DSLR lens question

[Mumpo]

Yeah I could post this on a dedicated photography forum, but I trust in OTF

Among other the responsibilities I've inherited in my latest job has been taking photographs for our department. Previously I'd only ever used a camera to take holiday snaps, so I was sent on a couple of photography crash courses and now comprehend at least the basics of shutter speed, aperture etc.

The department has a Canon EOS 5D mark III with a 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens which I've found has been great for shooting buildings, and taking team photos and portrait shots. However now I've been asked to take some close-up, detailed pictures of small engineering equipment parts and I suspect I need a different lens for better results.

What would be the best lens to get? Not sure how much the department will stump up for it, so I can't give a price bracket.

[Levin]

DSLR lens question

I assume that your subjects won't be moving about much? So you'll probably be ok getting a third party macro lens. I'm a Nikon user so I'll have to have a look to see what's on the market at the moment.

Edit: Though if they stumped up for a f2.8 lens then the budget probably isn't going to be an issue.

[Mumpo]

DSLR lens question

Cool, cheers. Mostly the subjects will be small mechanical/technical parts, maybe 10-50mm across and quite detailed. I also sometimes need to take close-ups of the various bits of technical equipment we've got around campus.

[Amor de Cosmos]

DSLR lens question

That requirement means you'll need a macro/micro lens of some kind.

I'm a Nikon user too, they make a 40mm micro lens which converts from close-up to standard with the flick of a button. It's wonderfully versatile, I use it as my go-to walking-around lens these days. I've no idea whether Canon do something similar but it's certainly possible. (I can find out when I get home at the end of the month.)

[caja-dglh]

DSLR lens question

The good news being on Canon is that 3rd party lenses are a lot more freely available and reasonably priced.

Obviously the flipside to that is some of them are shit.

B&H photo or Adorama (probably still a reasonably distant second) are probably the best places for trusted reviews when looking at lenses.

[Mumpo]

DSLR lens question

Belated thanks for the advice (I'm on a post-Christmas thread catch-up across multiple message boards). I'll investigate these options further.

[Levin]

DSLR lens question

A couple of things to look out for.

Check the minimum focus distance (you want something small so you can get your camera close to the subject, as an example I have a 70-200mm lens with a minimum of 1.4m but most decent macro lenses will have about 30cm).

Second check the magnification ratio, you want 1:1 as a minimum. That means that an object 1cm long in real life will take up 1cm of your sensor. One lens that has popped up a lot while I was looking at Canon stuff is the MP-E65. It has a frankly ridiculous 5:1 magnification ratio. It's a prime lens so you'll have to be able to move your camera around your subject and it's about £1000 but it looks like a beautiful bit of kit.

Also, consider budgeting for a macro flash, if you're taking pictures in situ to avoid your camera casting shadows.