Best canon lens for Macro

[beagle100]

It's a good thing I sold off my Nikon macro lens to get this 'cheap' gem of a lens !

those fug ugly bokeh balls .... horrible ... just horrible.

Untitled by c w, on Flickr

ugh - spiders and ugly bokeh .... makes me want to puke.

 

[seandeeeezy]

I didn't want to create a new thread because this is basically on the same topic.

I'm interested in getting a macro lens for my Canon 70D. I'd want it to shoot insects and plants. So from this thread, is the Canon 100mm f/2.8 the go-to lens to for quality/affordability? I'm a broke college student trying to create masterpieces.

Also, what kind of lighting setup do I need in order to shoot insects in an outdoor situation?

 

[table1349]

I didn't want to create a new thread because this is basically on the same topic.

I'm interested in getting a macro lens for my Canon 70D. I'd want it to shoot insects and plants. So from this thread, is the Canon 100mm f/2.8 the go-to lens to for quality/affordability? I'm a broke college student trying to create masterpieces.

Also, what kind of lighting setup do I need in order to shoot insects in an outdoor situation?

Well if you are a broke college student you might read this post. Best canon lens for Macro

As for lighting, whats you budget. I used to use a couple of 580exII's now I use a couple of 270EX's on a twin flash bracket for macro. My bracket is similar to this one.

You could use one 270ex and a small reflector on the other arm of the bracket. I actually prefer my 270's over a ring flash.

 

[jcdeboever]

It's a good thing I sold off my Nikon macro lens to get this 'cheap' gem of a lens !

those fug ugly bokeh balls .... horrible ... just horrible.

Untitled by c w, on Flickr

ugh - spiders and ugly bokeh .... makes me want to puke.

@Derrel is talking about out of focus highlights that the create the ugly balls (I agree), yours have no out of focus highlights. I am a flower shooter and it is a deal breaker for me. I think Derrel pointed out a valid characteristic that may be a consideration for the potential buyer.

 

[beagle100]

It's a good thing I sold off my Nikon macro lens to get this 'cheap' gem of a lens !

those fug ugly bokeh balls .... horrible ... just horrible.

Untitled by c w, on Flickr

ugh - spiders and ugly bokeh .... makes me want to puke.

@Derrel is talking about out of focus highlights that the create the ugly balls (I agree), yours have no out of focus highlights. I am a flower shooter and it is a deal breaker for me. I think Derrel pointed out a valid characteristic that may be a consideration for the potential buyer.

but does the OP want to shoot macro bokeh subjects with a $250 (used) lens ?
And do they rate the "bokeh" ?

Canon 100mm 2.8 macro non-L
the horrible "out of focus" highlights ........ beware the bokeh !!!!

Untitled by c w, on Flickr

 

[TCampbell]

I didn't want to create a new thread because this is basically on the same topic.

I'm interested in getting a macro lens for my Canon 70D. I'd want it to shoot insects and plants. So from this thread, is the Canon 100mm f/2.8 the go-to lens to for quality/affordability? I'm a broke college student trying to create masterpieces.

Also, what kind of lighting setup do I need in order to shoot insects in an outdoor situation?

One of the side-effects of shooting very close up is that the depth of field becomes extremely shallow.

To combat the shallow depth of field, a very high focal ratio (e.g. f/16 or f/22... or even f/32) might be selected.

But this solves one problem while creating another... now the focal ratio so high that hardly any light is gathered when the shutter is open.

You can either use a tripod (assuming your subject isn't moving) or you can boost the light by using a macro light setup.

The Macro lights are usually either a twin-light system or a "ring" type light.

Canon's "macro" light rigs include either:

a) Canon Macro Ring Lite MR14-EX II (about $550)
or
b) Canon Twin Lite MT24-EX (about $830)

But you can find 3rd party macro lights with similar functionality. For example Yongnuo makes a ring-light YN14-EX-C which looks a lot like the Canon and it's about $99.

The ring lights seem to be more popular than the twin lights (possibly due to cost).

When most people start doing macro photography, they don't own macro lights. They're just using the lens and available light. This works well if you have a tripod and a non-moving subject.