Introduction/Questions

[Billdolfski]

I'll introduce myself real quick real sick. I'm Billdolfski and I'm certainly an amateur when it comes to photography. I know a few ppl and I've heard a few things so I've got some basic ideas.

Anyway. I plan on buying Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT 350D SLR Camera very soon. Once I get that taken care of and have a few extra dollars... I want a good Macro lens.

Sigma?

Canon?

Something cheaper but as good?

Something I wouldn't know about?

[mjs1973]

First off, welcome to the Forum.

I have the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens, and I love it. It's very sharp, and not too expensive. The AF is very quiet, and pretty fast compaired to my kit lenses. Not as fast at my L lens tho. The fast aperture is great for isolating subjects with a shallow depth of field too.

Another more inexpensive option would be a set of extension tubes. Loupey, one of the moderators on this site, put together a great thread that shows what extension tubes are capable of. You can read that thread at this link:

Extension Tubes - Full Disclosure

[Billdolfski]

Thx for the quick response ;)

[Photo-John]

The Sigma 100mm macro has excellent optics. But it's a bit noisy (sound noise, not digital noise). The Canon's will definitely be quieter and faster. But I've never found fast auto focus to be important when I'm doing close-up work. In fact, I usually switch to manual focus so I can focus more precisely. I have the Canon 50mm f/2.5 macro and the 1:1 converter. That combo works wonderfully for the tabletop product stuff I do, when I need to shoot tight details. But the Sigma will certainly save you some money and I don't think you'll be compromising image quality at all.

What is it you're planning to shoot? Extension tubes are also a good alternative. And Tamron and Tokina also make some very good lenses. The lens I probably use the most is a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8. It's been very good to me.

Welcome to the site!

[Billdolfski]

Spiders (I don't know why I have to do this, but I'm adding this little addendum so the post is "long enough", even though it's a quick reply.

[mwfanelli]

I'll introduce myself real quick real sick. I'm Billdolfski and I'm certainly an amateur when it comes to photography. I know a few ppl and I've heard a few things so I've got some basic ideas.

Anyway. I plan on buying Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT 350D SLR Camera very soon. Once I get that taken care of and have a few extra dollars... I want a good Macro lens.

Sigma?

Canon?

Something cheaper but as good?

Something I wouldn't know about?

I use a Tamron f2.8 90mm macro. Same image quality as the Canon, much cheaper, but slower autofocus. As already stated, AF and macro don't really mix. Manual focus is always your best choice along with extensive use of the DOF preview.

[Billdolfski]

So the Sigma 105mm should be good (or the Canon)... do I need to save up and splurge on ea different one?

I plan on taking pictures of spiders with this lens.