Wild flower lens?

I've been pretty much just a birdie photographer but figure I really don't need a lot more bird images. I recently had a request for wild flower shots at a state park. What is everyone's favorite wild flower lens and why? Right now, I'm getting by with my 100-400 and 18-55 IS lenses. They get the job done but I'm sure other lenses would do the job better.

Canon 60 macro. Outstanding lens in every respect.

The 60mmf2.8 USM, 100mmL/f2.8 HIS USM, new Sigma 150mm/f2.8 OS HSM, or the Zeiss 100mp ze are all fantastic lenses and dont forget the Tamron 60mm/f2.0 & the 90mm. You have alot of nice choices for flowers plus dont forget the Canon 70-200 F4 IS, 70-200 F2.8 IS, & 300 f4 IS using a set of Kenko ext. tubes will also work pretty darn good even though there not dedicated macro lenses.

Plus the 60D with its swivel screen really works well shooting macro while manual focusing in Live View 5X or 10X.

Regards,

I've used the 300mm f4, 70-200 f2.8, 60mm f2.8 and 100mm 2.8. I'd say my best results are with the 300 and 100. I should sell my 60, all it does it sit in a drawer.

The Zeiss 100/2 MP is by far my favorite lens for flowers.

That said, there are a lot of good lenses that are much more reasonably priced, especially on APS-C. The 60 ef-s macro has already been mentioned a couple times with good reason.

rick_reno wrote in post #12551552
I've used the 300mm f4, 70-200 f2.8, 60mm f2.8 and 100mm 2.8. I'd say my best results are with the 300 and 100. I should sell my 60, all it does it sit in a drawer.

Out of curiosity, what causes you to choose the 100 over the 60?

For a field of flowers:
Zeiss 21mm is nice for the sharpness, color, and micro-contrast.

For single flowers, or small bunches:
Any Macro lens or a TS-E....

A TS-E lets you be much more creative with your camera positioning because you can adjust the plane of focus to cover the flower however you desire. For instance, if you want to shoot a flat faced flower (like a sunflower or daisy) from a 30 degree angle relative to its face with a macro lens you might not be able to get the whole thing in focus even at f/22. So if you want it all in focus you have to shoot from a steeper angle, like 60 degrees. Then since you are at F/22 if there isn't a ton of light you may still need to bump up to more like 80+ degrees, or perpendicular to the face of the flower, which is not at all the shot you may want. With a TS-E you just tilt the plane of focus so it runs along the face of the flower and you can get the whole face in focus at a 30 degree angle and f/5.6 (or lower).

Unfortunately most TS-E's cost an arm and a leg, so start with a good macro, the 60mm macro already mentioned would be great, and a good tripod, which helps you get a narrower aperture without having to bump ISO a ridiculous amount.

Arentol hit on it - are you shooting single flowers or wanting wide views?

For singles, I really like 100L IS and it's perfect for hunting butterflies and colorful bugs in the flowers.

For fields, I picked up CZ35-70, which is a MF Contax-Zeiss lens with excellent sharpness, color, contrast. I had the Zeiss 21 but got tired of carrying the beast! I have also picked up an Olympus 21mm MF lens for fields, but haven't tried it yet - still waiting for the mount for it to arrive.

- Michelle

Canon 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

Inexpensive and does a great job. Just keep the shutter speed up. It produces great results and is good for all kinds of shots.

Although I've never used it I think the Tokina 35 F/2.8 Macro would make for a pretty cool flower lens.

Tamron 90mm 2.8 macro does flowers

For single flowers, I love the longer lenses. The 200mm 2.8 is ideal, but I've also got great results from the 300mm f4 and the 100mm 2.8 macro. With the 200mm and 300mm, occasionally I will use and extension tube to get a bit closer.

I have good luck,, with my Tamron 28-75 f2.8 macro on my 30D,,,,got some nice flower/bee & butterfly shots,,,,Ron

I have been pleasantly surprised using my Sigma 20mm 1.8 for flower closeups. This lens is wonderful for closeups to about 3" from subjects.

Samples can be seen here:

http://www.flickr.com …t/sets/72157625​447568097/

Can be found on the forum for about $325

mn shutterbug wrote in post #12551339
I've been pretty much just a birdie photographer but figure I really don't need a lot more bird images. I recently had a request for wild flower shots at a state park. What is everyone's favorite wild flower lens and why? Right now, I'm getting by with my 100-400 and 18-55 IS lenses. They get the job done but I'm sure other lenses would do the job better.

Well, for a long while i used my 100-400 for flowers with great effect

400mm can have an excellent compression effect on your subjects