anybody using a digital SLR for pics of coins?

TommyB

I just got the Canon Digital Rebel and am trying to figure out which Macro lens to get. I hope someone here is already doing it and can help me choose the correct one.

Tom

dollardude

I have a Canon Rebel 35mm camera, and some experience with film cameras. I have a digital camera, but not a digital SLR yet.

From my experience, if money is no object, this is the one I would get: EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM with the UD technology:

From Canon USA's web site:

UD glass lenses

Lenses made from fluorite are extremely expensive due to the high cost of synthetic fluorite crystal production. UD (ultra low dispersion) glass made an appearance in the latter half of the 1970’s, delivering a special optical glass which could provide characteristics similar to fluorite but at a lower cost and thereby answering another desire of lens designers. While the index of refraction and dispersion of UD glass are not as low as fluorite, they are significantly lower than other types of optical glass. Moreover, UD glass does display similar partial dispersion characteristics. The selection of the proper lens element combination in consideration of the intended focal length and other factors can provide close to the same effect as fluorite, (two UD lens elements are equivalent to one fluorite element). Super UD glass was introduced in 1993 as a new material that achieves almost the same performance as fluorite while achieving a new balance of cost reduction and higher quality.

If money is of concern, I would get any of the normal Canon EF fixed-focal length macro lenses. For more savings, use any zoom lens with macro focusing capability (you lose some optical quality with zoom lenses). To save even more money, you can buy a third party macro zoom lens (80-200 mm is typical) from, say, Vivitar or someone like that.

Edited to add:

Come to think of it, 180mm may be too large a telephoto lens for coins and such. You may want to consider somewhere around 50-100mm macro lens instead, so you can get closer. Here is one I just found that may be better: MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Macro Photo (has UD technology also). This is manual focus, fixed-focal length.

Sequitur

I recalled a previous post about this here.

TommyB

Thanks for your help. Now that I think of it, I remember that older thread and that is what got me interested in this in the first place. Since I began this thread I had been looking at some galleries of photographers who used the D-Rebel with a Sigma 105mm Macro Lens and they look darn nice. Will post some pics later in the week after I have the lens.

Tom

mgoodm3

The 100 mm macro lens should be fine. the rebel has a magnification factor of 1.6 due to the CCD being about 2/3 the size of a normal 35mm frame. Your 100 mm lens will act like a 160mm. You should be able to shoot small coins from a foot. That will allow much better lighting. I going to get a digi SLR soon. I've seen the results on coins already and it is a big step up from most digicams.

Lakesammman

Just bought a Sony DSC-F828 for my wife. If she let's me play with it, will let you know how it does.

Draco

My Canon GL2 has a fluorite lens and while I'm not sure if they are made for still cameras, get it if you can and forget about UD. I've been in the video production business for a very long time and the color reproduction with this lens is simply unparalleled.