Which macro?

blackwaterstudio

Three to choose from;
1. Canon 100 f/2.8
2. Sigma 105 EX APO f/2.8
3. Tamron 90 Di f/2.8

I've seen results from both the Canon and the Sigma and they seem to be pretty neck in neck except for the fact the Sigma can give you a better working distance then the Canon does.

TristanP

I don't have any of them, but after some research, I'm drawn more towards the Canon or the Sigma 150, as they are internal focusing rather than having the lens stick out like an appendage. The Sigma would obviously have more working range. However, my only macro experience is with my Sony 717, so it's not really a fair comparison.

DanielB

TristanP wrote:

I don't have any of them, but after some research, I'm drawn more towards the Canon or the Sigma 150, as they are internal focusing rather than having the lens stick out like an appendage. The Sigma would obviously have more working range..

also the canon would have better re-sale value if you wanted something else in the future

gtc

canon efs-60mm macro

jdsphotography wrote:

Three to choose from;
1. Canon 100 f/2.8
2. Sigma 105 EX APO f/2.8
3. Tamron 90 Di f/2.8

I've seen results from both the Canon and the Sigma and they seem to be pretty neck in neck except for the fact the Sigma can give you a better working distance then the Canon does.

if you have a crop camera don't overlook the efs-60 mm macro- i have one and it gives me sufficient working distance,5X magnification up close,performs ok at infinity(a lot of macros don't),is light,reasonably solid construction and very sharp!the manual focussing ring works well too.

i believe that it is sharper than the ones you mentioned but that is open to debate and needs side by side comparison shots to determine.

if you want to use a macro lens for portraiture its the ideal focal length-remember that a 105mm on a crop camera may have you squashed up against walls in order to get a pleasing composition.its therefore a very handy 'walk around' lens.

i also suspect that ,as a dedicated canon lens,that it will hold its value better than the third party lenses,not that I am planning to sell.

gluwater

Am I missing something here? How does a 105mm give you any signifigant added range than a 100mm?

I have the 100mm and love it, Lord V uses the Sigma 105 and gets spectacular results. I think both are great lenses and you will not be disappointed with either. I don't have any experience with the Tamron.

You may also want to check the [thread=25164]Hall of Wisdom Macro Thread[/thread] if you haven't already.

Red Bull

TristanP wrote:

I don't have any of them, but after some research, I'm drawn more towards the Canon or the Sigma 150, as they are internal focusing rather than having the lens stick out like an appendage. The Sigma would obviously have more working range. However, my only macro experience is with my Sony 717, so it's not really a fair comparison.

From what I'vve seen, only the Canon has internal focusing. I've seen the Sigma as well as the Tamron and both stick out when focusing up close.

Cameron

gtc wrote:

if you have a crop camera don't overlook the efs-60 mm macro- i have one and it gives me sufficient working distance,5X magnification up close,performs ok at infinity(a lot of macros don't),is light,reasonably solid construction and very sharp!the manual focussing ring works well too.

What is the working distance of the efs-60? How about the 100?

Shay Stephens

I have the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro and really like it. Does double duty as a macro and a portrait lens. No complaints.

gtc

working distance
googled this-

closest focussing distance without tubes (remember, focussing distance on the barrel usually includes both lens-image and lens-subject distance, but at "normal" distances, i approaches f, so just subtracting focal length from marked distance will usually be close enough) then add the tube's length on to compute the new d.

And fm comments
http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=293&cpage=2&sort=&perpage=15&cat=2

gtc

woop heres full formula-its about 4 inches and another link

shay is your 100mm on a full frame or crop camera?




The formula's 1/f = 1/i + 1/d and M=i/d where f=lens focal length, i= lens-image distance, d=lens-subject distance, and M = magnification. You'll have to compute i from the lens' marked closest focussing distance without tubes (remember, focussing distance on the barrel usually includes both lens-image and lens-subject distance, but at "normal" distances, i approaches f, so just subtracting focal length from marked distance will usually be close enough) then add the tube's length on to compute the new d.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1029&message=13699707&changemode=1

Shay Stephens

It has been used on 1.6x cameras (30D, 10D, 20D)

gtc wrote:

shay is your 100mm on a full frame or crop camera?

mynakedsoda

jdsphotography wrote:

Three to choose from;
1. Canon 100 f/2.8
2. Sigma 105 EX APO f/2.8
3. Tamron 90 Di f/2.8

I've seen results from both the Canon and the Sigma and they seem to be pretty neck in neck except for the fact the Sigma can give you a better working distance then the Canon does.

Keep in mind that I don't own any of these but from the samples I've seen the Tamron has the best bokeh of all. It gives an almost magical contrast that I just don't generally see from samples of the other two.

blackwaterstudio

Thanks guys, as I've seen both the Canon 100 and the Sigma 105 seem to be pretty good. Haven't done much research on the Tamron yet but I plan to.

SCS_Photo

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=24679

I've handled the Tamron 90 since then... I like how it feels. I prefer the Tamron's BOKEH (from online images) and the one-step MF feature. The lense does extend quite a bit when focusing down to 1:1... About 3 inches, in fact. Depending on the type of Macro work you do, that may or may not be important.

TristanP

Red Bull wrote:

From what I'vve seen, only the Canon has internal focusing. I've seen the Sigma as well as the Tamron and both stick out when focusing up close.

When I wrote Sigma 150 it wasn't a typo. It has internal focusing, the 105 doesn't.

Red Bull

Sorry, I read it worng. My fault.