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Macro beginner

Started May 25, 2019 | Questions thread
John K Veteran Member • Posts: 9,870
Depends on the light source

For natural light the longer the focal length the better, 150mm or more. For flash you want to be in the 60mm range (need to get the flash close to the subject to get good diffusion and to keep the flash duration to a minimum -easier to freeze motion). I can't recommend lenses in the 100mm range cause they're a jack of all trades but a master of none. Too much working distance for flash, and not enough for natural light. There is no such thing as a "bug lens". I take all of my 1x and higher images with either Canon's MP-E 65mm or an EF-S 60mm + extension tubes.

Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (3x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT with a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe on the "A" head (the key), E-TTL metering, +1/3 FEC, second curtain sync). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held.

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Also known as Dalantech
My Book: http://nocroppingzone.blogspot.com/2010/01/extreme-macro-art-of-patience.html
My Blog: http://www.extrememacro.com
My gallery: http://www.johnkimbler.com
Macro Tutorials: http://dalantech.deviantart.com/gallery/4122501/Tutorials
Always minimal post processing and no cropping -unless you count the viewfinder...

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