EF lens for manual focus mainly

[david_altmann]

i think about buying the 100 usm macro for eos 3, 5d and 1dsmk2 so all in all

cameras with good viewfinders. i mainly focus manually when shooting people and

fashion. question, is this lens a good buy when focussing manually in the

sometimes quite dark studio ? (300w pilot lamps at 2 meters in a softbox is not

that much)

 

regards, D.

[yakim_peled1]

My biggest criticism on that lens was its AF speed but as you intend to focus manually, it is highly recommended. Another question is why to buy this specific lens (instead of e.g. 85/1.8 USM) for "shooting people and fashion".

 

 

Happy shooting,

Yakim.

[athinkle]

I also have to ask why you've chosen this particular lens for your given applications. Perhaps you would be better off with the 85 1.8 mentioned above, or the 100 f2 if you really want the 100mm focal length. These two will allow you a more shallow DOF for portraits, and will also make manual focusing even easier as their brighter max aperture will yield a brighter finder image. If you find yourself needing to do some really tight portraits you can always throw a tube onto the lens instead of using a dedicated macro. Maybe you have reasons for wanting a dedicated macro, but from what you describe I just thought I'd make some suggestions.

[david_altmann]

yeah i dont really need a macro lens at all (well sometimes i do). there are two things why i want this particular lens. first i rent it for jobs all the time, wich cost me 50? a day. so 10 more times renting it and it could even be mine. this sounds like a no brainer.

sadly on jobs i have never had time to care about smoothness of focussing...

 

second i mainly shoot verticals, and when using a tripod with the mark2 this is just arkward. so i think about buying the tripod collar.

 

and: i dont have any highend lenses (well highend and 35mm was an oxymoron back in the days :-)), so this would be my standard lens.

 

 

thanks for the suggestions !

D.

[gluteal cleft]

<p>Buy the 85mm f/1.2. With it's insanely shallow DOF, not only will the viewfinder be nice and bright, you'll know for certain where your focal plane is! ("Oh, wait. I'm focused <b>between</b> her eyes, not <b>on</b> an eye.")</p>

 

<P>(That comment was almost entirely tongue-in-cheek.)</p>

[peter_white2]

You'll find manual focusing easier at f:1.8 than at f:2.8, though f:2.8 isn't a problem in most light. The 85mm f:1.8 is a fine optic, and the manual focusing is smooth.

 

As for the vertical format issue, I'd strongly recommend getting yourself an RRS L bracket and an Arca Swiss style clamp for your tripod. It makes switching from landscape to portrait very quick, easy and, best of all, secure.

 

Go to http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/

[johnson_d.]

I have no trouble manual focusing my 100mm macro in a wide variety of lighting conditions even with a camera that has a supposedly poor viewfinder (20D).

[yakim_peled1]

Peter makes a valid point. For MF work I'd much rather have a brighter viewfinder of a f/1.8 lens.

 

Happy shooting,

Yakim.