Re: RE: Macro for a relative newbie.

[olavf]

I’ve used the 100mm prime a few times (on loan from a friend) and it’s a pretty nice lens. My biggest problem with it personally was trying to take close-ups of moving things…bugs for example. It was really frustrating trying to track them because of the focal length. For stationary objects it does a really good job though (my hand-written rice shots for ‘Up Close’ were taken with the 100mm).

Kat ended up getting the Sigma 50mm F2.8 macro. I’ve used it a few times and have been pretty pleased with the results. Like any macro, folks are probably going to complain about the AF ‘hunting’, but I think that’s the nature of the beast. You’re taking really, really tight shots, and any movement either by you or the subject is going to cause the AF to refocus. (When I’m shooting I tend to use manual focus most of the time anyway)

The Sigma does a good job at portrait-type shots too, so the lens can do double-duty. So, I’d recommend that or the 60mm (which I haven’t used so I can’t speak on).

I’ll get Kat to wander through and give her thoughts when she wakes up too. She does a lot more macro-photography than I do.