Erik DeBill said:
Thank you. That's exactly what I needed.
You are welcome.
)
Erik DeBill said:
Looks like I won't be able to get serious macro capability, but I can come close
A +10 dioptric correct lens is inexpensive and should get you close without loss of light. Albeit, infinity focus will be long gone. Take a look at B&H if you are stateside.
Erik DeBill said:
1:1 usually requires too much light for hiking anyway
A 550 EX plus batteries weighs little and is powerful enough to provide decent light with the EF 100/2.8 USM Macro lens at 1:1. Truth be told, I find daylight a bit dim on a bright day to get decent DoF on a bright clear day. Most of my macro work is using the 550 EX with a Lumiquest Softbox (4x8 in softbox) with daylight fill. The Lumiquest softbox is not vital, but it does soften specular highlights on wings and other specular insect surfaces yielding better detail. Add in that the 100/2.8 Macro is my "normal" lens and I am used to hauling a lot of mass in my hands for shooting when the flash is added (especially with my lightweight XT/350D). Nonetheless, the 550 EX plus batteries weighs far less than my tripod. And as a "normal" lens (not normal focal length, just my normal non-portrait lens) the 100/2.8 is fantastic as it is sharp wide open unlike the 50/1.4. Albeit, these two lenses mixed with the dim XT viewfinder have left me with a taste for fast glass.
Erik DeBill said:
The second link with the ability to do calculations helped me understand the relationships involved much more than just looking at the charts (that didn't have 2/3 of the lenses I'd have with me anyway).
The charts work well for me, but my only lens I want extension tubes for is the 100/2.8 and that is for getting to 2:1 for extreme macro work. Though the 50/1.4 might be fun up close with its razor thin DoF.
Nonetheless, I highly recommend the 100/2.8 USM Macro. The images are sharp and focus is mostly fast except the occasion hunting in low contrast scenes. I would expect the 5D to have better autofocus making that less of an issue. But even with the XT's tiny dim viewfinder an f/2.8 lens is enough for manual focus and that means a body upgrade's cost can buy a new lens.
enjoy,
Sean