Macro lens

[JamesC]

Hi folks,

For close up shots I use a Canon 24-70 2.8L which has macro capability but I'm a bit disappointed with the results. There is some distortion and chromatic abberation especially at the edges. Is a dedicated macro lens worth buying - I mean are these faults corrected in such a lens or is the difference negligable. If anyone here has used such a lens is it sharp and fault free right across the field of view?

[Pete W]

James, I have the EF100 f2.8 macro and it is a superb lens. Sharp across the whole image.

[Syman]

Depends on how close you want to get, but if you want the ultimate quality then a prime lens has to be the way to go. The Canon MPE-65 does 1-5x lifesize. Its not cheap and it only does macro but it's the next lens on my list

[mxbuck]

Hi folks,

For close up shots I use a Canon 24-70 2.8L which has macro capability but I'm a bit disappointed with the results. There is some distortion and chromatic abberation especially at the edges. Is a dedicated macro lens worth buying - I mean are these faults corrected in such a lens or is the difference negligable. If anyone here has used such a lens is it sharp and fault free right across the field of view?

  Until you get a finer lens, perhaps play around with the Adobe CS2 lens correction tool:  Filter/Distort/Lens Correction.

  It has a sliders for chromatic aberration. I don't know about barrel distortion -perhaps.
  Caution: it puts out a file with layers.

Tell us if you have success with it. 

[JamesC]

Cheers guys, the 24-70 is a great lens but I suppose it can't excel at everything. I'll keep an eye on ebay for a prime .
Only have PS Elements Max but it does have the distortion filter - no chroma filter though. I've used the replace colour tool to pick out the fringing and desaturate it but wish I didn't have to go through this process every time.

[JamesC]

Got a barely used Sigma 50mm 2.8 DG Macro very reasonably off ebay and I'm very impressed. Reviews were favourable so I bid on it and got it. It's a world away from using the macro end of a zoom. Don't see any distortion or chromatic aberration. Guess you guys were right - prime lens is the way to go.

[mxbuck]

I've got a similar problem cropping up with the wide angle range of my zoom lens. Rather than discuss it here, I'll open up a new thread "Chromatic aberration in wide angle zooms".

[hardingbr]

If you own a Canon camera and want to see what customers think about their lenses and get an idea about how much a particular lens will set you back check out http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/reviews/best_canon_eos_lenses.html.  I have read Bob's reviews and followed his advice and he hasn't let me down yet. 

[JamesC]

If you own a Canon camera and want to see what customers think about their lenses and get an idea about how much a particular lens will set you back check out http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/reviews/best_canon_eos_lenses.html.  I have read Bob's reviews and followed his advice and he hasn't let me down yet. 

Check this out too:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/