On 14/5/06, Tom Reese, discombobulated, unleashed: >I guess my biggest concerns are how much working distance I'd have at >various magnifications and how dark the viewfinder gets at high >magnifications.
Hi Tom ;-) Yes it does get very dark, especially as you get closer to that magical 5:1 mag. The Canon ring flash has a couple of built in modelling lights and they work surprisingly well. I use it handheld with a ring flash no problem, although working distance is an issue. If you're hankering after skittish subjects, they won't like this mothership hovering right over them. The lens basically has no effetcive focussing system other than moving it closer to or further from the subject. The lens barrel elongates with magnification so at 5X it's a whopper. I use the lens only in the field with no tripod, so I tend to brace it using my fingers sandwiched between the edge of the ring flash and a static object. Sometimes this is not possible, but to be honest, in manual with 1/250th and minimum aperture, it's not a problem. The ring flash is arguably not as good as the other 2-head macro flash (I forget the model numbers) but it works and works well. I cut one tube down low for a bit of fill, keeping the other tube up at full power. Examples: <http://www.cottysnaps.com/snaps/nature/images/pic20.html> <http://www.cottysnaps.com/snaps/nature/images/pic22.html> I would imagine that this lens on a rig in a studio shooting microbes all day would be about right, but that's far too mundane for me. I like prowling about in the bushes - much more fun :-) As a lens - if you're into macro in a big way and shoot Canon, there's no excuse. You must have one. I'm not but one came along at the right price and I had some cash burning a hole in my pocket. I don't use it nearly enough but when I recently had a clearout of unused gear, I knew I couldn't sell the MP-E 65mm - it's just too much fun. HTH Cheers, Cotty ___/\__ || (O) | People, Places, Pastiche ||=====| http://www.cottysnaps.com _____________________________ * **** ******* *********************************************************** * For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see: * http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm ***********************************************************
