Cannon ae-1p and a micro lense to fit it...

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I have a cannon ae-1p and I want to shoot insects and other small micro scaled objects. I want to know what kind of micro lense is compatable with my camera?

-- Thomas Huber (thumperbunny5@hotmail.com), February 09, 2002

Answers

Thomas,

There are several options here. Canon made 3 macro lenses: 50mm, 100mm, and 200mm. The 50mm is fairly easy to get, but the two other are harder, and quite expencive. In addition to that there is also a 20mm and a 35mm bellows lens. You can read more about them at http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/canon/fdresources/fdlenses/fdmacro/50macro.htm

Ketil

-- Ketil Johansen (ketiljo@stud.ntnu.no), February 09, 2002.


You may want to consider Tamron 90 Macro - I like it a lot.

-- Srini Venigalla (vu2syy@yahoo.com), February 10, 2002.

My advice to you is the same I'd give to anyone comtemplating equipment purchases for close-up, macro-, or microphotography: Read John Shaw's "Closeups in Nature."

The book is *the* bible for such matters. In your case, it will probably save you hours of confusion and perhaps hundreds of dollars in misguided shopping. It's primary strength in your case is how well it lays out the best equipment options for different magnification ranges. If you understand the distictions between teleconverters, close-up/supplementary dioptre lenses, extension tubes, bellows, reversed lenses, and stacked lenses (among other options) and you understand their benefits, drawbacks, and how best to apply each one for the situation at hand, you will be miles ahead of the game.

Re your specific query, if you use tripods as much as you ought, consider avoiding duplicates of your existing focal lengths when buying a macro lens. If you already own a 50mm lens, you might not want to bother with a 50mm macro. They're compact but have short working distances. In the book, Shaw's usual macro is his 100mm.

I say, if you are going for a longer-length macro lens, consider the New FD 200/4 Macro, with its ability to reach 1:1 without adding more gizmos. (The 50 and the 100 need tubes.) It may just be the favourite lens I own. It's a joy. The 200 macro ain't small, but it fits my collection of focal lengths so well I find I almost never pull out my 200/2.8 -- except when stacking, but that's another story.

-- Robert Segal (robertsegal@juno.com), February 10, 2002.


Go for a vivitar macro-doubler, and add your own enlarger lens. I have both, but have not tried it. The 200/4 macro is out of reach for my wallet, so i could use a 135/5,6 modern enlarger lens for flat subjects. Any good enlarger lens will do, but you need a focusing "thing". Try out cardboard tubes, add som round, black light- stopping rings inside, and you will have unlimited enlargment (do not trust me- try this yourself).

I would also try out the effect of angling the lens. Any medium format enlarger lens made after the war might be good enogh, even at infinity. Point your camera at a flat surface, hold almost any lens in your hand, and turn your lens downward until the subject is all in focus. Try this at different distances.

I have used my 135/2 with good luck. The 85/1,8 gave little contrast for any use until I got myself a original Canon 50 tube. So the tube can make more difference than the lens.

The bellows-lenses have a microscope ?-screw-attachment. Any lens with such screwing can be fitted.

Any lens is compatable with your camera, you just have to clamp it on somehowe.

The book is sound good, but not if you don't try for yourself.

-- Øyvind Dahle (odahle@start.no), February 28, 2002.


I have a "Panagor" fd mount 100mm micro lense which focus to 1:1 ratio. It is very nice to use and it took me several years to find one for myself.

-- Byron Alton (derkuh@mindspring.com), April 08, 2002.


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