The best normal macro available at the time of purchase
354686
There was none available at this focal length for DX cameras when I shopping for this lens. This lens is super sharp and well built. Although not a big fan of push-pull focus ring I haven't had big problems with it. Lens hood for this lens is only for screwing on filters and not for others reasons that we typically use lens hoods for. I have not tested Nikon 40 2.8 Macro and can't speak for which one is better. But Nikon has advantage of being AF-S which can be used with non screw drive cameras.
846830
Criticisms- NO MANUAL FOCUS feature! Also not too great with picture quality when shooting in dimmer locations.

Great camera for macros! Tap the button for focusing first. The face recognition feature is great for giving you an idea of where the camera is focusing, so you can still get nice focus via zooming in and out slightly to adjust.

Extremely nice quality photos when shooting pics in bright locations. File size is around 3 megabytes on average for the highest quality.

Display is quite nice, and lasts a very reasonable amount of time before the batteries need recharging. There is a nice recharger for the batteries that comes with the camera.

For ideas of the picture quality you can get from this camera, check out this website, which contains all the photographs I've taken with this camera: [...]
4339271
I actually decided not to buy this, and bought the 35mm version instead.  It's still an Olympus, it does great macro, it costs less than half what this one costs, and it's actually more usable as a stand-by 35mm, (70mm in old speak) lens, it's not too tele-photo, whereas this lens comes out at 100mm in old speak, and it is definitely a tele-photo lens and would not be much good as a stand-by.

Now this lens has a better luminosity, f2 against f3.5, than its cheaper brother, so it'll work better in low-light conditions.  But there again it will give you less depth of field, so focussing on all a subject might be less fun than with the cheaper lens.

There you go: two fabulous Olympus lens.  One is half the price of the other, but they don't do precisely the same job.  They both have weak and strong points when directly compared.  Enjoy choosing!  (I'm a coward: I hooked each up to my E420 body, right there in the store, and let them "make" the decision for me...)
3633553
There is absolutely no wasted space in the 200+ pages here.  Covers mostly everything, and gives you an understanding of the macro concept well enough to continue developing your understanding on your own.  Since reading I have devised 2 practical macro applications in the shop I work in.  It is necessary to be familiar with the cnc process already and the codes that accompany the process, but once you are this book expands your knowledge well beyond that of your peers.  Some subjects are rather complex that relate to more advanced features of macros (communicating with external devices, PLC's and the like) but that gives you an idea of where to go after mastering the macro language.
3205316
I want to upload some pictures if I can.  It is fun to use and cheap for a beginner to play with.  I love the Macro part.  It is really like two lenses in one!
2886380
Considering how much a dedicated macro lens is, and how much light you loose with teleconverters this is a great deal.  I mostly stick with the +1 +2 for macro shots with my 50mm.

Here are some examples
+10 - US Quarter
[...]

+4 - Jacket Sleeve
[...]

+2 - Mini Dice
[...]

+1 - Flower
[...]

These are great filters for giving you that extra closeness for your subjects, and a great value. I've been using these filters for almost 6 months now and they are as good as the day I got them.
14307
I love this lens. I've had a 60mm micro since the early 70's, but just purchased the Nikon 105mm macro from Amazon because I needed to get close from further away. My older 105 portrait lenses are magnificent, so when I knew I needed to go macro at 105, I didn't hesitate. Priced right too.
If you don't mind getting close to your subject the 60mm lens is legendary.
3401389
This is a good briefing on the shortcuts available. Would have appreciated a more in depth treatment of custom macros; but overall a very good reference.
604276
Looking to increase the utility of my new Canon 40D for macro-photography - I stumbled over this lens after buying a series of walk around, kit and portrait lenses.

Another arrow in my quiver so to speak. As a "semi-professional", I shoot portraits at charity events as fund raisers and have purchased both the f/1.8 50mm and 85mm for portraits, the 28-135mm IS as a walkaround lens, and inherited the kit lens and an older USM f/4 135mm telephoto from my older Digital Rebel (300D) purchase of 3 years ago. This pretty much handles the portrait side of the house and the general photography I like to do (using the 28-135mm kit lens).

This 50mm f2.5 finally meets the needs of my macro photography hobby and makes using my light box a joy. As in Internet watch forum mod, I shoot photos of 50 watches or more a year to share with our online membership. The macro capabilities of the 28-135mm weren't getting the job done and I looked through a series of Sigma and more expensive Canons in the 100-105mm range not finding anything that gave me joy. The 50mm f/2.5 is a perfect focal length for light box use - even with the partial frame 1:1.6 sensor of my 40D and 300D cameras. Enough 'f stop' and depth of field to use my light box without additional lighting for all but my largest watches.

I have two portrait lenses that are tack sharp - a walkaround lens adequate for most opportunity photography and now a dedicated macro lens with 'enough' sharpness and depth of field to make my watch photography come alive for internet and most publishing use.

Slow focus on macro photos is very desirable - manual focus for tight shots is even more desirable to 'frame' depth of field results (if only Canon had a better LCD on the 40D)... as well as a tripod and remote shutter release completes my shooting bag for macro work.

Canon continues to sell their lenses 'stripped' - without a pouch or (not needed for macro work in this case) a lens hood.

5 of 5 stars and well worth your $250 as a macro lens only. Keep this lens to macro work only and you will never regret the purchase.
3407632
The ability to custom write your own macros is just amazing. the Quality of mouse is top notch. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a mouse the feels good in the hands and the ability to fully custom what the buttons do is a must.
4751982
I purchased the Nikon mount version of this lens, primarily for product photography in a tight space. It works really well for that, as it focuses seamlessly from infinity down to 1:1 macro magnification with no breaks, or gaps in the field of view, that you might get using a macro ring. And it doesn't make you switch to a special "macro mode" as some zoom "macro" lenses do. This lens simply allows you the freedom to shoot at literally any distance you want. It uses a somewhat old fashioned design where the lens gets longer as you focus, and it nearly doubles in length when focused down to 1:1 macro. This isn't necessary a problem but most newer macro lenses such as my current favorite, the&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Tamron-AF-90mm-f-2-8-Di-SP-AF-MF-1-1-Macro-Lens-for-Nikon-Digital-SLR-Cameras/dp/B00021EE4U/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP AF/MF 1:1 Macro Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras</a>, offer the preferred internal focus design. It also has a funky screw-on hood which is totally old school, which is kind of why I like it! It has a focus limiter which will keep the lens between 18 inches and infinity; this is quite useful to prevent the lens from hunting in the extremely long throw between 18 inches and "macro". AF is accurate but not as fast or quiet as newer designs.

This is a good focal length for product photography of medium size objects (around the classic "breadbox" size). I have a room that doubles as a product storage "warehouse" and product photography studio, and this lens allows me to photograph most products in that tight space without the frustration of running up against the minimum focus distance of standard lenses (which can be up to five feet with some zooms!).

I am using this with a "full frame" sensor D600 camera so it gives a classic 70mm field of view; on a Nikon crop sensor it would deliver an equivalent focal length of 105mm, which is also very useful for products, flowers, and even portraits. And WOW, wide open this lens is amazingly sharp, from center frame all the way into the corners. It must be well corrected for a flat, zero field curvature focus because when I snapped a photo of a wall chart it remained sharp from corner to corner. There is a bit of vignetting in the corners at f/2.8, but this disappears already at f/4. Sharpness is excellent from f/2.8 to f/8 and remains very good to f/16.

I'm really impressed with the optics, and the only reason I'm giving it four stars instead of five is that at 1:1 "true macro" magnification, the lens front is only three inches from the subject. This makes shooting skittish insects virtually impossible, and even for stationary objects it poses a very difficult lighting problem: at only three inches away, the lens casts a shadow on the subject unless you have diffuse lighting from several angles. A ring flash may work but you would probably have to reduce its output at such a close distance.

There are much better choices for dedicated macro work. I wasn't all that impressed with the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro, but I really like the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 Macro OS or the aforementioned Tamron 90mm f/2.8 VC Macro. Therefore this is a somewhat limited use lens and if you already have 70mm on a fast zoom this may be redundant for you, unless you need to get up close and personal.
1360788
I purchased these to try out after seeing someone on facebook talk about using macro filters.  For the price, they do exactly what they are supposed to do.  These are the poor man macro alternatives.  I used the 10x macro filter with my AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G lens without any problems.  I did discover that I can't autofocus when using the 10x filter.  The photographs turned out good.  These filters will hold me over until I save up enough money for the Nikon D4.  I definitely recommend anyone who wants to experiment in macro photography to check these filters out.  I will post an example of the photograph that I've taken.
4834211
Good Product, desapcho was done quickly and safely, and I received the product that I requested on time. have the product in stock so you do not have to wait long and the shipping is fast. recommended a product that serves instead of spending a lot of money in buying a macro lens, this may be ideal for macro photography beginners.
1950700
This lens has proven to be an excellent macro lens for Canon's 1.6x FOVCF DSLRS.

PROS:
Standing out amongst its features is its fantastic optical quality. 100% crops show to be clean and crisp images, and this is one of those lenses that can rival L lens optics without the premium. This lens has never failed me in color, contrast, or sharpness. A circular polarizing filter does wonders more as well.

Reasonably fast (f/2.8)

USM focusing-fast, generally accurate (see cons)

Light, compact

FTM (full time manual focusing)- note: bear in mind this does not mean if you focus manually and then half-press the shutter button while on AF, that the lens will not autofocus. It will.

Well built (metal lens mount, solid feel, etc)

CONS:

60mm often does not get me a short enough depth of field for my tastes. This is my main gripe with this lens. I see this most often photographing plants. I will step back so I can see more of the plant in my viewfinder, however, in doing this, the increase in distance to the focus point will increase my depth of field too much, even at f/2.8. So, if you can afford the&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Canon-EF-100mm-f-2-8-Macro-USM-Lens-for-Canon-SLR-Cameras/dp/B00004XOM3/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras</a>, I would recommend that. For me, I intend on keeping this lens and also purchasing an&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Canon-EF-85mm-f-1-8-USM-Medium-Telephoto-Lens-for-Canon-SLR-Cameras/dp/B00007GQLU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras</a>.

Autofocus can be quirky. Sometimes, when focusing on something small in the viewfinder, pressing the shutter button halfway will bring the focus close to, but slightly in front of the desired point. Pressing it again will throw it way off. This can sometimes also happen in very high or low light. However, this is not a common issue, and switching to MF doesn't deter me much.

No IS: be prepared to use a tripod, especially for those high-magnification shots. When shooting at 1:1 or close to it, the "1/focal length rule" does not eliminate camera shake for me, I have to break out the tripod.

At high magnification, you're in close. Like, within a few inches at 1:1.

Other note:
Vignetting is prominent wide open. Sometimes it helps, sometimes not.

Overall, this is an excellent, good-value lens. However, I would recommend the 100mm macro over this lens.
4824822
BEST. Using with ATEM ME2 switcher, just macros software, atem control software. 16 Keys can operate a medium scale live production.
2553431
I can understand why some may not like the AnyMote device and software seeing how it's not the most user friendly product around. With that stated, it does work well once you set it up. There are several things AnyMote could do to ease the pain. Provide a good example sheet and step by step directions on the creation of macros. Pictures and examples will go a long way and overall better rating.
1598669
It is a fantastic legacy macro lens that is extremely sharp, great contrast, and really nice bokeh. The 1:1 magnification is a huge plus when enlarging the images for print. If you can find this at a reasonable price, it is a must purchase, especially if you do a lot of macro photography.