Archive for August, 2010

Canon Macro Lenses vs. Extension Tubes.

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

Last year, when I was in Japan photographing cherry blossoms, I used a wide-angle lens and extension tubes for taking macro photos. This was because I had left my specialized macro lens at home. But the whole time I was there, I wondered: “would I get a better photo had I packed the macro lens?”

Finally, I decided to find out. Hence, this Canon Macro Photography Lens Shoot Out, featuring the following contenders:

  • A bunch of extension tubes,
  • a Canon 16-35 mm f/2.8 wide angle lens,
  • a Canon 50 mm f/1.8 normal lens, and
  • a Canon 180 mm f/3.5 macro lens.

All photos were taken with a Canon 5D Mark 2, at ISO 100, unless otherwise specified. The camera was set to RAW mode. All photos were lit by indoor light, except for the ones taken with the 180 mm lens, which were lit via a Canon Ring Flash. The short subject-to-lens distances when using extension tubes with normal lenses made it impossible to use a ring flash.

And yes, I know the lighting means it’s an apples to alligators comparison; fortunately, there’s a part two further down.

Very image heavy past the more…

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