Macro Lens thats FF and APS-c Compatible

I need a macro lens for weddings and wanted to find something that will work with both camera systems and budget friendly(<$500).
Any recommendations?

Canon 100 2.8 from the refurbished store - $479

http://shop.usa.canon.​com …uct_10051_10051​_269452_-1

+1.

If you don't need fast AF, consider the tamron 90mm and tokina 100mm. The IQ is essentially the same, but the tamron and tokina cost quite a bit less. The tokina has better build also. The only reason I chose the canon was the USM.

Don't know if the Tamron and Tokina you mentioned are worse off, but well to that point, the AF on the canon isn't fast either i.e. on the non-L version we are talking about here.

are there any TRUE macros which do not work on both systems?
I think the choices are pretty wide open - and you just have to chose your working distance.
the canon 60 is also a nice choice. the sigma 70 is highly considered - though I am not sure if it fits your budget, the 90-105mm selections of canon, sigma, tamron etc are well thought of - as well.
I personally have the 100 macro USM of canon and quite happy with it, though i do not shoot weddings, so I cannot offer professional specific advice.

I would only use this lens sparingly for detailed shots during a wedding, so fast AF is not really a factor for me. I am not sure if I would be better suited getting kinko or zuikos tubes since macros are recommended to be used with a tripod.

ceriltheblade wrote in post #13068511
are there any TRUE macros which do not work on both systems?...

The Canon 60 is an EF-S so that wouldn't work with FF, if that is what you meant to ask.

ChadAndreo wrote in post #13068528
I would only use this lens sparingly for detailed shots during a wedding, so fast AF is not really a factor for me. I am not sure if I would be better suited getting kinko or zuikos tubes since macros are recommended to be used with a tripod.

Not sure how you are relating the need for tubes to the need for using a tripod for macros. All tubes do is to help you get closer to the subject.

nikmar08 wrote in post #13068483
Don't know if the Tamron and Tokina you mentioned are worse off, but well to that point, the AF on the canon isn't fast either i.e. on the non-L version we are talking about here.

The AF on the non-L is still USM, and its still fast compared to non-ultrasonic lenses. Granted, compared to other non-macro USM lenses its not as fast.

However, I've compared the lenses myself, and the tamron and tokina are horrendously slow in comparison.

nikmar08 wrote in post #13068539
The Canon 60 is an EF-S so that wouldn't work with FF, if that is what you meant to ask.

Not sure how you are relating the need for tubes to the need for using a tripod for macros. All tubes do is to help you get closer to the subject.

Im just assuming that with tubes I can shoot macro without the need of a tripod, but I have no idea.
Im learning about marco as we type.

I am myself no master of it yet. As such it is one of the more difficult aspects of photography. Although there is more to this, an oversimplified reason for the need of a tripod is as follows. At closeup distances, you stop down a lot to get enough DOF which otherwise is very very thin (in mm). Even then, a slight movement can throw the focus off. Plus the shutter speed become slow in many cases and unless you use a flash/suppl. lighting, it becomes almost impossible to get critically sharp pics without a tripod/steady support/focus rails etc. It has hardly anything to do with tubes. (EDIT Thought I will add this so as not to be misleading - for true macro work of 1:1 or more magnification, you simply want to nail the focus from closeup distances from much less distances than what traditional non-macro lens would allow you to focus, tubes help you do that. And if you have enough light (and therefore the luxury of higher shutter speeds), nothing stops you from taking macros handheld. One more thing to remember about tubes is that you lose infinity focus infact you get limited by the max focus distance.

I would suggest that you read up heaps of good info available as stickies on macro and related topics on this forum before you decide on investing your money in anything.

[QUOTE=nikmar08;130685​39]The Canon 60 is an EF-S so that wouldn't work with FF, if that is what you meant to ask.

DUOH! What a dufus I am. thanks for the correction....

ChadAndreo wrote in post #13068565
Im just assuming that with tubes I can shoot macro without the need of a tripod, but I have no idea.
Im learning about marco as we type.

depends on what you mean by "macro"
without a true 1:1 macro lens - you are actually doing close up photography - but not getting towards the 1:1 nature.
With a full set of tubes plus a 50mm focal length - you can get to 1:1 without having a dedicated macro lens.
the issue though is working distance, using tubes essentially just reduces the working distance. The longer the focal length of the macro lens (again - just the 1:1 ture macro lenses), the longer your working distance... so the 100 is further away than the 60/70 and the 150 is further away than the 100 etc.

Shooting close up without a tripod with appropriate lighting etc can easily be done handheld.

I am assuming you are mostly talking about closeups of rings, or other realtively large physical items.....

Canon 100mm f2.8 USM (not the L/IS)... $570.

Tokina AT-X 100/2.8... $450.

Tamron SP 90mm f2.8... $460.

Sigma 70mm f2.8 DG... $500.

A used Sigma 105mm non-OS (recently discontinued and replaced by the much more expensive OS model).

Any shorter focal length macro you might find yourself uncomfortably close. Any longer focal length you will have more trouble with hand held shots.

All the above are full frame compatible, so of course will work on croppers, too.

Of these, I use the Canon for several reasons. It's got excellent image quality and great build quality, but most macro lenses won't disappoint in this respect. There is a removable accessory tripod mounting ring available for it, which is probably most useful for higher magnifications, so may or may not be all that important to you (but is to me). It has USM, which speeds up focusing and can help make the lens more useful for non-macro uses, so it can be most effective as a "dual purpose" lens. And it has a focus limiter, which also helps speed up focusing. It's an Internal Focus (IF) design, which makes it a bit larger to start with but it doesn't extend during focus. This also means that it's focal length effectively changes during focusing... By the time it's at it's closest 1:1 focus, it is more like a 70mm. This doesn't help or hurt in any way that I can comment.... just wanted to mention it. The newer version has IS, but is nearly twice as expensive. IS works best at non-macro distances anyway, though it can't hurt of course. Some think the newer L version is better built, but I honestly don't think there's all that much difference. The approx. $500 USM version is identical in build to the 180/3.5L (which is slower focusing and less "dual purpose"), in fact, and probably equal to some other L series in build quality.

Most wedding macro shots aren't all that high magnification, so you also might consider just getting a set of Kenko Macro Extension Tubes to use with one of your current lenses... about $180.