Dave is one of my team mates, a very good photographer who knows the technical side to the perfection. The outstanding photos he had taken using a film camera a few years back in the UK are a clear witness. Some splendid stuff! The Brisbane photography forum guys confirmed my choice/what Dave suggested was indeed the best. :-)
The 100mm f/2.8 L IS USM is a great lens, I bought Canon MT-24EX twin macro flash to assist its lighting requirements. The 1:1 magnification disappoints you if you want to take something beyond macro "snap shots". Perhaps, a few extension tubes would be a better remedy. Macro lenses require a _massive_ amount of light compared to conventional lenses. So a macro flash is a mandatory component. I love this L series 100mm macro lens and what it offers, I bought it with having the thought of using it as a prime lens for portraits. I truly want to take macro "photos", not the "snap shots". Later is utter rubbish.
I bought Canon MP-E65mm f/2.8 1-5x AFTER reading what it offers, its working distance and a few sample images for I wanted to achieve little bit more than what a standard macro lens offers. It doesn't have a focus ring. You have to achieve focus on subjects by moving the camera back and forth. The working distance is 4 inches. Which means, the maximum distance between camera and the object is just 4 inches. You need to get closer to the subject as you increase the magnification, that's the fun part.
This is of course not an easy lens to deal with. If you don't have previous macro experience, I would say better not to buy this or you might try to throw this away. This is not the lens for you to start macro photography in case if you don't have any previous experience. If someone wishes to buy this, please make sure this is what you *need* and not what you *want*. I would say not to buy this, unless you truly *need* this.
The first few moments with Canon MP-E65mm f/2.8 1-5x made me regret for buying it, although I knew what it is. For it requires a bit of effort, skills, experience and patience. So I had to overpower my laziness to get there. After using this lens for nearly three months, now it has become my favourite lens. Yeah, this is an AWESOME lens.
I'm quite happy the fact that I started liking this lens than any other and on macro photography. This is very addictive. The build quality is very good although this is not an L series lens. A macro flash is essential as this requires more light as you increase the magnification. The DoF is so shallow and requires precise focusing. But once you get the hang of it, this would be the hardest lens to remove from your camera body. This lens starts where a conventional macro lens leaves. What I have posted here are my attempts with this, which were taken from my flickr account.
