Canon EF 100-300 1:5.6

[spako]

Hi, I own a Canon EF 100-300 lens and it has a macro mode on it. Now my question is how do I shoot macro with it? When I put the switch on macro I still can't seem to be able to focus on small things unless I'm really far away from them (and then it doesn't really look like a macro anymore) Am I doing something wrong or is this macro feature not really what it says?
It's an older lens I got from my parents and I dont know if it is good or not...

Would you recommend getting a real macro lens or is this lens just as good? And if I should better get a macro lens which one would you recommend?
Thank you for helping me out!

 

[usayit]

Are you sure it has a macro? I checked canon.com/camera-museum and neither the 100-300mm 5.6 nor the 100-300 f5.6L from the mid 80s specify macro. One has a min focus distance of 2meters the other has a min of 1.5 meters.

 

[spako]

well here's a pic of the lens, so you can take a look... it says macro on it... but as I said I don't seem to be able to use it as such ...

 

[Big Mike]

I'm not 100% sure, but here is what I think.

That is not macro mode, that is your Auto focus limiter switch. There are three modes. The top one is (Macro to Infinity)...auto focus will work on the whole range of focus distance.

Then next setting (2M to Infinity) is for when you don't want the lens to 'hunt' all the way down and back up. Let's say, for example that you are shooting a bird in a tree...you focus on the bird but then it or you move...now when you activate the AF, the lens might 'hunt'. It might rotate all the way down (close focus) and then back up to where your target is in focus. This hunting takes time and is annoying as heck. This is where your (2M to infinity) mode comes it. It limits the lens from hunting all the way down so that it doesn't take so long to refocus.

The last mode (M) is manual focus.

 

[spako]

Thank you Mike! Now I really feel a bit stupid for not knowing that ;-) But now I can think of maybe buying a real macro lens ;-)