Cynthia Shaffer: May 2016

Ok ... enough said, I LOVE my macro lens!

So here's the thing about a macro lens ... your lens can be really close to your subject when you shoot. So all lenses have a minimum distance that you have to have between the lens and the subject before it will focus and macro lenses do too it's just that that distance is like super close ... like 8 inches or less!

This lens that I own is a Canon 100mm f/2.8. This lens can be used just like any other lens, it's just that it's a fixed lens so you have to walk your body in to zoom in. It makes a good portrait lens as well although I prefer the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens so that I can have some distance from the person I'm shooting and it also provides a range focal lengths with the zoom factor.

Yes, these are socks that I'm knitting!

Here are a few links to the Canon 100mm Macro lens.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens ... this one has IS or image stabilizing ... which I highly recommend!

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Fixed Lens ... This one does not have IS or image stabilizing which means you can practically see your pulse when you look throught he viewfinder. This lens works great in a studio situation where there isn't a breeze and you can use a tripod!

Art by Jen Osborn @themessynest

I love the shallow depth of field that you can see so clearly here ... This was shot at ISO 400 f/2.8 1/400 sec.

Happy Shooting and Happy Macro LOVE!

Over in my online photograhy class, Photography 101: Through The Artisit's Eye, there is a lot of talk about the 50mm lens so I thought I would just take a minute to chat a bit about it!

ISO 100, f/1.2 1/800 sec

Lenses are a personal thing ... Some feel really good on your camera and in your hands and others feel disjointed and awkward. Some photographers shoot with only prime or fixed lenses, like the 50mm lens (SO no zooming going on, you have to walk in or out to zoom in or out) and others prefer to shoot with zoom lenses, like the Canon 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens (one of my personal favorite go-to lenses).

ISO 100 f/1.8 1/400 Sec

Many people say that the 50mm lens is sort of what your eye sees when you look through the viewfinder but it really depends on what camera you are using. My Canon 7D has a cropped sensor so the 50mm is really like a 75mm which is pretty close to what your eye sees. On my Canon 5D3, which is a full frame camera, the 50mm is a true 50mm, but then to me it doesn't feel like what my eye sees, the subject looks smaller than what my eye sees.

The other thing about these 50mm lenses is that, as you can see, they have wide open apertures which means you can get that super super shallow depth of field. Lenses that have wide open apertures are also called 'low light' lenses because you can open up the aperture and then use them in situations where is only a little bit of light, hence allowing you to shoot without increasing your ISO, hence avoiding grainy photos!

ISO 100 f/1.4 1/800 Sec

The 50mm lens that I use is the f/1.2 but I have to tell you I rarely ever shoot at f/1.2 ... the depth of field is sooo shallow that sometimes it looks like there isn't anything in focus! As you can see from the above photos ... that shallow deoth of field is amazing.

Check out the photos below ... there is almost no change in the overall look of the photos as I change from f/1.2 to f/1.8 but you may notice that as the aperture gets smaller, or is stopped down, the shutter speed slows down also to allow more light to come in through the lens.

ISO 100 f/1.2 1/800

ISO 100 f/1.4 1/640

ISO 100 f/1.8 1/400

Here are some links to the 50mm lenses that I recommend. Since I shoot canon cameras I can really only suggest canon lenses but I'm pretty sure that all the other camera companies make really good 50mm lens as well. Make sure that these lenses will fit your particular camera model ... they might have different fittings and all.

Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 STM Lens

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens

Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens

Probably the most popluar is the f/1.4 ... I think you really get a better lens for just a little bit more money!