What is the best MACRO Lens to buy -- Canon, Tamron, and etc.. and which one?

[jimchapin468]

I am looking to buy a Macro lens and I am not sure which one to buy. Canon, Tamron, etc.. Any recommendations? Jimmy

The 2 lens I have now is the Canon 24-70L f/2.8 and Canon 200mm L f/2.8

[rent]

if money is not a concern, canon 180mm f/3.5L, otherwise canon's 100 also gets good reviews and is much cheaper. -alex

[ddelallata]

I think that Canon, Tamron, and Sigma all make excellent macro lenses. You have to decide for yourself what features you want in your lens choice, e.g. focusing speed, minimum working distance, cost, etc.

[GyRob]

i will go for the 150 sigma for macro it seems to offer a good deal all round.
Rob

[condyk]

You ask for the best ... but how do you judge that? Is your budget enough for 'the best' and if not, what is your budget? Are you happy to consider Tamron, Sigma, Tokina as well as Canon?

[RbrtPtikLeoSeny]

Never used em, but from what I've heard the Canon 180mm f/3.5L can't be beat. Great working distance and from the pics I've seen, WICKED sharp!

Second would be the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 and at $629.00 I don't think this lens can be beat. Sharp, fast AF, good size, good working distance.

Third i'd say the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens. I owned it for a few days and it was very sharp! Great lens, but I wasn't impressed by it's working distance so I returned it.

Anyway, looking at your two lenses focal length wise I'd say the Sigma 150 or Canon 100mm would be a great idea. Fill in the gap a bit between 70 and 200mm.

Hope that helps a bit!

[KevC]

Sigma 150 sounds just right!

[fotogeek]

I love my sigma 150. But i've seen images from the Canon, they're pretty amazing too.

[weasel]

The Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro is just about as good as macros get. It would also help fill that 70 -200mm gap you have.

[ron chappel]

Another vote for the canon 100mm macro -Incredibly sharp!
Basically you should choose what focal length you need first as it determines how much working distance you get.For example if you take pics of very flighty,nervous bugs then an expensive 150/180mm lens may be nessesary.Other than that you may be free to choose a focal length based on what fits in best with your other lenses

From comments and examples i've seen, the best lenses in each focal length are the canon 180mm macro,the canon 100mm macro and sigma 50mm macro

[formula4speed]

Anyone know how the 200 2.8L would work with extension tubes as a macro lens? They don't have any glass in them so it shouldn't loose optical performance. Its something I've been considering which may be the most cost effective thing to do.

[Timm]

I used the 180 f/3.5L one weekend and the images were superb. Finances though lead me to buy the Sigma 150mm. I think the Sigmas images are on a par with the bigger Canon lens and I have no hesitation in recommending it.

[martook]

If there is a vote going on in here, I'd say the Sigma 150... that's what I'll get some day. Very sharp, comes with all the extras (hood, collar), and not even 200 bucks more than the Canon 100 which I think it outperforms (based on shots I've seen, haven't tested it yet).

[GeForceFX]

top 3:

canon 180L
sigma 150
canon 100

the canon 180L was to expensive for me, so I went for the sigma.
It's a superb lens, first I only wanted canon glass, but now I would recommend this lens to everybody

[spiders]

The 180mm is a great lens with great focal distance! What are you planning on taking pictures of? If it moves quick and startles easily, the 180mm is great. I've never used the 100mm, but I have only heard good things about it. The 180 certainly allows you to compose your backgrounds well.

[Rob612]

I'm quite happy with the Tamron 90mm 2.8. I also got today a Sigma 150 EX DG 2.8, will see how it goes, the first 3/4 quick test shots were excellent. Got to try it in the field.

[Alexandre Gabriel]

Another vote for Canon 100.
It's a superb lens with a good price.
And can be used as a portrait lens.