’s on my camera except for portraiture.
That’s not to say it isn’t good for portraits; on the contrary, it’s great for portraits. I just have too little room to work with indoors for it to be very useful as a portrait lens.
This lens, however, was touted as being “as sharp as L glass”, and “one of, if not the, the sharpest non-L lenses Canon makes”. I have not yet started purchasing L glass, but I can attest that this lens will make even critical pixel peepers like myself quite happy.
I use two methods for getting exceptional focus. First, I hit the shutter button to achieve focus five separate times. This achieves and fine tunes focus. Second, when I am doing macro work, I always focus manually.
No rails or ring lights here; I’m not a macro photography expert. But I have never failed to appreciate the sharpness this lens offers in all usages.
Another nice thing about it is the small 58 mm filter size. Much easier on the wallet than 72mm, 77mm, 86mm, etc.
I love this lens. The only drawbacks I can find with it are:
1. It is a prime. You have to move it or use rails to get a different “zoom”.
2. It is sharper than is advisable for doing portrait photography. You’ll have to manually “soften” some images to minimize skin blemishes if you don’t want to airbrush.
3. Distance from subject in macro mode is only a handful of inches… not enough for doing macro work of most animate living things.
Otherwise, I always come back to this lens for when I need razor sharp images.
By the way, I find that reviews are not as useful unless I know the experience level of the photographer and their camera type. I am using a Canon 5D Mark 2, which is 21.1 mp. This allows me to be supremely aware of flaws to the optics. This lens keeps up with the full frame 21 mp sensor just fine. I am also what I would call a semi-pro photographer who is on the early end of “medium” level of skill/experience compared to the top pros. I have been studying photography, on my own and in college, since 2000. Hope that helps.
4 Stars Most Fun for the Dollar
I have to say that this lens is maybe the most fun lens in my bag. It’s tack sharp, with good color and contrast. I use this quite often with the Canon MR-14EX Macro Ring Lite for Canon Digital SLR Cameras and results are flawless. I’ve also used it for on-the-spot portraits and with a great f2.8 max aperture the bokeh was beautiful. The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is Canon’s continued refusal to provide a lens hood with their non-L lenses. I bought the Canon ET67 Lens Hood for Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens separately which was pretty pricy, but makes a big enough difference in sunny conditions to be a “must have” item.
4 Stars Great macro lens
I have been using a friends 100mm 2.8 macro for a year and finally got one of my own when they were available. It is a must have at the price point if you have any interest in macro photography. It also works nicely as a portrait lens if you get back far enough. Overall, it is a fast lens with crisp focus. I would have given it a 5-stars but I have not used any other macro lens so have nothing to compare it with.
Kenko DG Auto Extension Tube Set for the Canon EOS AF Mount
Extension tubes are designed to enable a lens to focus closer than its normal set minimum focusing distance. Getting closer has the effect of magnifying your subject (making it appear larger in the viewfinder and in your pictures). They are exceptionally useful for macro photography, enabling you to convert almost any lens into a macro lens at a fraction of the cost while maintaining its original optical quality.The extension tubes have no optics. They are mounted in between the camera body and lens to create more distance between the lens and film plane. By moving the lens father away from the film or CCD sensor in the camera, the lens is forced to focus much closer than normal. The greater the length of the extension tube, the closer the lens can focus.The Kenko Auto Extension Tube Set contains three tubes of different length, a 12 mm, 20 mm, and 36 mm, which can be used individually or in any combination to obtain the desired magnification.Kenko’s Auto Focus extension tubes are designed with all the circuitry and mechanical coupling to maintain auto focus and TTL auto exposure.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars It Works
I enjoyed the quality of the image attainable with the closeup Extension Tube Set. It interacted well with my Canon Eos 5D Mark II
5 Stars Just What You Need to Get Really, Really Close
I’ve been reading over some of the negative reviews on these Kenko Extension Tubes, and I think some people have the wrong idea about what these things do. They get you closer to your subject…that’s all. They don’t magnify the telephoto end of your lens, like a 1.4x or 2.0x teleconverter would. They just allow you to get closer, so your subject is bigger in the lens. What you give up for this is the ability to focus farther away. Plus your depth of field, even at f/16 or f/22, is going to be measured in fractions of an inch, not feet or yards. You also lose light, about 2 or 3 stops depending on how many tubes you use. What you retain is image quality, which in my opinion is the most important thing.
Kenko has made a nice product here. These tubes are well-built and fit snugly on my camera. When I used my 70-200mm f/4 L, I noticed no sag or play at all. All electronic functions worked as they should, including aperture and auto-focus. Don’t expect auto-focus to work as quickly as normal, though, and I believe most people would find it easier to just use manual focus. That’s normal with any extension tubes.
If you understand how extension tubes work, you won’t be disappointed with these Kenkos.
4 Stars good for the price
good product and great price. Maybe cuz i’m just an amateur..I can’t seem to get non-blurry pictures no matter what I do..maybe it’s just difficult to use for me…may consider selling them once I get my real macro lens.
4 Stars Could use some better design, but overall, excellent, especially for the price!
Long story short, these tubes work exactly as they are supposed to work. They are inexpensive, well built, and will save you a ton of money on a dedicated macro lens. The lens mounts on both sides are sturdy enough to hold a relatively heavy lens like a 70-200mm f/4 IS or 70-200mm f/2.8 IS. One big thing about these tubes is that they can turn my 70-200mm f/4 IS into a 200mm IS macro! IS works perfectly with the tube on, which makes macro shooting without a tripod very feasible!
As with all extension tubes, you WILL loose a big chunk of your long range focusing capability (not just infinity focus). You should practice with these tubes on a zoom lens before going to try to use them for real life macro shots to be sure you’re getting the hang of it.
The only downside to these tubes is the position of the lens lock. When shooting in portrait mode with a lens like the Canon 70-200mm f/4 IS, my left hand seems to hit the lens release button nearly every time sometimes causing the lens to come loose from the mount. It’s in a bad position if you have to use your hand the hold up the lens or to change zoom and your zoom ring is close to the lens mount.
Otherwise, the tubes are awesome. For the price difference between these and the Canon extension tubes, it’s a complete no-brainer. Get the Kenko tube set! You get 3 for the price of a single Canon extension tube!
5 Stars Kenko Extension Tubes
I was going to go with the Canon tubes but the price is outrageous. I read about the Kenko tubes and decided to give them a try. They are absolutely wonderful and the price is right. Excellent results – not unhappy I went with Kenko.
Phoenix Smart Flash RF46C Macro Ring Flash Canon Digital SLR Cameras
The new Phoenix SmartFlash RF46 offers all the great benefits of a ring flash with true TTL compatibility for your Canon Digital SLR Camera. You’ll get even, shadow-free lighting for your close-up macro shots. The RF46 is ideal for all kinds of macro photography including nature, medical, scientific and forensic photography whether you are a professional or hobbyist. You can use the RF46 in your camera’s full automatic mode, semi-automatic mode (aperture or shutter priority), or manual mode.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Awesome ringflash at great price.
Output’s just as good as Canon’s RF that costs much higher. Construction is a big flimsy, but it gets the job done if you’re careful not to bang it around. Excellent value.
1 Star Focus issues
Complete junk. Will not allow lens to auto focus. The lens I wanted to use it with does not have a focus ring. Useless for me. Does not work on any of my 4 lenses properly.
4 Stars Good deal
I rate this high because I knew its limitations from reading previous reviews so my expectations were not that high. So far it is working really well and for the price cannot be beat.
1 Star Phoenix flash fails
After only a few weeks of use this flash quit working, after which there was a strong electrical smell and the battery compartment started melting from the heat of an obvious electrical short. I would not recommend this unit.
1 Star Had two, never made it to take a picture
The unit looks good but just didn’t work. I tried two different ones just in case. The first unit never charged or worked in manual mode. The second unit worked for about 10 minutes and then failed. I was so looking to save some money and it just did not work with my camera. I have a Canon XT so it should have worked. Too bad as some reviews were very good. Hopefully, I just had a bad run. Amazon as usual, made good on the unit so I was not out anything but a bit of time. Too bad for all of us.
Canon MR 14EX Macro Ring Lite for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
When you need to take an extreme close-up, make sure you have the Canon MR-14EX. It makes sure you have just the right amount of exposure for your shot. This twin-tube ring lite is designed especially for use with Canon EF Macro lenses Compatible with AA alkaline, lithium, Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries; accepts optional Canon external battery packs Supports E-TTL Wireless Autoflash in conjunction with one or more 550EXs Requires Canon LA-DC58 Conversion Lens Adapter for use with Canon G1 / G2
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars PRO !
Very usefull for Marco pictures !! a must have item if you can afford it !
5 Stars Awesome for intraoral shots
I use this for taking photographs of my orthodontist patients. I have it mounted to my 100mm macro lens. Perfect.
5 Stars A necessity for close macro work
The Canon MR-14EX was a perfect addition to my macro photo equipment. It snaps onto my 50mm compact macro lens quickly and easily and illuminates extreme closeup subjects that a regular on-camera flash could not reach, and it saves futzing with an off-camera extension flash.
My only beef is that the inside diameter of the ring is too small to fit larger diameter lenses (I often like to use my sharp Canon 24-70mm lens with macro rings for extreme macros). There is no easy way to mount the MR14EX on this lens. I have sometimes hand held it in place, but this risks wiggling the rig during exposure. The ring is specifically designed to snap onto only the 50mm and 180mm macro lenses. That said, the small ring diameter does allow you to deliver light onto smaller, closer subjects.
The diverse selectable features of this flash unit allow you to tailor the results to your specific macro needs. The price tag is an eye-popper, but if macro photography is an important part of your photographic repertoire, the MR14EX will expand your creative possibilities considerably and give terrific results.
5 Stars Canon MR-14EX
Excellent ring light. Easy to use. You get good shading effects with the variable bulb output.
5 Stars Great For Dental Photography
I take pictures for an orthodontists, and this has drastically improved the lighting on my photos. Its great for close up pictures. I use this in conjunction with a Cannon Rebel XT and a 60mm lens.
Bower 58MM CLOSEUP SET 3 For MACRO
Marketing description is not available.
User Ratings and Reviews
2 Stars Buy a 2x teleconverter or extension rings instead.
Don’t be cheap if you want good macro close up shots.
This kind of product does what it says but at the cost of DOF, color clarity and over all lighting.
If you use all three rings combined you get a very misty and ghost like image. The edges of which look like the effect you see on old camera black and white shots, where the outside edges of the shot fade into white.
DOF? almost null. This is expected on Macro shots, but not as accentuated as what you get with these close up filters.
4 Stars very nice optical close-up set
I’ve been using these diopters to take close up photos, and I’ve used them atop a 10x macro lens for very close details. There seems to be no distortion, and the photos and filled with detail, though you may want to consider using a tri-pod when you can. Nice set, though the deal I had was without the lens cap, and so, I can’t comment on that.
5 Stars Great product
Great product for those wanting to experiment with macro photography but don’t necessarily have the cash to put down on a dedicated lens!
4 Stars Good product
the product gives what it promises… only problem i found is that u have to get extra close to the subject to take the picture.. so this would be problematic for insects and live close-ups.. but for plant and coins it is fine. its hard to take pics when there is not enough light as there will be a cast shadow most of the time from the size of the lens so you have to find the perfect angle to shoot at.
5 Stars Good product !!!
I had very good results with this product, the lens cap isn’t unusefull, but in the future can be.
The case is too hard to close and can damage the lens inside surface…
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