I was wondering if anyone has ever used this lens (especially on digital). I am considering saving up to get it instead of one of Sigma or Tamron's offerings. I know that it is FD mount and will not auto focus on EOS (not of much importance to me), but since it has aperture control on the lens instead of through the camera won't it work with an adapter? I would love to have the working distance of 200mm, but I do not have the money for any of the "professional" macro lenses like the Sigma 180mm or the Canon 100mm or 180mm, so this might be the perfect alternative for me--thank you anyone who has information!

I was told that this might be a better place to find information on this subject. So far from what I have heard to be able to use it you would have to get an adapter, and take out the optics (of the adapter) so there is not too much CA. Does anyone know about this process? Also I was wondering if there are similar macro lenses with 1:1 magnification and at least 150mm focal length, I would love the working distance, but I cannot afford a new one because of school. Thanks!

By the way, I will be mounting the lens on a Canon 350D/XT

You can get non-optical FD-EOS adaptors, they don't focus to infinity, but for macro it works just fine with no modification needed.

The Sigma 150mm f2.8 can be had new for not much more than most used 200mm f4's (and notably less than the Pentax a* 200/4 macro). It's widely considered one of the better macros out there.

$600 is a lot of money for a lens, I need something a lot cheaper.

Babyjax,

You want a quality 200mm macro lens for significantly less than $600, and I want a date with Angelina Jolie. We're both in trouble here.

Actually, I might have a better chance.

-But you could try the Nikon 200m AIS micro. I don't have one, but it gets really excellent reviews, and the price should be in your ballpark. There's a mint one on Ebay right now with a buy-it-now of $450, though you can definitely do better if you wait & get lucky.

One thing: You want a good adapter with a K-mount lens. I recently got excellent Widepan adapters from Ebay seller " buyitjnow " (Hong Kong.) They are absolutely identical to the Fotodiox Pro, and probably to the Kindai. About $60, delivered.

Oly 200 f4: $40-60. Down side: useless for macro, MFD is about seven feet.

Good news: Oly telescoping 65-116 extension tube: $100-150. Will get your MFD down to about 2-3 feet, will not go 1:1, but will get you to a little over 2:1.

Don't know what your budget is, but it's someplace to start.

David,

While I really like the Oly 200 f4 (I bought one after seeing your example pics) I think it's a huge mistake to suggest it for the OP.

First, while the color is spectacular, it's not exactly super-sharp. Not a great macro candidate.

Second, with that much tube, the DOF is going to be razor-thin, and the OP likely cannot afford a rail system.

Amazing lens for the money, though. No argument from me there!
I'm glad you "made" me buy one.





Edited by Cableaddict on Sep 06, 2008 at 10:42 PM GMT

I think I might just wait till next summer to get the Sigma 150mm, it's probably worth it...

Well, waiting can always work out if you do not feel a need to own the lens now.

However, the main point a lot of people get some of these fun specialty lenses is for a new perspective, or just as a way to get a new look into there images. Now, my best luck on Macro has always been Contax, followed closely by Pentax. The 100mm Macro M42 Pentax is a great little lens, and fairly cheap. I dont know if that gets the distance you are wanting, but you did list the 100mm Canon Macro earlier, so it may work.

http://cgi.ebay.com/M42-Pentax-Macro-Takumar-100mm-f-4-MINT-NR_W0QQitemZ200251243675QQihZ010QQcategoryZ3323QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The Nikkors are also very nice lenses, and easy to adapt to Canon as well. May be worth a look.

http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/ProductDetail.aspx?groupsku=NK060000907500&brandcategoryname=35MM&Mode=&item=0&ActivateTOC2=&ID=24&BC=NK&BCC=1&CC=6&CCC=2&BCL=&GBC=&GCC=

Best of luck on your search.
Steven

Cableaddict wrote:
David,

While I really like the Oly 200 f4 (I bought one after seeing your example pics) I think it's a huge mistake to suggest it for the OP.

First, while the color is spectacular, it's not exactly super-sharp. Not a great macro candidate.

Second, with that much tube, the DOF is going to be razor-thin, and the OP likely cannot afford a rail system.

Amazing lens for the money, though. No argument from me there!
I'm glad you "made" me buy one.

Not exactly super-sharp, but sharp enough? f16 on the telescoping tube (somewhere around 90mm as near as I can tell) -





Edited by Cableaddict on Sep 06, 2008 at 10:42 PM GMT

You think that's sharp?

Cableaddict wrote:
You think that's sharp?




Cableaddict,

In this shot, because of the way she's surrounding the grasshopper, she's the size of a lime, so parts of her are distinctly oof - DOF is too shallow even at f16.

Here's a 100% center crop from the shot (the one above if FF). You decide whether it's sharp or not.