Tamron 90mm macro???

[Michael G. Spille]

I'm in need of a good macro lense for my Canon dslr.
Ihave narrowed it down to the Tamron 90mm ,and the canon 100mm macros.
I've read all the opinions/reviews that I can find on other forums..just wanted to get your opinions/recommendations...this will be my first attempt at macro photography
Thanks,
Mike

[John Sheehy]

I'm in need of a good macro lense for my Canon dslr.
Ihave narrowed it down to the Tamron 90mm ,and the canon 100mm macros.
I've read all the opinions/reviews that I can find on other forums..just wanted to get your opinions/recommendations...this will be my first attempt at macro photography


You can't go wrong with the 90mm f/2.8 Di XR. It's sharp enough to use with stacked teleconverters, has great bokeh, and maintains its focal length at 1:1 magnification, maintaining a long working distance (many macro lenses drop in focal length as you approach 1:1).

The Canon auto-focuses a little better. I use the Tamron, and its manual focus is smooth and free of any play.

[Asher Kelman]

I have heard that Tamron makes EF lenses for Canon. In any case, I have found that almost all 50mm- 90mm lenses are excellent. It seems like these focal lengths are easy to make well!

Asher

[Diane Fields]

I have had the Tamron 90 macro for a number of years. Though I have done little macro shooting, this may be the year. Its a very good lens---and I should only be held back by my own technique LOL. I have never shot with the CAnon 100 but all macros, as I understand it, are better for using MF and taking one's time.

Diane

[Michael G. Spille]

Well,to be honest ...there is a $90.00 rebate from Tamron on this lens ending 4/30/07...that may have had something to do with it??
Thanks all for your replys /help,
Mike

[Michael G. Spille]

Just wanted to post some results of the new tamron lens.....Comments & criticism are welcome .

http://images22.fotki.com/v814/photos/1/1133423/4838723/IMG_3166copy-vi.jpg

http://images23.fotki.com/v765/photos/1/1133423/4838723/IMG_3186copy-vi.jpg

http://images21.fotki.com/v759/photos/1/1133423/4838723/IMG_3194copy-vi.jpg
Another Question:
Is it better to use the manual or the auto focus feature on a macro lens??
Seems on this Tamron,the auto focus was a little slow???

Thanks ,
Mike

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Your images look fine at this size, but I'm confident they allow larger output as well. The Tamron is often mentioned as being a very sharp lens.

Another Question:
Is it better to use the manual or the auto focus feature on a macro lens??
Seems on this Tamron,the auto focus was a little slow???

It depends, as usual. First of all, many macro lenses are more about presetting a magnification factor (due to the size of the subject) than focus setting, especially when shooting at 1:1 or larger.
For critical focus, and narrow Depth of Field is a given, it is often preferable to set the focus mechanism to manual, and slowely move the camera or subject forward/backward to achieve focus where you want it.

There is an exception where I do like to use auto focus, namely with handheld shooting in the field to reduce movement by the wind and with following of flying insects or moving insects at relatively high magnification. This does require a fast AF to be successful, which my EF 100mm f/2.8 offers.
If the Tamron's AF is slower, then those subjects that could benefit will not be the most obvious choice.

There are things that can be done to reduce wind movement, but it requires rigging the stems to the ground or camera, or setting up windscreens.

Ultimately the highest quality can be achieved in a studio setup, but that is not always possible/practical. The studio approach does allow to make stunning shots (http://www.photo.net/photos/siwanowicz), but I prefer subjects in their natural (looking) environment (http://www.genesdigest.com/macro/).

Bart

[Steve Saunders]

The Tamron 90 macros are super lenses. Also consider the Sigma 105 macro, it's probably as sharp and has better contrast IMHO.

[Michael G. Spille]

Bart..thanks for your reply & advise.
I took a look at your images ..they are outstanding,very nice work...
Most of my efforts at this point will be flowers.trying to capture as much detail as I can,I think this lens will be ok?

Steve,Idid look at the sigma lens,and it was a toss up between the two,the reviews on both lenses seemed to be about equal....the only issue might be???? the slow focusing?,so I'll probably take Bart's advise and use the manual focus feature- after I downloaded some images ,I was shocked at the sharpness,this lens rivals my canon L lenses.I took a portrait of my better half ,and when I showed it to her,her comment was"it's too sharp"

Any further advise would be appreciated....TNX,
Mike

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

I took a look at your images ..they are outstanding,very nice work...

Just to make sure, they aren't mine, but they are representative illustrations of the differences I tried to get across.

Most of my efforts at this point will be flowers.trying to capture as much detail as I can,I think this lens will be ok?

Yes, I see no issues with your choice, as long as you can control/reduce subject movement.

Bart

[outiv te]

I have this lens and it is my favorite! You won't regret it, it is a great lens and comparable to anything else out there. All the macros on my site use the tamron 90mm. here is a lint to the flowes and plants macros, though, I wasn't really shooting for detail, it certainly is a capable lens.
http://www.eyeforphotos.com/gallery_macro_pl.htm

[Michael G. Spille]

Outiv Te,Outstanding images ...you have a great eye.I especially like #18,19,23,32.-Thanks for showing them.
Question: Are you manually focusing this lens? or do you use autofocus? Seems my copy hunts for the proper focus????
Mike

[janet Smith]

Hi Mike

I just got the Canon 100 macro lens on Tuesday this week, I'm loving it, although it's rather heavy, I definately need it to be on a tripod. Focusing is very precise, background blur is lovely, solves a lot of background problems. Early results can be seen on my webite www.jansmithphotography.co.uk if you'd like a look. Let me know what you think.

Have a nice day.

[outiv te]

Michael, I always use autofocus, really the only way to shoot macros because focus needs to be so precise. This is not specific to this lens, it is the general case with all macro photography. Hunting will occur unless you have it on a tripod and your subject is dead still.

Janet, nice gallery! that's a lot of photos you have there already, must've been a busy week. Some of your flower shots are superb!

[Michael G. Spille]

Janet-.I looked at your images ,they are beautiful,I especially like the Loch Quoich-Glen Garry shots.Congradulations on your new lens..please post some more macro/close-ups when you can..hopefully I will learn something? I'm new to close-up/macro.

Outiv-thanks for your reply....seems I am getting reliant on the auto focus feature{my eyes aren't what they used to be}...I've read that some photographers prefer using manual focus when doing close-ups,but I guess it depends on the situation?
Here are a few shots,they were taken with a 70-200 F4/L lens...Iknow ..not macro,but wanted to show them for your inputhttp://public.fotki.com/mike397x/flowers--fauna/

Mike

[outiv te]

Hi Michael, great photos, the ones of lilies are especially nice!
It is largely due to preference but there are certain times when auto-focus should not be used. Moving subects for example is one of them. Since you are largely taking photos of flowers, with relatively long lens and not at a macro level, auto-focus would work fine in this case. The depth of field is large enough to not need very precise focusing.

For macro shots, you will notice that focus needs to be spot on, unless you are using very small apertures, the depth of field is so narrow that auto-focus will only do for dead still subjects. If your flower is blowing in the wind, auto-focus will hunt and miss. With manual focus, even if the flower is blowing about, you can simply set your focus and press the shutter when the flower sways into focus. Fire a burst of shots and one of them is bound to be good.

I describe this in my macro photography guide (http://eyeforphotos.com/?page_id=6), I have rarely used auto-focus for macros, but it does need very good eyesight.