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Macro questions
Hi all
I have a Canon EOS 300v (Rebel ti) and want to experiment with macro. I have read opinions and reviews and have probably concluded which lens would suit what I want, but have still a couple of questions. I've seen people mentioning sizes like 1:4, 1:2, 1:1 (is that the maximum??) regarding macro lenses for macro photography. What are these sizes and how do they affect my pictures ? I understand they have to do with size but am not sure exactly what's the connection. I want to try to shoot nationalgeographic-ish :-) pictures of mostly insects, and would like to have the subject cover almost most of the final print, which I can not do (as I initially thought I would) with my old FD 70-210/4 Macro. Now for my EOS I have almost decided on the Canon 100/2.8 Macro, but will this one actually give me what I want ? (what is the minimum focusing distance for this lens by the way ?) I'll appreciate any advice. Thanks Kostas |
#2
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Kostas Melissaris wrote:
Hi all I have a Canon EOS 300v (Rebel ti) and want to experiment with macro. I have read opinions and reviews and have probably concluded which lens would suit what I want, but have still a couple of questions. I've seen people mentioning sizes like 1:4, 1:2, 1:1 (is that the maximum??) regarding macro lenses for macro photography. What are these sizes and how do they affect my pictures ? I understand they have to do with size but am not sure exactly what's the connection. I want to try to shoot nationalgeographic-ish :-) pictures of mostly insects, and would like to have the subject cover almost most of the final print, which I can not do (as I initially thought I would) with my old FD 70-210/4 Macro. Now for my EOS I have almost decided on the Canon 100/2.8 Macro, but will this one actually give me what I want ? (what is the minimum focusing distance for this lens by the way ?) I'll appreciate any advice. A true macro will do 1:1 That is it will focus close enough that the subject that it will include is exactly the same size as the 35 mm negative-slide. The image on the film is the same size as the original subject. Many lenses call them selves macro but can only do 1:4 (subject is four times larger than a 35 mm negative) or 1:2 (subject twice as large as a 35 mm negative. I would guess your zoom fit into that class. Unless you need something less than about 1.5" x 1" 1:1 will be fine. 1:4 will do for a subject about 6"x4" Focusing distance can be figured, but it usually is not an issue. It is also a problem since the distance is so small you have to figure where on the camera/lens you are measuring. I seem to recall it is stated as the distance from the optical center of the lens, which can be in front of the lens. A longer focal length lens will be further away from the subject for the same reproduction size. Further is usually better so that 100 mm lens should be good. If that lens does 1:1 you should be fine. It also is likely to give you better results. True macro lenses are designed to focus close and do a very good job, other lenses designed for general use are optimized for distance work and don't do as well close up. (actually it is a little more complex than that, but it is not all that important at this time.) Thanks Kostas -- Joseph E. Meehan 26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math |
#3
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Kostas Melissaris wrote:
Hi all I have a Canon EOS 300v (Rebel ti) and want to experiment with macro. I have read opinions and reviews and have probably concluded which lens would suit what I want, but have still a couple of questions. I've seen people mentioning sizes like 1:4, 1:2, 1:1 (is that the maximum??) regarding macro lenses for macro photography. What are these sizes and how do they affect my pictures ? I understand they have to do with size but am not sure exactly what's the connection. I want to try to shoot nationalgeographic-ish :-) pictures of mostly insects, and would like to have the subject cover almost most of the final print, which I can not do (as I initially thought I would) with my old FD 70-210/4 Macro. Now for my EOS I have almost decided on the Canon 100/2.8 Macro, but will this one actually give me what I want ? (what is the minimum focusing distance for this lens by the way ?) I'll appreciate any advice. A true macro will do 1:1 That is it will focus close enough that the subject that it will include is exactly the same size as the 35 mm negative-slide. The image on the film is the same size as the original subject. Many lenses call them selves macro but can only do 1:4 (subject is four times larger than a 35 mm negative) or 1:2 (subject twice as large as a 35 mm negative. I would guess your zoom fit into that class. Unless you need something less than about 1.5" x 1" 1:1 will be fine. 1:4 will do for a subject about 6"x4" Focusing distance can be figured, but it usually is not an issue. It is also a problem since the distance is so small you have to figure where on the camera/lens you are measuring. I seem to recall it is stated as the distance from the optical center of the lens, which can be in front of the lens. A longer focal length lens will be further away from the subject for the same reproduction size. Further is usually better so that 100 mm lens should be good. If that lens does 1:1 you should be fine. It also is likely to give you better results. True macro lenses are designed to focus close and do a very good job, other lenses designed for general use are optimized for distance work and don't do as well close up. (actually it is a little more complex than that, but it is not all that important at this time.) Thanks Kostas -- Joseph E. Meehan 26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math |
#4
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Joseph Meehan wrote:
Focusing distance can be figured, but it usually is not an issue. It is also a problem since the distance is so small you have to figure where on the camera/lens you are measuring. I seem to recall it is stated as the distance from the optical center of the lens, which can be in front of the lens. The focus distance is usually given from the film plane. Sigma's webpage, for instance: " • Minimum focusing distances are the distances from the film plane to the subject." http://www.sigmaphoto.com/html/lenschart.htm Cheers, Alan. -- -- rec.photo.equipment.35mm user resource: -- http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm -- e-meil: there's no such thing as a FreeLunch.-- |
#5
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In article ,
"Kostas Melissaris" wrote: Hi all I have a Canon EOS 300v (Rebel ti) and want to experiment with macro. I have read opinions and reviews and have probably concluded which lens would suit what I want, but have still a couple of questions. I've seen people mentioning sizes like 1:4, 1:2, 1:1 (is that the maximum??) regarding macro lenses for macro photography. What are these sizes and how do they affect my pictures ? I understand they have to do with size but am not sure exactly what's the connection. Macro is one of the most confusing things about photography for many people. Most folks are used to prints and think in reference to their prints, which is where the confusion lies. Anything can be made "life size" in a print by enlarging it enough (it may be an unrecognizable blob, but it will be a life size blob) but in macro lenses, "life size" means something else. With respect to magnification ratios (1:4, 1:2, 1:1, and yes you can get 2:1 or more with the right lens) the ratio is the relationship of the object to the size of that object ON THE PIECE OF FILM. So, for your 24x36mm piece of film, a 20x20mm square object, when photographed at 1:4, will take up a 5x5mm square on the piece of film. At 1:2 it will be a 10x10mm square. At 1:1 it will be a 20x20mm square and you should be able to hold the piece of film up next to the object and they'll be the same size, therefore "life sized." Sometimes the manufacturer gives the magnification ratio as a percentage or fraction, i.e. your 70-210 does .23x magnification (according to http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/c...ns/f_lens.html) so the 20x20mm square is 4.6x4.6mm, or just shy of 1:4, which is not bad for an older zoom, but not in the range of a good dedicated macro lens. I want to try to shoot nationalgeographic-ish :-) pictures of mostly insects, and would like to have the subject cover almost most of the final print, which I can not do (as I initially thought I would) with my old FD 70-210/4 Macro. How big is the insect? If it's 36mm or shorter in the long dimension, you'll definitely want a real macro lens that can go to 1:1. For really large insects, you don't need 1:1, but you might as well get it since so much of your intended subject will be needing 1:1 to 1:4 or so. Now for my EOS I have almost decided on the Canon 100/2.8 Macro, but will this one actually give me what I want ? (what is the minimum focusing distance for this lens by the way ?) Canon says 0.31m, from the same web site as I mentioned above. That lens does 1:1, so it should be good for what you want. If you want greater than 1:1 magnification, you'll probably need a bellows and/or extension tubes. If you want to get really serious about macro, in addition to a good tripod, you may want a macro sliding rail which lets you do very fine controls of the cameras position. Velbon makes one that generally goes for about $100 that I have and it works very well. Here's B&H's link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ist&A=details& Q=&sku=193311&is=REG Really Right Stuff makes on for use with Arca-style quick releases. http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/specialty/index.html Drew -- Drew W. Saunders dru (at) stanford (dot) eee dee you |
#6
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In article ,
"Kostas Melissaris" wrote: Hi all I have a Canon EOS 300v (Rebel ti) and want to experiment with macro. I have read opinions and reviews and have probably concluded which lens would suit what I want, but have still a couple of questions. I've seen people mentioning sizes like 1:4, 1:2, 1:1 (is that the maximum??) regarding macro lenses for macro photography. What are these sizes and how do they affect my pictures ? I understand they have to do with size but am not sure exactly what's the connection. Macro is one of the most confusing things about photography for many people. Most folks are used to prints and think in reference to their prints, which is where the confusion lies. Anything can be made "life size" in a print by enlarging it enough (it may be an unrecognizable blob, but it will be a life size blob) but in macro lenses, "life size" means something else. With respect to magnification ratios (1:4, 1:2, 1:1, and yes you can get 2:1 or more with the right lens) the ratio is the relationship of the object to the size of that object ON THE PIECE OF FILM. So, for your 24x36mm piece of film, a 20x20mm square object, when photographed at 1:4, will take up a 5x5mm square on the piece of film. At 1:2 it will be a 10x10mm square. At 1:1 it will be a 20x20mm square and you should be able to hold the piece of film up next to the object and they'll be the same size, therefore "life sized." Sometimes the manufacturer gives the magnification ratio as a percentage or fraction, i.e. your 70-210 does .23x magnification (according to http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/c...ns/f_lens.html) so the 20x20mm square is 4.6x4.6mm, or just shy of 1:4, which is not bad for an older zoom, but not in the range of a good dedicated macro lens. I want to try to shoot nationalgeographic-ish :-) pictures of mostly insects, and would like to have the subject cover almost most of the final print, which I can not do (as I initially thought I would) with my old FD 70-210/4 Macro. How big is the insect? If it's 36mm or shorter in the long dimension, you'll definitely want a real macro lens that can go to 1:1. For really large insects, you don't need 1:1, but you might as well get it since so much of your intended subject will be needing 1:1 to 1:4 or so. Now for my EOS I have almost decided on the Canon 100/2.8 Macro, but will this one actually give me what I want ? (what is the minimum focusing distance for this lens by the way ?) Canon says 0.31m, from the same web site as I mentioned above. That lens does 1:1, so it should be good for what you want. If you want greater than 1:1 magnification, you'll probably need a bellows and/or extension tubes. If you want to get really serious about macro, in addition to a good tripod, you may want a macro sliding rail which lets you do very fine controls of the cameras position. Velbon makes one that generally goes for about $100 that I have and it works very well. Here's B&H's link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ist&A=details& Q=&sku=193311&is=REG Really Right Stuff makes on for use with Arca-style quick releases. http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/specialty/index.html Drew -- Drew W. Saunders dru (at) stanford (dot) eee dee you |
#7
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In article ,
"Kostas Melissaris" wrote: Hi all I have a Canon EOS 300v (Rebel ti) and want to experiment with macro. I have read opinions and reviews and have probably concluded which lens would suit what I want, but have still a couple of questions. I've seen people mentioning sizes like 1:4, 1:2, 1:1 (is that the maximum??) regarding macro lenses for macro photography. What are these sizes and how do they affect my pictures ? I understand they have to do with size but am not sure exactly what's the connection. Macro is one of the most confusing things about photography for many people. Most folks are used to prints and think in reference to their prints, which is where the confusion lies. Anything can be made "life size" in a print by enlarging it enough (it may be an unrecognizable blob, but it will be a life size blob) but in macro lenses, "life size" means something else. With respect to magnification ratios (1:4, 1:2, 1:1, and yes you can get 2:1 or more with the right lens) the ratio is the relationship of the object to the size of that object ON THE PIECE OF FILM. So, for your 24x36mm piece of film, a 20x20mm square object, when photographed at 1:4, will take up a 5x5mm square on the piece of film. At 1:2 it will be a 10x10mm square. At 1:1 it will be a 20x20mm square and you should be able to hold the piece of film up next to the object and they'll be the same size, therefore "life sized." Sometimes the manufacturer gives the magnification ratio as a percentage or fraction, i.e. your 70-210 does .23x magnification (according to http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/c...ns/f_lens.html) so the 20x20mm square is 4.6x4.6mm, or just shy of 1:4, which is not bad for an older zoom, but not in the range of a good dedicated macro lens. I want to try to shoot nationalgeographic-ish :-) pictures of mostly insects, and would like to have the subject cover almost most of the final print, which I can not do (as I initially thought I would) with my old FD 70-210/4 Macro. How big is the insect? If it's 36mm or shorter in the long dimension, you'll definitely want a real macro lens that can go to 1:1. For really large insects, you don't need 1:1, but you might as well get it since so much of your intended subject will be needing 1:1 to 1:4 or so. Now for my EOS I have almost decided on the Canon 100/2.8 Macro, but will this one actually give me what I want ? (what is the minimum focusing distance for this lens by the way ?) Canon says 0.31m, from the same web site as I mentioned above. That lens does 1:1, so it should be good for what you want. If you want greater than 1:1 magnification, you'll probably need a bellows and/or extension tubes. If you want to get really serious about macro, in addition to a good tripod, you may want a macro sliding rail which lets you do very fine controls of the cameras position. Velbon makes one that generally goes for about $100 that I have and it works very well. Here's B&H's link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ist&A=details& Q=&sku=193311&is=REG Really Right Stuff makes on for use with Arca-style quick releases. http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/specialty/index.html Drew -- Drew W. Saunders dru (at) stanford (dot) eee dee you |
#8
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Other have explained reproduction ratios very well so I won't get into that.
I found the best way for me to get into macro was by starting with extension tubes. Extension tubes are devices that move a lens further from the film plane allowing for closer focus. A set of three tubes for the 300 will run about $130 from B&H http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...u=71515&is=REG I linked to the Kenko set because they are significantly cheaper than the Canon tubes and work great. Because tube have no glass you don't have to worry about additional optics messing up your images. I would also consider purchasing the 50mm F1.8 from B&H as well. The lens is less than $100 and used with the extension tubes will give magnification from appox 1:4 to 1.3:1 for about the same price as the Canon 50mm Macro. the additional advantage of extension tubes is that they can be used on all of your lenses I often use the 12mm on my 28-70 F2.8 . As others have recommended a sturdy tripod is a must. You could add a Very good Bogen/Manfrotto Head/Leg combo to the above list and still be less than the cost of the 100mm macro. This would give you a great opportunity to experiment with macro and have versatile equipment that can be used for any other type of photography as well. The only really specialized piece of equipment I own that I find invaluable is a macro focusing rail. I have the Bogen/Manfotto 3419 and it has served me very well. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=162665&is=REG -- Ray Creveling http://www.blackcatblog.com "Kostas Melissaris" wrote in message ... Hi all I have a Canon EOS 300v (Rebel ti) and want to experiment with macro. I have read opinions and reviews and have probably concluded which lens would suit what I want, but have still a couple of questions. I've seen people mentioning sizes like 1:4, 1:2, 1:1 (is that the maximum??) regarding macro lenses for macro photography. What are these sizes and how do they affect my pictures ? I understand they have to do with size but am not sure exactly what's the connection. I want to try to shoot nationalgeographic-ish :-) pictures of mostly insects, and would like to have the subject cover almost most of the final print, which I can not do (as I initially thought I would) with my old FD 70-210/4 Macro. Now for my EOS I have almost decided on the Canon 100/2.8 Macro, but will this one actually give me what I want ? (what is the minimum focusing distance for this lens by the way ?) I'll appreciate any advice. Thanks Kostas --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.768 / Virus Database: 515 - Release Date: 9/22/2004 |
#9
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I won't add to the technical detail from all other respondents, but just
want to assure you that the Canon 100/2.8 macro is a great lens. Because it can focus all the way from a few inches to infinity, it is useful for anything suited to the 100mm focal length - like portraits, for instance Good luck -- Remove numeral in e-mail address to send e-mails. www.marshallarts.com.au "Kostas Melissaris" wrote in message ... Hi all I have a Canon EOS 300v (Rebel ti) and want to experiment with macro. I have read opinions and reviews and have probably concluded which lens would suit what I want, but have still a couple of questions. I've seen people mentioning sizes like 1:4, 1:2, 1:1 (is that the maximum??) regarding macro lenses for macro photography. What are these sizes and how do they affect my pictures ? I understand they have to do with size but am not sure exactly what's the connection. I want to try to shoot nationalgeographic-ish :-) pictures of mostly insects, and would like to have the subject cover almost most of the final print, which I can not do (as I initially thought I would) with my old FD 70-210/4 Macro. Now for my EOS I have almost decided on the Canon 100/2.8 Macro, but will this one actually give me what I want ? (what is the minimum focusing distance for this lens by the way ?) I'll appreciate any advice. Thanks Kostas |
#10
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"Drew Saunders" wrote in message
... [SNIP] Really Right Stuff makes on for use with Arca-style quick releases. http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/specialty/index.html I have the RRS one, and can recommend that too. Peter |
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