Lens Question

[cgratti]

What is the major difference in the Canon 100mm USM Macro lens and Canon's MP-E 65mm Macro Lens? Other than price, which is a big difference.

I want to do some macro stuff, but I want to get as close a shot as possible to the subjects without getting physically close to them (as in bugs and stuff), I want a super close-up shot, but I wont be able to get super close most of the time for fear of scaring the insects away. Which lens is for me? Or is there a better lens for what I am looking for?

TIA

--chuck

[ron chappel]

There are two main parts to this.
The first is magnification-macro ability in lenses is measured by how small a subject can complately fill the frame.
i.e 1:1 ratio will fill the frame with something 36mmx24mm (that's the size of the film on 35mm cameras in case you were wondering),while 1:2 ratio will fill the frame with something 72mmx48mm,and so on it goes...
NOW-because a digital camera such as 300D or 10D has a sensor smaller than film,then those ratios are even better !
Any 1:1 macro lens will fill the frame with something 22.5x15mm,
1:2 would be 45mmx15mm,etc
Bargain,huh?!

The 2nd part is working distance.
A 100mm 1:1 macro lens focused as close as it will go will have about 160mm of space between the front of the lens and the insect

A 50mm macro lens at the same magnification would have only about 70-80mm of space

The EF180mm macro lens will have about 280mm of space.

so you can see that the longer the focal length ,the more working distance you have -even though the magnification is the same


Now-what's available.....
The EF100mm macro lens can do 1:1 macro with no special attachments
The EF50mm compact macro can only do 1:2 but can do 1:1 with an add on attachment lens
the EF180 macro can do 1:1
The MP-E 65 is a very special lens in that it simply cant focus to infinity like a normal lens-it is ONLY made for extreme closeup's.
How close? Try 1:1 to 5:1 !!! that means at maximum magnification on a digital body it will fill the frame with something 4.5mmx3mm :shock: :shock: :shock: 8)
I don't know the working distance of this lens but it will be very close

One last thing to consider is that many people use their macro lens for other jobs such as portraits etc ,which has some bearing on which model they decide to buy