For live insect photography, should I choose the Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro with a Raynox DCR-250 or the Canon MP-E 65mm?
Asked 11/29/2019
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I’m trying to choose between a Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro used with a Raynox DCR-250 close-up lens, or the Canon MP-E 65mm for insect photography. I’ll mainly be shooting live insects with flash and a soft diffuser, usually handheld rather than with a tripod or focusing rail. I can keep fairly steady, but not perfectly still.
Which setup is more practical for this kind of shooting, and what are the main trade-offs in working distance, depth of field, ease of use, and versatility?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
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I own the Canon 100mmf/2.8L macro, and I bought the 65mm MP-E, but sent it back after a couple of weeks. I love my 100mm macro, but personally, I found the MP-E was too difficult for practical use:
there is no focus ring... you focus by moving the camera. This means a tripod and a focusing rail at a minimum. More gear than I was willing to carry for what I was interested in at the time.
depth of field is paper thin... this means focus stacking for virtually anything with any depth at all.
focus stacking means a
carefullythought out sequence of images, plus more equipment: image stacking software & focus rail at a minimum. The fine adjustments required on the (mostly) poorly-designed manual focus rails is tedious and error prone for a lot of shots (hundreds might be required for an insect). An automated stepper would help with the tedium, but still requires thought, setup and greater expense.how are you to keep those insects still during all of this set up and exposures?
OTOH, you can get some pretty good closeups withe the 100mm macro. I pair mine with a 5DS-R, and that gives me scope for cropping if necessary. I don't mean to imply that focus stacking is unnecessary w/ the 100mm macro, but two things counteract to mitigate the chore:
depth of field is (usually) greater, so fewer exposures required
100mm macro has
autofocus, which means it can be driven/controlled in an easier fashion. I particularly like the Helicon FB Tube as it is small, light and Helicon's aux software (runs on phone or tablet) helps with automating the shot sequence (Disclaimer: I've not tried this myself, but have seen a friend's results).
Anyway... there are some shots where you just need the MP-E's magnification. If you do, that makes it an easy choice. If you can get your shots with the 100 mm, I believe you're better off with that setup.
Originally by user76056. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user76056
6y ago
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For handheld photos of live insects, the 100mm f/2.8L Macro with a Raynox is likely the more practical choice.
Based on the answers, the MP-E 65mm is a very specialized extreme-macro lens. Its working distance is very short, depth of field is extremely thin, and focusing is done by moving the camera rather than turning a normal focus ring. That makes it difficult for active subjects and often pushes you toward rails, tripod use, or focus stacking.
The 100mm macro is much more versatile and easier to use, especially handheld. A Raynox-style close-up lens can give you more magnification while still keeping a longer working distance than the MP-E, which is helpful for insects that won’t tolerate a lens being very close.
If your subjects are live, moving, and you plan to use flash with a diffuser while handholding, the 100mm setup is the safer and more flexible option. The MP-E 65mm makes more sense if you specifically want extreme magnification and are willing to accept a steeper learning curve, very shallow DOF, and a less forgiving shooting process.
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