Macro Lenses
Well, I think I’m going to get a new macro lens. I’ve currently got the EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro with the Life-Size Converter EF and it makes for a really nice setup. However, with the Life-Size Converter attached, I can’t focus past maybe 2m, so it makes the lens macro / close up only.
I think that I’m going to purchase the EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM and off the 50mm and Life-Size Converter on eBay. I should be able to get enough to at least cover the cost of the new lens. The 60mm should be a good replacement, because then I can use it for both macro and walking around, and as a USM lens it should be a good bit easier to focus manually.
So, yeah. New lens. I think. I’ll probably wait until Monday to decide, though… I don’t want to rush into this decision too much. Also, the two camera shops I’d likely order from are Jewish-owned and thusly closed for the Sabbath. Even if I order the lens now, it won’t ship until Monday.
I also finially ordered a circular polarizer. I should be getting a 67mm Hoya S-HMC Circular Polarizing filter via eBay well… Hopefully soon. I wish I had it for tomorrow, but alas… I don’t.
Oh, yeah, I’m hoping to go to Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes tomorrow. That should be nice. I hope.
I thought your other one worked just fine.
It does, but I think I’d rather have a USM lens which can focus all the way from 1:1 to infinity. As it is right now, if I have the macro lens on with the 1:1 adapter and I want to take a picture of something in the distance, I have to either remove the adapter or switch lenses.
Whoosh!
There goes the point.
Re: Whoosh!
Huh? What?
I *had* a polarizer, it went bye-bye when my camera took a dive out of my backpack awhile back. Better that than the stock lens, I guess. But I really should get another one…
I’m thinking that I won’t use it all the time, but I really like the possibility of darkening the sky and diminishing glare from both glass and water.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=393445&is=REG&addedTroughType=search
I’ve been thinking about getting this Tokina for some stuff, mainly because I need distance between me and some of my Macro subjects a lot of the time. I also want a similar setup to the one you have right now, though. I really like my Tokina glass for the price point, though.
Hmm, that’s an interesting looking lens… Not much more than the 60mm Canon, either.
One thing I’m curious about, which I haven’t been able to ascertain from the specs, is if that lens has an equivilent to Canon’s USM focusing stuffs. I really, really like how fast a USM lens focuses, and that’s one reason I want to move away from this 50mm.
Thinking out loud, I really am not sure if a 60mm or 100mm macro would be better for me. I can see the 60mm also being used as a walk-around lens, but with a 1.6x crop body (like ours) I’d think the 100mm might get to be a bit tight for that. Or at least for me it would… Then again, it could also be used to get closer to things than the 18-75 I currently have as my ‘standard’ lens.
Gur… Now you’ve got me thinking about the 100mm. ;) The Canon version is only about $40 more than the 60mm…
Then again, there’s this.
By the way, if you’re interested in the 50mm + extender, I’d like to get $400 total for the pair. I’ve got photos of it up here and here.
I purchased the 50mm new at the end of December, and I picked up the extender on eBay in February or so. Both are in perfect shape, having only been taken out of the house twice.