I'm not really into macro photography all that much but still wanted to be able to do some close-ups once in awhile. I didn't want the expense or hassle of carrying around yet another lens that I wouldn't even use that much, and also didn't want to deal with extension tubes either. So I went with a Canon 500D close-up filter for about $140 new from
B&H. Very easy to take with you and pop on and off for quick macro shots when needed. I tried it out on my 70-300VR (with a very nice German made B+W 67-77mm step-up ring) which does about
1:4 / 0.25x by itself. The 500D took it all the way down to
1:1.1 / 0.90x, or almost full life size. I was impressed! It also gave plenty of working distance unlike the 50-60mm macros which you practically have to be right on top of your subject for 1:1 close-ups. Depending on what you're taking close-ups of, you might want a 100mm range macro instead, or even longer. Nikon has a
70-180mm micro which is great, but pretty pricey. I'm not familiar with Canon's macro lenses.
Anyways, I shoot Nikon but that doesn't mean anything. The best advice I have to give is to research macro lenses first and find one that you really like, and then get a body that will work with it. I haven't been overwhelmed by Nikon's macro lens lineup. At 50-60mm you have to get so close for 1:1 even on the new AF-S 60mm micro that you have basically NO working distance left. So then I looked into the 105VR micro which I thought would be better. But it has an internal focusing design that "cheats" on the effective focal length as you get down to close focus and effectively becomes more like a 60mm lens (and the 60's were more like 40's) and you still don't have much working distance at 1:1. From what I understand, the older designs are similar too. No clue if the Canon lenses are any different, but I've noticed that a lot of the lens designs between Canon and Nikon can be pretty similar. So this really turned me off to all of these which is when I said to heck with it and just got the Canon 500D close-up filter for my
Nikon lenses :mrgreen: and can get 1:1 at 300mm on my 70-300 at a nice comfortable foot or two (didn't measure exactly) working distance. If you look around, there are lenses from third-party manufacturers (mainly Sigma and Tamron) that do 1:2 / 0.50x macro right in the lens or even better with no need for adapters. It all depends on what you want to shoot, though, and if you're able to get right on top of your subject or not. If you're shooting jewelry, a 100mm macro or even a 50-60mm might be just fine.
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