I want to buy a macro lens for my Canon 400d

bigfoot125

camera ,any guidance on what i can get out of this lens is appreciated

TiTheRev

Any more info? What sort of shot do you want it for? Fixed or zoom? Fisheye? Sigma are a good alternative, yet not 'cheap' but less money if you know what I mean!?

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/category/basecategory.aspx?cat03=3077

This link will provide some options but not necessarily the best prices. I have a 400D myself so can advise on what I know if you can give more info

bigfoot125

hi i am going on a trip to New York soon and would like something other than my standard lens,tempted by the 100mm macro lens form canon,i guess this will only do for the close up shots,does it provide group photos also.

Ideally the Tamron 28-300 looks an opinion for zoom and semi macro,i have to be honest i am a bit of an amateur so appreciate your guidance
cheers

TiTheRev

Am no pro myself but have had to learn a thing or two to make sure I got the right equipment too! A prime lens will only be good for subjects no more than 2/3metres away, 100mm is an average for that sort of distance, but a zoom lens would obviously give you more choice of perspective and shot.

I personally have an 18-70mm f2.8 Sigma lens, that does the kind of job I wanted from it. It copes with the close up (4/5") and more landscape shots, and is also a macro lens. It cost me about £270 but I get very good quality pictures no matter how poor I am

If you want something for long distance close ups the 28-300 will definately get you that, but make sure it has a fixed f-stop if you can. f2.8 is best, but f4 will also do a good job right through the zoom range. I found an old canon lens 40-200 f4 on eBay for £70 and still fits my 400d even though it was for an older SLR. Make sure it has the right fixings if you are going to do this though!

I did investigate Tamron before buying my macro lens, but they didnt get rave reviews. Some people did like them though, it just wasnt across the board so I didnt want to risk spending that kind of money on a product I may not like!

TiTheRev

What's your budget and specification, i'll see what I can find...if you want?!

bigfoot125

hey thanks a lot,budget is £350 tops,i do like the look of that canon 100mm macro lens,not sure if i would get max benefit,also your sigma one is appealing,if you have any further guidance its appreciated

you are much more up to speed than me lol

cheers

TiTheRev

A good zoom lens for the money would be this one IMHO;

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.aspx?sku=1005263

It would cope easily with extreme close up, flower petals etc... but also do the more panoramic stuff with it's macro lens that gets just that little bit more into the shot. It would be a very useful lens for just carrying around with you and taking some 'point and shoot' kind of shots.

Something for the further range, and a little over budget (sorry!) is this one;

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.aspx?sku=1010309

It will give you a superb distance shot, and the IS (image stabilising) function will help eliminate the wobbly hand issues that can often create a poor picture. It wouldn't however be so usefull for anything closer than about 7-10metres away as it is a long zoom lens.

TiTheRev

bigfoot125 wrote: »

hey thanks a lot,budget is £350 tops,i do like the look of that canon 100mm macro lens,not sure if i would get max benefit,also your sigma one is appealing,if you have any further guidance its appreciated

you are much more up to speed than me lol

cheers

I would steer clear of a prime lens btw. It's a very specailist lens, good for a certain type of picture, but only for that distance. The 100mm macro lens would be great for pictures at short quarters (It can take a pic at 11.8" away!), but only good for close-up shots really.

TiTheRev

Should've asked what your standard lens was?

bigfoot125

TiTheRev wrote: »

Should've asked what your standard lens was?

currently the 18-55 standard lens

the sigma choice looks pretty good,is the macro as good as getting the 100mm canon u reckon

TiTheRev

bigfoot125 wrote: »

currently the 18-55 standard lens

the sigma choice looks pretty good,is the macro as good as getting the 100mm canon u reckon

They are two totally different lenses with different pro's and con's so it's hard to compare them. The 100mm is VERY limited in use but what it does do it will do well. The lens I recommended has a wider list of uses, and the f-stop of 2.8 will create crisp, clear images, much better than the stock lens you currently have even though it's the same kind of range.

Best bet might be to go to a photograph magazine website and look for reviews?