Help choosing the right lens

[mdinelle]

I'm looking to purchase a new lens for a 35mm camera, ideally a Canon or Pentax since I already have a few bodies lying around. The problem is I'm not very tech-savvy and I'm not sure exactly what lens is best for me... I'd like a macro lens, something like a 50-200mm zoom, but that has exceptional focus capacity; i.e. that will allow me to focus on things that are very close to me as well as things that are very far away. I'm finding that all the ones I've tried don't really let me focus on things in my immediate foreground, and this is the main problem I'd like to resolve.
What should I buy?
Thanks!
M

 

[Sirius Glass]

I have Tamron 28mm to 300mm AF lens which has macro capability. It is virtually equivalent to the Nikon 28mm to 200mm AF lens which also has a macro capability. One of the Tamron lenses should be available for a Canon or Pentax camera.

By the way welcome to APUG

 

[mdinelle]

Thanks!

 

[GRHazelton]

I don't think you're going to find a true macro zoom lens, that is to say, one which will yield an image on the film the same size as the object. Many zooms say "macro zoom," but they in my experience give 1 to 4 or 1 to 3 at the most. Also macro lenses typically are optimized for high resolution and aren't very fast - say f2.8 at the fastest - unless you pay REALLY BIG BUCKS! I can't speak to Canon, but Pentax has an excellent 50 mm and also a 100 mm. I'd suggest a 100 mm since it gives you better working distance from bugs, etc, and less likelihood of casting a shadow on the subject.

100 mm on a 35 camera also makes a pretty good portrait lens, in addition to being a short tele. I scored a Vivitar f3.5 100 mm macro some years ago which is/was inexpensive and very serviceable, despite being a "plastic fantastic." It goes to 1 to 2 from infinity, and then from that to 1 to 1`with a dedicated achromatic closeup lens. If you find one, be sure the closeup lens is furnished. These are also marked under the Cosina name, and probably others. I'm sure they are in Canon mount, although which Canon mount I don't know. There is an autofocus edition, but for macro use I have never felt the need for autofocus.

You could consider closeup lenses for your present lens. They are available in various powers, and need no exposure change, as tubes do. They may well degrade the image quality some, its your call on whether or not that is objectionable. They are the cheapest route.

Extension tubes are another way to go. They fit between the lens and the camera body, and thus enable very close focusing. Be sure to get tubes that will maintain automation with your camera! Tubes do require extra exposure, but with TTL metering this is automatically done.

Note that if you have a lot of extension, and stop down for depth of field you may encounter exposures of many seconds. Then reciprocity failure can rear its ugly head. That is a topic for another discussion!

I've tried extension tubes with a zoom lens, I'm sure it can be done, but I'd rather use my macro lens!

If you intend to do macro or close to macro, save money out for a decent tripod, and a focus rail would be nice. Makes positioning the camera so much easier. Get a cable release. Unless you have an interchangeable viewfinder on your camera, a right angle finder sure beats lying prone on the ground looking through the finder!

 

[cuthbert]

Yes I agree, you can't have both things in a single lens.

For Pentax the ideal choice is the A 50mm f2.8 Macro and the A 70-210 f4 zoom, for Canon the choice is the FD 50mm f3.5 macro and the L 80-200 f4.

All lenses besides the Canon L zoom are reasonably and not difficult to procure.

 

[Paul Howell]

There are some very good 3rd party true macro lens in Pentax K, Tamron and Sigma both made 90mm and 100 macro lens as well as 50mm macro, on the zoom side while not a true macro you can get really close with a 35 to 70 macro zoom and an extension tube.

 

[mdinelle]

Hm.. Exactly what I was afraid of. Since I can't let go of the zoom function (need the range, don't have time to change lenses), I guess that means I'll always lose some ability to focus on nearby things. So sadly, maybe the lens I already have is as good as it's going to get for the time being.
Thanks everyone for your help!

 

[MattKing]

Welcome to APUG.

When you speak about close focus, how close do you mean?

Are you trying to achieve something like half life size (a one inch long item will be half an inch long on the negative) or are you just trying to fill the shot with a tightly cropped face?

Or are you trying to fill the negative with something tiny, like an insect?

There are some lenses that might do what you want, if the tightly cropped face is what you need.

 

[Ian Grant]

I'd steer away from the zoom lenses with by=uilt in macro, they won't give high quality results..

One of the best Macro lenses made is the 90mm f2.8 Tamron SP and the Adaptal II version can be used with your Canon or Pentax cameras as lomg as you get the right mount.

The alternative is extension tubes and when I was at school and later University I did a lot of macro work using them. In fact I've started using them again with my Spotmatics and my 50mm & 100mm SMC Takumar lenses. I've had Zooms with Macro capability but the results aren't anywhere close to a good prime lens and extension tubes and a good macro lens is better still.

Ian

 

[mdinelle]

Matt-
I'm really terrible at describing this, but I'll try my best. Right now I have a 28-200mm zoom. When I'm at 28mm, the closest thing I can focus on is about a meter and a half away from me - now, what I'd like is for the image to be exactly the same as it looks through the 28mm lens, but to be able to focus on something half a meter away, say. I'm already able to focus very close, but only when I zoom to the 200mm option, and this is not what I want. Maybe I shouldn't have used the term Macro, (like I said, I'm terrible at this!)... but do you think there's any lens where this kind of thing is possible?

 

[MattKing]

Matt-
I'm really terrible at describing this, but I'll try my best. Right now I have a 28-200mm zoom. When I'm at 28mm, the closest thing I can focus on is about a meter and a half away from me - now, what I'd like is for the image to be exactly the same as it looks through the 28mm lens, but to be able to focus on something half a meter away, say. I'm already able to focus very close, but only when I zoom to the 200mm option, and this is not what I want. Maybe I shouldn't have used the term Macro, (like I said, I'm terrible at this!)... but do you think there's any lens where this kind of thing is possible?

I think that discussing this is going to be a bit of a challenge.

My problem with your description is that if you are a half a meter away, the image is going to be quite a bit different, because you are closer. At the same focal length, you will see a fair bit less of the scene, because you are closer.

Now half a meter away at 28mm is very low magnification - not nearly macro at all.

I don't use zooms for most of my cameras, so I don't own anything equivalent to experiment with.

My 35mm fixed focal lens focuses to about 10 cm.

My 24mm fixed focal lens focuses to about 8 cm.

It sounds to me like your zoom focuses most closely at the long end. That isn't universal - many such lenses focus most closely at the short end.

For us to help you, it would help to find out what you are most interested in:

1) being able to focus on a particular space; or
2) being able to shoot at a particular distance.

Usually, those who are looking for the second of the two choices are seeking a particular near to far perspective, or are trying to deal with some lighting challenges.

 

[mdinelle]

Matt-
You're right in thinking that my lens focuses most closely on the long end, and this is exactly the problem I'm having. If it's possible, I'd like one that focuses equally well on the short end.
If I reiterate, I'd like to be able to shoot things that are far away in focus (this is a capability I already have), but I'd also like to be able to shoot things that are very close in focus without having to zoom in on them at 200mm (without having them fill the entire frame). So basically, I'd like to have better focusing possibility from the short end, without losing the ability to focus at the long end.
Does this make sense? Sorry, I know I don't have the appropriate terminology to express myself here, I'm doing the best I can!

 

[MattKing]

We need some numbers.

How big a subject do you want to fill the frame with?

 

[Paul Howell]

Most of the zooms with Macro, I have Pentax AF, MF, and Sigma AF only allow for Macro at the long end, on the other hand I have Phoenix 35 to 70 manual focus K mount that allows for macro from 35mm to 70. Come to think about it I also have a couple of Minolta macro zooms that allow for macro from wide to long, a 28 to 80 and another 35 to 70. but in the long range I don't know if you macro focus on the short end without an extension tube.

 

[cliveh]

50mm 1.4 and instead of zooming learn to walk to create the perspective you require.

 

[John Koehrer]

Take a look at the old Vivitar Series 1 90-180mm flat field or Series 1 70-210mm/f3.5 lens. I don't remember the close focus ability of the 70-210 Don't bother with the newwer lens with variable apertures. You want the constant f3.5

The 90-180 is one heavy sucker though.