MPE-65

I have been experimenting with a reverse 50 setup on a 100 and 180mm lens. It has been allot of fun as well as a good learning experience. I am thinking of getting the Canon MPE-65 lens but before I do I would appreciate hearing the advantages and disadvantages of that lens especially when compared to a reverse 50 setup.

I was using upto a full set of tubes and a reverse 50 on my 105mm EX before I eventually got an MPE-65. It's just a whole lot more conveniant to use plus I got sharper images and better bokeh once I understood the need to drop the aperture as the magnification goes up.
Brian V.

LordV wrote in post #2923671
I was using upto a full set of tubes and a reverse 50 on my 105mm EX before I eventually got an MPE-65. It's just a whole lot more conveniant to use plus I got sharper images and better bokeh once I understood the need to drop the aperture as the magnification goes up.
Brian V.

I agree with Brian, it took me a while to get mine, and I wouldnt trade it for the world. Once you work with the Mp-E65, you get spoiled very quickly.

I'm looking at getting it one sometime in the mid-future. I finally have an E-TTL flash, so I won't have to guess on the exposure anymore .

The MP-E can go from 1:1 to 5:1 (5 times life size). However, it is ONLY a macro lens. You cannot focus any further than 1:1, so you couldn't use it to take a picture of a bird or something like that.

I've never used one, so I can't give you much information about the ergonomics of it. However, I have used a reversed 50mm lens setup, and I can tell you that nothing is harder than using that setup . The DOF is razor thin, the sharpness at the edges is abysmal, and you have to be about .00000000001 inches from your subject. The MP-E has aperture (read: DOF) control, has reasonable working distances, and is sharp throughout its range.

As LordV and Bald Eagle said, it isn't a lens for beginners. But, if you've done macro for a while, and like it, you need this lens (at least, that's where I am right now).

Thanks everyone. It looks like I will be buying the MPE-65 in about a month. There won't be any bugs or blooms around here until then