Thanks very much everyone for posting a reply to my initial request - very useful indeed. After quite some thought, I've decided to invest in the MEF 65mm lens and the Twin Lite MT-24EX, trusting that up to 5x magnification will meet my needs (incidentally, this is to photograph the smallest species of moss, which grow to about 1 mm in height). Must start saving the pennies now. Cheers, Des
For a begginer you might want to get some extension tubes for a 250/500 D close up lens. Just to see if you might like macro.
But be careful! I you get bitten by the "bug" like I did, you will be trying to find space in your bag for the MT-24EX and MP-E 65 you just spent a fortune on! hehe.
Very nice macro setup. I want to get an mpe65 but that is a lot of bug. I like my Canon 100mm Macro very much but I can get the jaws like you do with the 65. If you want a 10x, get a microscope mount.
Sorry folks, just following a stat link to this thread, so I'm just being nosey
Canon made proper macrophoto lenses awhile back that reached 20:1 on a bellows. They had a 20mm and a 30mm. Superb optics with an aperture lever built in. 5X is not really that high a ratio. Problem comes in when we go higher with need to stop right down for max DOF. Once we get past 5 - 8x optics can go crazy with standard optics and extensions. Especially with CCD's IMHO. Macro is about wanting to see what our eyes can't. To many, thats the driving force. While closeups give us an often beautiful view, some want to see the details below that again. Just off the top of my head anyway
A few samples that will be changed as better samples and optics come along. Nothing great but its an interest in the optics that fascinates me.
