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Best true Macro lens for 5d iv?

lasale
Apprentice

I want the best lense for a canon 5d IV for macro shots, I’m currently using a 70-200 2.8 lense for anything close, I was thinking of getting EF 100mm f2.8L Macro IS USM
I’m wondering if this will far surpass that or if there is a better lense to get for true macro, see nose hair on a bee kind of deal, preferably within the same price range or as close too, but please do tell me the best ones regardless. TIA

4 REPLIES 4

rs-eos
Elite

An EF 70-200 f/2.8 lens only has a magnification of 0.21x.  Whereas for the 100mm f/2.8 Macro, magnification is 1x.  There are other macro options such as the EF MP 65mm which gives you variable magnification from 1x to 5x.  Though you'd need specialized equipment to be able to work at/near the 5x magnification levels.

What 1x magnification means (as a point of reference) is that an object that fills the frame (sensor) will be at life size.  So say your object was a rectangle of around 18mm x 12mm in size.  That would take up 1/4 of the area on your sensor and so for a captured image, that object will make up around 3,360 x 2,240 pixels.   For your 70-200 lens, that object would not fill the frame anywhere near what you could do with the 100mm Macro.

--
Ricky

Camera: EOS 5D IV, EF 50mm f/1.2L, EF 135mm f/2L
Lighting: Profoto Lights & Modifiers

ebiggs1
Legend
Legend

Ok remember you asked for the best. I am not a big macro shooter but by far the best macro lens I ever used is the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM Lens. It is no longer in production but you can find them used. This just may be the sharpest lens Canon ever made.

When you need to get close to your subject (macro) a lens this long let's you get back far enough which makes everything easier. Plus it won't block your light.

 

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

FloridaDrafter
Authority
Authority

I do quite a bit of macro and stacking and when I was using the EOS 5D mark IV I used the EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM. I used the EF 180mm f/3.5L USM for a while, but since I shoot the majority of my macro hand held, I dropped (sold) the 180mm to get the IS and f/2.8 of the 100mm. I wanted IS since the 100mm didn't always serve as a macro and as mentioned, most of my macro work is hand held. It's very sharp and, IMO, the most versatile FL of Canons macros. As a reminder, Canon and others, seem to use the term "macro" kind of loosely. Technically it means "closeup", but to macro photographers it means 1:1 or greater, like mentioned, 2:1, 3:1 or even 5:1. I'll also add that dedicated macro lenses are designed differently to correct for various types of distortion. You will see "macro" printed on several lenses but it just refers to the lens being able to focus closely.

I found the EOS 5D mark IV and EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM to be a perfect match for each other. And, when I went MILC I bought the RF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM for my R5.

Here are a couple of examples from the 5D mark IV and EF 100mm macro, both shot hand held.

Spanish Moss blooms are so tiny, most people don't even see them.

Spanish Moss Bloom.Spanish Moss Bloom.

This Baldwins Eryngo is about the size of a match head.

Baldwins Eryngo.Baldwins Eryngo.

Newton

shadowsports
Legend
Legend

The EF100 for DSLR  or RF100  for MILC are both safe bets for macro photography. It doesn't get better than this.  Wise investment and you won't go wrong.  

~Rick
Bay Area - CA


~R5 C (1.0.9.1) ~RF Trinity, ~RF 100 Macro, ~RF 100~400, ~RF 100~500, ~RF 200-800 +RF 1.4x TC, BG-R10, 430EX III-RT ~DxO PhotoLab Elite ~DaVinci Resolve Studio ~ImageClass MF644Cdw/MF656Cdw ~Pixel 8 ~CarePaks Are Worth It

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