Kessil

Good god I'm confused, please help me with a lens

badbread

badbread

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So I'm 95% sure I'm picking up Anthony's XTi. It doesn't come with a lens and I have no idea what I am doing. I have been trying to read what all these numbers mean, crops, mm, aperture, etc.. but it's really throwing me for a loop.

So, I would really like to use this camera to take some really close super detailed pictures of my tanks. If I understood what I've been reading, something in the 1:1 range. I've been looking at sites like B&H, keh.com. sigma4less.com and I just can't make sense of all the numbers. Really I have no idea what I am looking for.

Budget is $200-$400 dollars, I've taken many pictures with the standard Canon kit lens on an XTi and the model below it and it just didn't get as close as I would like it to. It just couldn't focus that close. Can anyone suggest a decent (but cheap) lens for me? Maybe I don't even need 1:1 but definately something that gets closer than the standard kit lens. If possible, something that could be used everyday as well?

i don't know, I'm so confused. I read through the posts in this forum for a while, they helped out a bunch but most of it is for those Nikon dorks. :p (just kidding)
 
look into a used 100mm f2.8 macro by canon? Not sure about non-canon lenses. New is a bit over $400, but used..never know. Check out Photography On The Net. They usually have some good used lenses there.
 
Thanks Tony, that one looks pretty good...

Is it the EF lens?
Like this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/Canon-Macro-Lens-EF-100mm-f-2-8-excellent-no-reserve_W0QQitemZ180346412976QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCamera_Lenses?hash=item180346412976&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50
 
Hi Jay,

Since you got yourself a Canon and are trying to learn a thing or two about it I highly recommend http://photography-on-the.net/forum/. This is a forum that is dedicated to Canon users and has just about every possible FAQ on lenses and cameras. I looked at the lens you found on ebay and noticed that it is not USM (doesn't use an ultrasonic Motor for focusing) See here for a deeper explanation http://www.slrphotographyguide.com/camera/canon-digital-slr/usm-lens.shtml. Which explains the cheap price. Realize that good lenses can be very pricey. There are different tiers in quality on Canon lenses and different price ranges accordingly. If you look at the lens FAQ on the Canon forum it will explain everything you need to know. I also wanted to make you aware that you can buy something called an extension tube that can help get you closer to your subject such as these: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Kenko-Extension-Tube-Set-Review.aspx. You place these between your lens and your camera to take closer images. Rather than buying a lens dedicated strictly for macro. Hope this helps some.
 
You don't really need a USm lens for macro photography. most will use MF anyway.. Both Sigma and Tamron have highly regarded macro lenses. the 90mm tamron and the 70 or 105mm sigma's are all good..

The extension tubes work extremely well .. Just make sure its compatible with whatever it is y ou are trying to use..
 
Fishnfst is right. Don't know what I was thinking with regards to USM :p With macro you will be mostly manual focusing.

I should say that I do have the Kenko extension tubes and love them.
 
Thanks for the links all.

I was reading a lot of articles, forums last night and A LOT of people absolutely love the 100mm Canon lens. It's a little more than I want to spend but it looks like my best choice right now.

I was considering this lens?
http://www.amazon.com/Tokina-100mm-PRO-Digital-Cameras/dp/B000B7SGD0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1239726832&sr=8-1
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=496189

But I found this and it looks like the canon is the way to go:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=164068&page=2

But, the GF has a film Rebel with lens that I am going to check out and try. If that one works well for everyday shooting, I think the non USM camera would be fine, as one of the few reasons I would use that lens is for macro photography.

Does anyone use a lens hood when taking macro shots of their tanks? I'm still trying to understand exactly what it does. Something about stray light which I think our tanks have a lot of.
 
Yep, Canon really does make good lenses, and you will pay more for them than other brands. It just depends on what your willing to spend and what it's worth to you to have just a bit better quality (in some cases more, in some cases less notable). That said, other companies make good lenses as well, but it can be specific to the type of lens.

I don't actually take too many tank pics so I can't really say about the lens hood issue. In the few that I have taken I have not used the lens hood. The lens hood essentially blocks the lens from receiving stray unintended light from entering into the lens (i.e the sun at certain angles can send stray light reflecting off the lens causing glare in the picture).
When I have taken pics of my tank I like to take them at night so there is no ambient light. The only light source is the tank itself. Also, make sure that your lens is perpendicular to the side of your tank. Angling up or down when shooting through the glass/acrylic of the tank will cause distortions (particularly if shooting macro). Hope this helps.
 
I'm not sure how much the canon 100mm macro is but like I said the sigma and the tamron are extremely fine macro lenses.. If someone local has a set of extension tubes you could try you might want to give that a shot as well.. Quite a few well respected members here shoot either the tamron or sigma macros....
 
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