Macro lens advice?

[KerryMac]

I'm yearning for a macro lens. Any advice?
I wouldn't use it a whole lot for photographing small things close up, but rather for people.
I'm a Canon girl so could use either Canon or Tamron!

[Aino]

I am also "hungry" for a macro lens - and I have set my eyes on the Tamron 90mm. I like that it is longer than f.ex the Nikon 60mm, which is also a good lens (but then again, you are Canon - I don't "speak" Canon...) I have seen some pretty amazing shots with the Tamron.

[Jen D]

Ooooo... I would be totally interested in hearing peoples thoughts!

[iUma]

I am totally interested in knowing how you plan to use it to shoot people, Kerry? You are such a master with that camera (why I followed you to the Canon store) and I would love to know your intentions.

[KerryMac]

I have wanted a macro lens for a while now for photographing newborn's little parts (hands, feet, etc.) and for close ups of little faces. I know of a few people who use macro lenses as a portrait lens. They seem to do a lovely job.
And, it would be nice for flowers and such, too

[Aino]

Again, I have read that the 90mm is good for portraits, because you don't need to be too close to the subject..... well, it's the lens I am lusting for anyway.

[kb522]

I have that Tamron 90 mm Macro and have loved it! I recently shot this group of pictures with it: Summer Photos. It has worked very well for me. I used it for both portraits and the flower pictures in that gallery.

[KerryMac]

Thanks, Aino and Kami!
Kami, those are great pics. The detail in the flower is yummy.
I'll take a look at the 90mm.

[bluelemur01]

Kerry, I have a lovely 105 f/2.8 VR for Nikon, and I'm pretty sure that Canon has a similar lens. It really IS great for portraits -- extremely sharp with great bokeh. The only drawback is that it's somewhat slow & "seeky" during autofocus, which is common to most macros (since they were optimized for close-up manual) so it's not the best for fast action esp. in lowish light. We bought it for true macro work (my husband wanted me to take pics of some small stuff for his business) but I usually use it for portraits & "everyday" stuff when I use it now.

Don't get me wrong -- it still autofocuses fast & well! Just that it tends to seek more than my other lenses, and that took a bit of getting used to. I do love it, though!

J

[Kathie]

Can you get enough speed with a macro lens for baby parts?? In no way do I know anything about such stuff, I just know that when I went for a macro lens for that, my guru at the camera store talked me into the fast fixed 50 because of speed issues with little moving parts. I have loved it. Again, in no means anymore than a photo addict, but I have done a few body parts collages, and love the lens for this.

[bluelemur01]

Kathie, my macro is best in good strong light or tripod/manual focus. I am NOT a manual focus gal...I wear glasses and I just trust the camera to focus for me (as long as I select the focus spot.) So I like using this lens with good lighting.

For baby shots, I do love the 50mm 1/8. The 105 2.8 is also good for babies as long as you practice first and get used to the way it focuses. It's slower and more seeky than the 50mm but it's still very good...it just takes a few times shooting to get used to how it responds. Once you "know" its personality then you can get the right angles & can get the cute shots. And it's nice and sharp wide open at 2.8, and has excellent bokeh. It's a great lens!

I love that collage of baby shots you posted...that is adorable! What cute close-ups of the baby's body!

[SAHMom]

I have a cropped sensor camera and Nikon, so completely different than you, but I use my 60mm 2.8 macro for newborn work. It's super for close up (duh), but also a great portrait lens. Like Jennifer mentioned, it's slow to focus, so I'd not use it on fast moving subjects, but it works perfect for sleeping newborns. Now, for your full frame sensor, you might be more happy with the 90mm or even 105mm.

[iUma]

Just looked up the Tamron 90 Macro at Amazon and they have a great price on it and there are $60 in coupons and a free Shutterfly book. Kerry are you thinking this is a good lens?

[KerryMac]

Thanks, everyone! Patricia, I'm going to look into that one today. I'll come back by afterward.

[readstoomuch]

Kerry . . . I'm late to this thread, but I just found this comparison between the Tamron and the Canon. There are lots of photos using both lenses for comparison and prices from Adorama too. Interesting thoughts here that might help your decision. Let us know what you decide and show us the fantastic photos that you take with which ever lens you choose.

[KerryMac]

Thank you for the link to that review, Mollie.
I'm leaning toward the Tamron because of the price difference. I have a newborn shoot coming up and I'm going to rent both lenses and see what I think.
I'll come back when I've done the shoot. Little guy was born on Thursday, so it will be within a couple of weeks.

[KerryMac]

I wanted to update on this!
When I called to rent the macro lens for this weekend's newborn shoot, they were out of them! Seems that Labor Day is a big weekend for macro photography or something. I was bummed! But I'll rent one next weekend (hopefully) and get back to you gals.

[katrinak]

Kerry, did you rent this lens? Curious to hear your thoughts!

[anxela]

Oh, great post! I'm also in for a macro lens very soon. If I had the money I think I would buy the new Canon 100 mm f2.8 IS. It must be great for portraits, and it has the image stabilization to work with slower shutter speed as well.. But it's about $1000 (bhphotovideo), so it's a lot of money... :-( Better to save up and buy great lenses though, instead of buying and then upgrading... The version without IS is also popular, by the way. It's a great focal length for portraits.

I have the Sigma 50 mm, and love it, so I looked into the Sigma 105, but the auto focus was very slow (at least on the lens I tried. Could be that I tried a bad copy).

[KerryMac]

Not yet, Katrina. I'm waiting for a newborn shoot! I'm booked with kids and families, but no newbies

[Aino]

Can't wait to hear and hopefully see your results Kerry!