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Author Topic: Best Macro fro Canon 20D  (Read 5949 times)

Sting

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Best Macro fro Canon 20D
« on: July 13, 2006, 05:50:58 am »

Hi, this is my first post to this forum. It is nice to meet you all.

I have been using my Canon 20D with a Canon 17-85 USM IS for landscapes etc.. but now I want to include shooting some food dishes and People portraits.

What is the best macro lens for this?

Max. Budget = £500 (I'm based in the UK) (about US$800)
I have identified these lenses (not much available) what do you think? (20D 1.6x CCD obviously!)


Canon EF50mm f1.4 USM (I feel this maybe a good choice over magnification and DOF (bokh) ????)

Sigma 30mm f1.4 EX DC HSM (concerned over lack of magnification maybe?)

Sigma 50mm F2.8 EX DG Macro (maybe not fast enough??)

Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX DG APO Macro (72mm) (overkill for product/food photography?)

Constructive opinions required please


Thank you in advance.

Regards.
« Last Edit: July 13, 2006, 07:10:03 am by Sting »
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Letcher

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Best Macro fro Canon 20D
« Reply #1 on: July 13, 2006, 07:50:40 am »

I've used the Canon 100 mm f2.8 macro and found it to be quite satifactory. Here's where you can get it:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...x=17&Submit.y=9

Letcher in Tulsa
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John Sheehy

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Best Macro fro Canon 20D
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2006, 08:29:38 am »

If you want something in the 100mm range, the Tamron 90mm Di XR f/2.8 is excellent.   It does not AF as quickly as the Canon 100mm, but it a bit sharper, and is usable with TCs for greater magnification.  It has a true 90mm at 1:1, which many of the other macros don't have; some drop to a shorter focal length to achieve closest focus.
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Sting

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Best Macro fro Canon 20D
« Reply #3 on: July 13, 2006, 08:45:13 am »

thank you John and Letcher for your replies. I have just looked into these lenses but feel these focal lengths maybe be a bit extreme for general small product/food photography? However I can see their usefulness for general portraiture. I thought 50/60mm maybe the way to go? As I have no experience in using macro lenses maybe others may want to comment on my view. As mentioned before, the Canon 50/f1.4 looks interesting.. is this lens any good?
« Last Edit: July 13, 2006, 08:46:58 am by Sting »
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stever

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Best Macro fro Canon 20D
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2006, 10:46:59 am »

although i haven't used it, the 60mm Canon S has a very good reputation and 1:1 capability
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situgrrl

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Best Macro fro Canon 20D
« Reply #5 on: July 13, 2006, 11:35:21 am »

I was using an EF-S 60mm about a month ago, as a portrait lens - worked very well for the job, it's good and sharp but I'll let others eulogise the geeky stuff for you - I've no idea more than what I see!

Sting

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Best Macro fro Canon 20D
« Reply #6 on: July 13, 2006, 07:51:32 pm »

what is 1:1 capability ?? the 60mm Canon looks good but it will only fit the 20D so if I get another camera body I'll have to get another lens!
« Last Edit: July 13, 2006, 07:53:46 pm by Sting »
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jliechty

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Best Macro fro Canon 20D
« Reply #7 on: July 13, 2006, 09:52:17 pm »

Quote
what is 1:1 capability ?? the 60mm Canon looks good but it will only fit the 20D so if I get another camera body I'll have to get another lens!
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=70618\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
1:1 capability, the true definition of macro, or also known as "life size magnification," means that an object in the plane of focus that is 1cm long will be projected onto the sensor at a size of 1cm long. If you're going to get a macro lens, get one that does true 1:1 magnification, as do the Canon 60mm, 100mm, and 180mm macros (the 50mm macro only goes down to 1:2 or half-size magnification, and requires expensive extension tubes to get up to 1:1, not to mention the inconvenience). Of course, it should be clear by now that every single zoom lens ever made that is labeled "macro" is labeled as such only for marketing reasons. It is no more a "macro" lens than a Ford Tempo is a sports car - it may go a little closer than usual, but that's nothing to get excited about.

The 60mm macro is an EF-S lens, which means that it is only compatible with the 20D, 30D, and digital rebel cameras. Any Canon camera with a larger sensor (1.3X crop or no crop aka "full frame") will not be able to use any EF-S lens - which is why I avoid the equivalent (DX) lenses for my similar Nikon DSLR.
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oldcsar

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Best Macro fro Canon 20D
« Reply #8 on: July 13, 2006, 10:21:22 pm »

I vote for the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di SP. Incredibly sharp, nice bokeh, good autofocus... it's gotten a lot of use on my Canon 300D. This is what photozone concludes:

"The Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP is a superb lens without any significant flaw. In fact optically it is every bit as good, maybe even slightly better than the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM macro. The lens has a very good build quality. Nonetheless it's not quite as impressive as the Canon in this respect because it extends during focusing and regarding AF noise. That said the price tag is also somewhat lower so the verdict can only be - HIGHLY recommended!"

http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/ta...90_28/index.htm

I'm not 100%, but I think this is actually a full frame lens optimized for digital, not an APS-C only lens... if this is true, no need to worry when moving up to 35mm later on.
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Brendan Wiebe
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Sting

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Best Macro fro Canon 20D
« Reply #9 on: July 16, 2006, 05:26:06 pm »

thanks for your info everyone it will prove most useful for me. However, I also wanted this lens for portraiture as well. Though not mentioned in the comments I assume those that have replied haver taken this into account?!

thanks again.
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oldcsar

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Best Macro fro Canon 20D
« Reply #10 on: July 17, 2006, 05:14:08 pm »

Well, for my suggestion of the Tamron 90mm, the field-of-view is equivalent to about 145mm when used on a 1.6x sensor, such as the 20D. There's no reason why this wouldn't work for portraits (I've taken a few myself), but just be aware that with that FOV you will have to take some steps back from your subject if you expect more than heads and shoulder potraits.

If you care about good macro capabilities, I still suggest the Tamron... it is still usable for portraits so long as you're not taking them in small rooms which prevent backing up. It captures the fine detail you'd expect in food shots, but also has wonderful bokeh.

The FOV for the Canon 50mm is just about perfect on a 20D for portraits, and there's no reason why you can't take sharp photos of food with one of these. The only exception would be... how up close do you want to get into your food? If you want to take an artistic shot of the most interesting portion of the food rather than capturing the whole plate, then you really ought to get a true macro lens.
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Brendan Wiebe
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jcarlin

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Best Macro fro Canon 20D
« Reply #11 on: July 18, 2006, 11:35:56 pm »

I agree, the 50mm macro is probably "macro enough" for your stated goals, even if it's not 1:1.  Given that this lens gives roughly the same field of view as 85mm on a full frame camera it'll meet that need as well.  Since you probably don't need to get real close to your subjects you might also think about the 50 f/1.8 or f/1.4, since they can give you less depth of field for portraits.
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Derrel

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Best Macro fro Canon 20D
« Reply #12 on: July 20, 2006, 06:04:21 pm »

Canon's 100mm 2.8 EF USM Macro is a nice lens,with high sharpness.A lens of 100mm might be too long for your needs, but then it might not be. I've been impressed with the affordable Canon 85mm 1.8 lens; for the money it seems to be maybe the best 85 on the market under $1,000. I've also used some Nikkor lenses on my EOS 20D using an inexpensiveNikon-to-EOS lens mount adapter ($20 off of eBay) and the 85mm 1.4 AF-D Nikkor and 105 Defocus Control Nikkor lenses are excellent lenses with very lovely bokeh and reasonably close focusing. Tamron's 90mm AF-SP macro has been a good lens for me for eight years or so. One of the better lenses I have tried is the 55mm f/3.5 Micro-Nikkor when used with the adapter on the 20D...very nice, very low-priced lens available used in many places.
Derrel
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Slough

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Best Macro fro Canon 20D
« Reply #13 on: July 21, 2006, 04:58:55 pm »

You might find this interesting:

http://www.nnplus.de/macro/Macro100E.html
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