Macro Suggestions

[HeatSeeker]

Hello everyone,

Can I get suggestions for a new lens? I'm looking for a macro in the low to mid price range. I own a Canon D Rebel XT, your thoughts are appreciated!

Rich

 

[Big Mike]

Canon EF 50mm F2.8 Macro
Canon EF-S 60mm Macro
Canon 100mm Macro

Sigma makes 50mm, 70mm & 105mm Macro lenses.

A cheaper option might be to get a set of extension tubes and use whatever lens you already have, or pair them up with a prime lens like the 50mm F1.8.

 

[Derrel]

The Tokina 100mm f/2.8 AT-X macro is about $399 new,and is an excellent lens in the low-medium price range. For "action" macro work on bugs, butterflies,and so on, this lens would be the lowest cost model I'd suggest.

If you want to get similar quality but at a much lower price, you could buy the Phoenix 100mm f/3.5 lens in Yashica/Contax mount P09037 Phoenix 100mm f/3.5 Macro Telephoto Manual Focus Lens for Yashica-AE / Contax

and then purchase a roughly $17 adapter from FotoDiox's web store and adapt the manual focus lens to your Rebel XT.

Viewfinder brightness would not be really high with the lens stopped down to the f/8 or f/11, but you would be getting a pretty good performing macro lens that would work well on a tripod, as most macro work is done, for around $150 total cost. For slow-moving work, a system like this would work okay.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Unless you intend to do a great deal of macro, the way to go is tubes. Less expensive and do the job just fine.

 

[icassell]

I love my Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro. Go much shorter in focal length and you will need to get very close to get your macro images. The Tamron 90mm macro has very strong supporters and it is often found used on e-bay.

Canon just released the new IS/L-series version of the 100mm so maybe you'll be able to find some of the earlier version on the used shelves from people who want to upgrade.