jcolwell
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Yakim, sorry I didn't reply sooner. I find it easy to characterise performance and discuss trade-offs, and I make decisions for myself fairly quickly, but it's not so easy to make a specific recommendation for somebody else who is equally or more knowledgable in photography. So, I wanted to think about it for a bit before replying. As you well know, your requirements for handheld macro shooting with high DOF and no flash are demanding and perhaps not mutually supportive, but they're valid nonetheless. I'll make two specific recommendations, based on what you said in your most recent posting.
First, if you want a really light macro solution for everyday walkabouts, then consider getting a Canon 500D close-up auxiliary lens, it's a two-element achromatic closeup filter that provides very good IQ within its working range. I have one with me most of the time. It doesn't provide great working distance and it doesn't provide a wide range of macro magnifications, but it does let you get shots that you couldn't otherwise. I have a 77mm 500D for use with my 70-200/2.8L IS. I haven't tried it with my 135/2L (with 72mm filter thread), but I'll give it a shot this weekend and post what I think about it.
Second, for true macro I suggest you make your choice between the TS-E 90/2.8 with tubes and a Mirex M645 to M42 adapter with Mamiya M645 macro lens. As I see it, the advantage for the TS-E 90 is that it allows you to have the tilt and shift axes parallel or orthogonal (changing the axes requires benchwork), while the Mirex tilt and shift axes are fixed and parallel. So you can configure the TS-E 90 for tilt down and shift up (axes orthogonal), but you can't do this for the Mirex - if it tilts down, then it shifts to the side (parallel axes). As I said earlier, this isn't a problem for me, as I usually use shift with wide angle lenses for perspective control, and tilt with normal and longer lenses for plane of focus control. The Mirex has many advantages: more shift (with less vignetting at large shifts); more tilt; and, the ability to use any of the Mamiya M645 series of lenses. For your current purposes, the main contenders are the C 80/4 N Macro and A 120/4 Macro M (APO) - I say "N" because that's what I use, but the "plain C" is probably exactly the same. The 80/4 goes to 1:2 on its own, and 1:1 with a dedicated "macro spacer" (i.e. tube). The 120/4 goes 1:1 on its own and it has a longer working distance. The 80/4 is smaller and lighter, and has some dedicated accessories like a reversing ring that let you take it to high magnification, especially on the Auto-Bellows N.
If you subscribe to the principle, as I do, that the best solution for taking macro photos is a macro lens, then the choice becomes a little more clear. If you want to emphasise longer working distance and handheld shooting (which isn't good for high magnification work), then the Mamiya A 120/4 Macro M is probably the solution. Also, you'll find it difficult to mount the TS-E 90/2.8 on a Nikon body, but anything you buy for a Mirex M645 to M42 adapter will work on both Canon and Nikon bodies (plus a few others).
I hope this is helpful. Good luck, Jim.
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