180mm L Macro, no regrets?

5dm2

I have an mp-e 65mm + mt-24ex, i'm looking for something to get larger subjects in the frame. I have been using the neotec monopod with success, and thought it would be ideal to use with the 180mm considering it's weight.

i understand the quality is a little better and i'm a big lover of quality..

I'm interested to hear some thoughts on it too. Seems like the top lens for distance macro as it is capable of 1:1 from long range.

The 180 is a great lens, I use it handheld or on a tripod depending on the subject. I have the 100 classic and MP-E. The 100 is easier to handhold specially close to life size than the 100. I tend to use the 180 handheld with dragons and butterflies mostly for the tighter perspective.

I sold my 100 to help fund a 180 about a year ago, and I have not regretted it for one second. It is a great lens for larger subjects. I often use it for flowers or interesting plants that are between 1:2 and 1:5 magnification. It is difficult to use handheld even with the assistance of a monopod, so be aware that you may end up using a tripod more often than you do now if you want deep depth of field and low ISO. If I were making the decision, I would think carefully about how much I wanted to shoot handheld. If the answer is "most of the time," then you should probably get the 100mm f/2.8L IS. If not, the 180 can't be beat for creating beautiful backgrounds. The sharpness between the 65, 100, and 180 is basically the same, so don't let that influence your decision.

^^Good advice.

I have the 65mm, 100mm and 180mm and for macro, use them about 95%, 0%, and 5%, respectively. Everyone is different, have different styles and enjoy shooting different subjects, so experience and opinions will obviously vary (I prefer being up close and personal with the 65mm). Usually, when out in the field I shoot with the 65mm and it can be a pain for me to bring along the 180mm just for the occasional larger subject, not to mention needing a different lighting setup as well. This certainly, in no way, speaks for the quality of the lens - it's exceptionally sharp and well built, although the AF can be a PITA at times. I'll use it for portrait work every once in a while, but it really sees little use, so will probably end up posting it up on here.

the 180L requires very steady hands. Tried it last weekend, a slight breeze on the flowers and it looks like earthquake in the viewfinder. Getting motion sickness after a while.

The 180L is a beast in size compared to either of the 100's. The longer focal length will increase camera shake. But nothing will compare it to the MP-E. At it's higher magnifications camera shake is much more noticeable.

I would not say that the quality of the 180L is better than the MP-E. You have to consider effective apertures. I am sure if you shoot either lens at 1:1 with the same aperture the images should be very similar. But at 2:1 and f/16 your effective aperture is f/48. Even that is too much for a full frame body.