First Macro

[Fire_Monkey]

I'm looking for some advice!

I'm looking at buying a macro lens and trying my hand at macro. I was looking at the EF-S 60mm but Parke Cameras said this was suitable for the EOS 300D, 350D and 20D, which I thaught a little strange as I have a 450D and would have thaught that the lens would be suitable for it as well?

Anyway,I'd like to know which lens is considered the best as a starter? I thaught I would throw the question to the room and retire to the coarner and let you knowledgable people loose on it!

Any advice greatly appreciated!

[daft_biker]

.....EF-S 60mm....I have a 450D and would have thaught that the lens would be suitable for it as well?

Yes, the lens is suitable for your 450D.

It's probably easier to say which Canon DSLRs it doesn't go on....any 1D or 5D as their sensors are too big and 10D, D60 and D30 because they are too old.

You can check you lens mount is EF-S compatible if it has a white dot for aligning the lens to when you fit it.

Anyway,I'd like to know which lens is considered the best as a starter?

The general advice is to buy the longest lens you can because you are less likely to spook the subject or cast a shadow on it if you are further away and long lenses also make the background look 'blurrier'.

Nothing wrong with the 60mm though...with a bit practice you should be able to get it close enough to most things. I find wild butterflies can be some of the hardest insects to get close to so if it's them you are after a longer lens may be more useful....but if it's spiders then keeping your distance isn't so much of a problem. Flowers and mushrooms don't run away either

I'd suggest the focal length of a macro lens has more to do with what you want to shoot than your level of experience. Depends how much you are prepared or able to invest too.

The 60mm looks like a great performer, is compact and a set of extension tubes should more than double the magnification at minimum focus. It's not all bad news for short lenses if you like getting really close

[nspur]

I have and would recommend the Tamron 90 mm f2.8 SP Di Macro. This is a very sharp lens and gives you a little more distance from the subject versus the 6 mm Canon. The Canon EF-S 60 mm is a good lens too but the Tamron is an EF fitting which means it works on full-frame cameras like the 5D so if you ever upgraded to full-frame you would still be able to use it. Street price for the Tamron is £320 and £365 for the Canon.

[GlennH]

The primary reason for choosing a longer macro lens, aside from working distance, is for its narrower field of view. This is very useful even for static subjects, because you can then pick your background - and that makes all the difference in the world to the effectiveness of many pictures.

With any given lens, the closer you move to your subject, the narrow the DOF, but it's untrue to say that a longer lens inherently gives you a shallower DOF than a short one - if the composition is consistent, it doesn't.

I'd second the recommendation for the Tamron 90mm, which optically is a fantastic lens. In other ways, it's fairly poor - questionable build quality, poor AF, no internal focusing. Still a commendable lens if IQ is a priority.

[Fire_Monkey]

Thanks guys, I feel a little better informed now!

[tonycro]

just to add a little - I have the ef-s 60mm and whilst I like it, it is a little slow to focus sometimes, dosen't come with a hood and you have to get within 25mm IIRC to get 1:1, so for still life or very sedate, its good but to close to anything else that is halfway awake takes patient and more than a little bit of luck

Personally I think should of gone for a longer focal length