Best lens for macro?

[ema002]

I'm planning to purchase a macro lens sometime in the near future. The dilemma I'm facing is that I currently have a Canon 20D (crop-sensor camera). My question is: Should I buy a lens specifically made for these types of cameras? Or should I buy a full-frame lens? I have no idea if later I will upgrade to a full-frame body or not. I know that it is okay to have a "normal" lens on a crop-sensor camera, but if I bought a lens for a crop-sensor camera, could I put it on the full-frame body later?

Also, I've been reading some of the benefits/disadvantages of either type of camera, and I'm not sure if what I have is good for what I want to do or not. I'm just starting to get into food photography, but also love macro photos - so most of my subjects will be up-close. Are there any benefits to having a full-frame body for this type of photography?

Any thoughts and suggestions are helpful, thanks in advance!

[statichash]

Hi Ema,

Welcome to DPS!

To answer your question the EF-S lenses cannot be used with full frame SLR's. Here's a good reference that I've seen posted here in another thread (I just can't seem to find the thread), but check this out, it can really answer a lot of your questions.

Canon EOS Beginners' FAQ III Lenses

Cheers!

[inkista]

Crop bodies aren't going anywhere, and if you buy an EF-S lens, particularly a good one, chances are good that you can alway sell it and recoup most of what you paid for it if you do ever upgrade to full-frame. The only question really is how soon do you plan to upgrade? Is it worth the $150-$200 loss to have had a macro lens for however many years it is before you make the jump?

The main decision to be made between the EF-S 60 Macro and the EF 100 macros are what kind of working distance do you want?

I have the EF-S 60mm Macro, and it's terrific as a table-top or flower macro lens, but you do have to be right on top of your subject. Its working distance is much too close for things that fly, hop, or crawl. If you plan on doing bug shots, an EF 100 macro would be a better tool for you, anyway.

I will add, however, that I own three L lenses, and my EF-S 60 Macro beats them all on per-pixel sharpness.

[aprillove20]

Anyway, If you plan on doing bug shots, an EF 100 macro would be a better tool for you.

[daft_biker]

Originally Posted by ema002

Are there any benefits to having a full-frame body for this type of photography?

Even shallower DoF and greater cropability (is that a word?). I shoot little else but macro and chose to use crop bodies for their higher pixel densities. Getting shallow DoF isn't likely to be much of a problem but the ability to use lower magnifications to fill the frame with a subject and get greater DoF on a crop body is, for me, very useful.

FWIW I don't have any EF-S lenses but that's because I got most of my lenses ages ago when I was using film.

Going for a longer lens might make insect shots a bit easier but it could significantly increase the space requirements for table top setups if your subjects (food?) are more than a few inches long. Even a 50mm on a crop body is quite long if you plan on photographing a whole dinner plate or something....you'll need to be a fair distance away to fit it all in.