Macro lens or tele lens + closeup lens?

Posted on March 11th, 2010 by wktd
  • For macro shots, I can either buy this:
    http://www.amazon.com/Canon-100mm-Macro-Lens-Cameras/dp/B00004XOM3

    Or buy these:
    http://www.amazon.com/Canon-70-300mm-4-5-6-Lens-Cameras/dp/B0007Y794O
    http://www.amazon.com/Canon-250D-Close-up-A710IS-Cameras/dp/B000050M6M

    I'm buying the 70-300mm regardless, as I need a good telephoto lens. So, any suggestions as far as the close-up lens vs. the 100mm macro lens?

    Thanks in advance..


  • Pardon my dumb question here, but I've seen people talk about 1:2, 1:1 ratio when talking about lenses.. what does the ratio refer to exactly?


  • 1:1 is where the image on the film/sensor is the same as the object being photographed - 1:2 is half size, 1:4 is quarter etc.


  • From what I can tell about my own telephoto lens with macro settings as opposed to, for example, our member doenoe's dedicated macro lens, his takes MUCH better photos than mine does in its macro settings. The telephoto lens in macro settings offers you only 1:2 (so doenoe explained to me on here only a short while ago), while a dedicated macro lens offers you a 1:1 ratio, which is what you want when you REALLY want to go into macro photography.

    But let the real and true macro photographers such as doenoe or TCimages reply. They know what they have and can better recommend things. All I know is that a telephoto lens with macro settings only gets you halfway into macro photography. It is a pleasant toy, but if you mean to become more serious about it, you'll soon wish you had something better. (I'm at this point just now).


  • The macro lens will undoubtably give you far better results that adding a close up lens.

    There are three reasons for this:

    1) The macro lens is a prime lens and all else being equal they always have the edge over a zoom.

    2) The macro lens is designed from the ground up for macro work so wherever compromises need to be made they are made to favour the macro side of things.

    3) Adding extra curved glass to the light path (i.e. glass other than a filter) is always going to spoil the quality of the main lens even with an extremely expensive close up lens such as the one you are suggesting.

    The main lens is designed as a complete unit with all the elements interacting in a defined and optimised way. You cannot then add some further element and expect the quality to be unimpaired.







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