Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

Hi,
I created a profile for my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens, uploaded it here: http://ul.to/copxok
Maybe someone finds it useful.

Hi, could you clarify what camera body you used to make this profile.
The main reason I ask is, this is an EF lens that is mountable on full frame as well as APS cameras.
The distortion and vignetting will be quite different in the two use cases.

Similar Messages

Canon FD 50mm 1.8 Lens Profile for Canon 60D

I've created a lens profile today for the Canon FD 50mm 1.8 on a Canon 60D using the Fotodiox adapter. I sent it to Adobe for posting publicly. If anyone would like to download it in the meantime you can find it here:
Please click this link
I might have messed it up. It's my first time creating a profile and seemed to work fine for me in Lightroom. Let me know if there are any improvements to be made. I used f5.6 since that seemed to be the sweet spot on the lens and the imager was about 5 feet from the chart.

JPG lens profiles are distinct from RAW lens profiles because cameras can fix things with the camera-produced JPGs that the lens profiles also fix and you can get double-corrections by using a raw lens profile with a jpg, but it depends on the capabilities and settings of the particular camera.
If you are sure your camera isn’t correcting geometric and vignetting issues with your JPGs, then you can hack the lens profile you downloaded to use it with JPGs, by editing the .lcp file with a text editor and change the flag indicating it is for raw files from True to False. I forget what this flag is called, exactly, but it is obvious and near the top of the files.
On Windows, the lens profiles are downloaded to:
C:\Users\--username--\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\CameraRaw\LensProfiles\
AppData is a hidden or system folder so you’ll need to unhide such folders in the folder options in Explorer or just type in the path an hit Enter in the address area of Explorer.

Canon t5i, 50mm f1.4 or 85mm f1.8??

Hey guys im new to DSLRs. I recently bought my Canon Rebel t5i with the 18-135mm lens. Now i wanna upgrade a bit to take photos of family etc. I dont of to buy the 50mm f1.4 or the 85mm 1.8 please help.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Try before you buy. Take your current lens and spend part of the day shooting it at only 50mm and then spend another part of the day shooting at only 85mm to see which focal length you prefer.
In my experience 50mm was stil too long for general indoor shooting on a crop camera like your T5i. I traded my 50mm 1.4 for an 85mm 1.8 and used it as a fast indoor sports lens and also for tight portraits.
The EF 85mm 1.8 has a much better build quality and faster AF. It is also better able to get you that shallow depth of field that many people want.
Mike Sowsun
S110, SL1, 5D Mk III

Video test my canon 1dx 50mm f1.2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl2JCXNZaH4

I found a solution that works for me and since there are no other suggestions I'll pass it along in case others have this same problem. What I ended up doing is installing CineForm and using it to convert AVCHD to HD. It handles the 24p inside a 60i container issue and the converted files, when imported into PP CS4, look perfect. The only drawback is that CineForm is not freeware but the price was more than worth the aggrevation it eliminated.
Bill

Canon 2ti Help

I need some help with night time car photos:
Equipment I have: Canon T2i, 18-55mm lens, 55-250mm lens, wireless remote and tripod. I like shooting in manual mode as it is a challenge.
So my question: I am at a car show full of hot rods and I want to take photos at night of them driving by. Problem is that even when I use a tripod they still come out blurry to the point of streaking. I do not mind the streaked photo as I have 2 cool shots I did, but I would like the non-streaked blurry free photo at night. Any help on this?
Also, for still, up close car photos I am looking at getting the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Standard AutoFocus Lens. I like the lower F/Stop and would use it instead of my 18-55mm. Is this a good idea?
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely, Michael

A tripod will make sure there's no blur due to CAMERA movement... but wont do anything to help with SUBJECT movement. If the cars are driving by and the shutter speed is slow then its going to be blurry. But there are two things you can do about this.
1) Learn to take "panning" shots. Panning is (and you did say you like 'manual' because you enjoy the challenge) going to be another challenge.
You can imply motion in a still photo by showing effects which make it clear that the subject was in motion. A time exposure of a waterfall renders the water in a blur -- making it obvious that the water is in motion (whereas a fast shutter speed would freeze every individual water droplet). With cars (or really any object moving -- as long as it's moving in "more or less" a straight line) you can learn to follow the subject with the camera as you take the shot.
Here are two examples I took:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thevirtualtim/6290685372/
And just in case that one wasn't obvious, here's a more obvious panning shot:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thevirtualtim/8981989420/lightbox/
In the first image, the car isn't moving that fast, but I'm using a 1/50th second exposure and rather than holding the camera steady, the camera is "panning" to follow the car... giving a reasonably sharp image of a car (except fo the wheels) and rendering the background blurry.
In the 2nd image, the cyclist is actually moving faster than the car was -- and I'm going even a bit slower on the shutter at only 1/40th sec.
Panning takes some practice to be smooth and steady as you follow the subject. It's probably best to practice during the day... start with a fast shutter and gradually just keep slowing the shutter speed. With practice you should be able to get a "sharp" subject with a blurred background for a nice "motion" effect in your images.
2) The other method is to use flash -- provided your flash is powerful enough. The built-in pop-up flash is only good for short distances (it's not very large or powerful). If you have an external flash, this may work well for you.
The shutter speed has to be at OR below the flash sync speed (and I cannot remember if that's 1/200th or 1/250th on a T2i). But even if it's much slower (say... 1/60th) you may be surprised at how well the flash will "freeze" action. This is because MOST of the shutter exposure time is just the time it takes for the curtain shutter to completely slide "open" and also completely slide "shut". The flash can only fire AFTER the shutter has completely opened and must fire BEFORE the shutter can begin closing (otherwise any part of the sensor that was covered by the partially opened/closed shutter speed will be dark.) The actual amount of time that the flash is providing illumination is remarkably short... often significantly less than 1/1000th second (which is why a flash can "freeze" action even when the shutter speed was much much slower.
But there is one tip... many flashes support a mode called "2nd curtain sync". Here's the idea behind that:
Suppose you have a very slow exposure time -- let's say it's a full 1 second.
Normally when a flash is used, the camera begins opening the shutter and, after IMMEDIATELY after the shutter has completely opened, the flash will fire. Meanwhile the camera is counting off the 1 second exposure time. When the exposure is complete, THEN the shutter beings to close. That's the default. It's also known as "first curtain sync".
There is an option to use "second curtain sync". In that mode, the shutter opens while starting the clock running on the 1 second exposure time. When the curtain shutter has completely opened, the flash... does NOT actually fire. Instead it keeps waiting... and in that last moment just BEFORE the shutter is about to close... THEN the flash fires.
This has two very different effects on any blur caused by objects moving in the frame.
Suppose I take a photo of a car rolling slowly from left to right in a dim (but not completely black) location. If my flash fires with 1st curtain sync, I'll get the full effect of flash on the car (creating a very vivid car) and then the flash goes dark but the shutter stays open as the car continues to roll forward. So this "ghosting" or streaking of the car continues to expose on my sensor/film because there was some dim light.
You will end up with a car... and a streak of the blurred car which is oddly IN FRONT of the car (and not behind it.)
BUT... if you use 2nd curtain sync... the dim streak exposes first (as the car is rolling) and THEN the flash fires and the shutter closes. This causes the "ghosting" or streaking of the car to be BEHIND the well-illuiminated (when the flash fired) image of the car. This makes it look like the car was in motion and looks a bit more like what you'd expect. But you have to use 2nd curtain sync (which is NOT the default mode) to get this.
Tim Campbell
5D II, 5D III, 60Da

My Canon 17-55 or new Sigma 18-35 1.8?

Hello,
I've been using my Canon 17-55 2.8 lens very happily for a few months now on my 60D.
But I have had my head turned by all the reviews of the new Sigma 18-35 1.8.
I've been looking through all my photos and I am very much mostly using the 17-55 in the 17-35 focal range. It is extremely rare that I take any photos on a longer focal range.
Would I....should I .....be seriously thinking of changing my 17-55 for this new Sigma 18-35.
I was thinking that if I did, I could maybe add the Canon prime 50mm 1.4 or the Canon 60mm 2.8
Please, if anyone out there has advice they could give me that would be very much appreciated.

Here is a depth of field calculator. At 35mm you get a much deeper DOF than with a more telephoto lens.
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/dof-calculator.htm
At a distance of 10 feet at 35mm, using f/1.8 aperture, your depth of field in focus would be 1.78 feet. Is that enough for what you do? If you shoot the same shot at f/2.8 with your 17-55 you get a depth of 2.81 feet that is in focus.
I have never shot boudoir, but I believe you need to get full head-to-toe framing in some of the shots? Maybe 35mm is good for that then, as compared to a longer "portrait" length, like 50mm (80mm equivalent on your crop). I do think you'd need to pick up a 50mm or 60mm for the tighter head-and-shoulders shots if you dump the 17-55. You'd get ugly big noses and foreheads shooting that close with a 35mm lens.
But of course that 18-35 is wasted glass if you do go full frame. That is a big variable. But then your 17-55 would also be useless on ff, so are you really hurting anything by switching? Hmmmm.
Scott
Canon 6D, Canon T3i, EF 70-200mm L f/2.8 IS mk2; EF 24-105 f/4 L; EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS; EF 85mm f/1.8; Sigma 35mm f/1.4 "Art"; EF 1.4x extender mk. 3; 3x Phottix Mitros+ speedlites
Why do so many people say "fer-tographer"? Do they take "fertographs"?

Lenses not listed in the Lens Optimizer in Digital Photo Professional

As the topic title states my lenses are not listed in the Digital Lens Optimizer. I've placed the CD in the tray, and yet the program says it's connecting to the server, and when done, they are not found in the list. The lenses are:
EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II
EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II
Why are they not listed? How do I get them?
DPP version 3.13.0.1
EOS 70D / EOS Rebel t4i / EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS II / EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 IS II / Sigma 17-50 f2.8/ Canon EF-S 60mm f2.8 macro/ Canon EF 100mm f2.8 macro/ Tamron 70-300mm / 430EX II Speedlite / Canon FS 300
Canon Pixma MG 3100 / Canon LiDE 2100
Adobe Lightroom 4, Canon DPP, Corel Paintshop Pro X4

Of the lenses I have, the following are not supported by DPP 4 (However, they are supported "in camera" with EOS Utility 3)
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II USM
Canon EF 20-35mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Canon EF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Canon EF 28-90mm f/4-5.6 USM
Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Canon EF 75-300mm f4.5-5.6 USM
I don't care if they are "old" lenses or not. Why have the correction profiles for "in camera" correction (when saving/converting to JPG) and not in DPP 4? They have the data, they could just port it over from the database used in EOS Utility 3.
These lens correction profiles bring new life to some of the old "film" lenses like the Canon EF 20-35mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens. That lens has lots of distortion. However with in camera correction, it now produces good pictures.
I am not a professional photographer. I am a photography enthuisasts. I'll NEVER spend $1,000.00 or more for an "L" series lens (in fact I sold the Canon 24-105 f/4 L "kit lens that came with my EOS 5D. It was way too heavy, and the zoom on the low end was cramped (only 4mm movement between 24mm and 28mm). I like/use my Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM and Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM better.
Maybe my mistake is that I am using a program call Digital Photo Professional and I am not a professional. I noticed that that software leans heavily and supports the "L" series lenses.

Settings Suggestions (Low Light Performance)

For about a month once I year I do some photography work, primarily portrait type photos, (at a local amusement park for their halloween event) so everything is done typically at dusk and after dark under a lot of special effects lighting. For the last couple years I used my Canon Rebel T3 with a Canon 50mm 1.8 lens, recently I aquired the 1.4 version. After getting the 1.4 I'm considering using my Canon 50D as well for this years run. I'm just seeking advice on how to achieve less noise perhaps? For both bodies? Rebel seems noisy in low light sometimes, I've managed some nice results last year with the help of a external flash on it but I don't like blinding my coworkers working the event... so there's a bit of work going into my photos post production sort to speak before sharing the images. I never been to sure as to what settings to use, I primarily just shoot in either TV or AV mode. It would be an all new experience for my 50D as I usually take it to my local zoos to take pics because I use my 28-300mm lens on it, so any advice is appreciated!
I am considering buying a 6D, or a Nikon in the future but for now I'm just settling with what I got.

If money were no object, a 1Dx and a Canon EF 50mm f1. But seriously buying a 6D, or a brand-N, is not going to help.
At least not much more than what you already have. BTW, the 50mm f1.4 you did aquire is only 1/2 stop faster than the 50mm f1.8 you already had. Not a deal maker!
I love shooting at night and at dusk. You can get some truely interesting photographs. My best advice is shoot. Yes, shoot a lot. Because experience is the best teacher. No body here can tell you what settings to use. They have not seen the venue!
Sometimes Tv will work and sometimes Av will. Even P will at times. I would avise you to stay away from the 'fully automatic' choices, however. The best advise is learn your equipment. Go to the Mall and shoot. Go to a park. Try the Zoo after dark. Any place to get the experience. But shoot!
EOS 1Ds Mk III, EOS 1D Mk IV EF 50mm f1.2 L, EF 24-70mm f2.8 L,
EF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS II, Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 EX APO
Photoshop CS6, ACR 8.7, Lightroom 5.7

What's the best ND filter to buy to get the most shallow depth of field while taking pictures?

I have a Rebel SL1 by the way.

This depends on if you're trying to use flash at the same time.
Outdoors in full mid-day sun, the exposure based on a "Sunny 16" rule is f/16 and the shutter speed set to the inverse of the ISO speed. At ISO 100 you'd use 1/100th. But if you dial the aperture open 5 stops to f/2.8 then you can dial the shutter faster by 5 stops to 1/3200 and have an equivalent exposure.
f/2.8 is fairly shallow, but it is not the shallowest... f/2 and f/1.4 are even more shallow. Canon makes 50mm and 85mm f/1.2L (L series lenses) which can create especially shallow depth of field (particularly the 85mm). Canon used to have a 50mm f/1.0 lens but they have not made that in years.
Depending on your subject... there's a point where the depth of field is so shallow that it's not possible to to get your entire subject into acceptable focus. At f/1.4 and f/1.2 the depth of field can get REALLY thin (especially at close focusing distances.)
While most of my lenses can handle f/2.8 or better, I often find I prefer f/4 unless I can control subject placement well enough that f/2.8 (or lower) can still work.
Your SL1 caps out at 1/4000th sec shutter speed. So if you were to shoot in full mid-day sun (a bit of an extreme example) and you wanted to use, say, an f/2 aperture, you could not halve the shutter speed to 1/6400th because your shutter doesn't offer that setting. But you COULD do that with just a single stop ND filter (ND 0.3 -- when represented this way each "0.1" worth of density is equal to 1/3rd of a stop of light. So 0.3 is 3/3rds or 1 full stop.).
I have a 2 stop (ND 0.6), 3 stop (ND 0.9) and 10 stop (ND 3.0) filters in my bag.
If you use flash, this changes things... with flash (which I usually use during the day to fill the deep shadows and soften the light) you are capped at the flash sync speed. For your SL1 that's 1/200th sec (or slower) unless you have a speedlite that supports "high speed sync" mode.
In this situation, you might actually want 4 or 5 stops worth of ND if you are shooting in mid-day sun using fill-flash that doesn't support high-speed sync. You can change the shutter from 1/100th to 1/200th (1 stop) but you'd still have 4 more stops to make up to get from f/16 down to f/2.8... one more stop to get to f/2.
You can "stack" filters, but stacking increases the odds of artifacts from reflections... use high quality anti-reflective coated filters (this is a situation where it doesn't pay to buy budget filters.)
The major caution is that there is a point where the shallow depth of field is "too shallow" for the subject.
Tim Campbell
5D II, 5D III, 60Da

Rebel x3i (600D) autofocus not working in Creative Zone mode. Works okay in the Basic modes.

I bought a Canon refurbished x3i from Canon last Summer after my Ritz Camera extended warranty became useless and my xTi (400D) died. The camera has been excellent until very recently.
About a week or so ago, the autofocus stopped working. I think it started when I decided to try the Canon refurbished 50mm 1.8 lens I bought off the internet. It didn't work for that lens and hasn't worked in Creative Zone since.
There is an asterisk (*) in the lower left corner of the viewfinder. This is an AE progress indicator. There are no active Focus Points. Sometimes, all nine of them will light up, but it doesn't mean anything.
Based on responses to other forum posts, I have tried different EOS lenses (I have two Rebel film cameras) and I have tried LiveView. Same problem. I can live with the situation, but, obviously, I would rather not.
Naturally, Manual Focus works fine.
The pins on the camera look and feel fine - no bends or broken tips. The pins on the lenses look fine, too, even the 50mm.
(I haven't contacted Canon, yet, because after-the-sale guarantees are usually 30-90 days, but I will contact them tomorrow)
Solved!
Go to Solution.

I don't think you are getting the camera cleared and reset. You MUST clear all settings. It sounds like you have focus lock set to ON.
EOS 1Ds Mk III, EOS 1D Mk IV EF 50mm f1.2 L, EF 24-70mm f2.8 L,
EF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS II, Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 EX APO
Photoshop CS6, ACR 8.7, Lightroom 5.7

What camera should I use for filming?

I didn't know where else to ask this question and since Canon is a popular camera provider for filmmakers, I thought I would try here. I'm a very amatuer filmer but I enjoy filming a lot as a hobby. Someday I would like to purchase a better camera because currently I have a Samsung compact camera that for what it is, takes excellent HD footage but I am limited with it. I mostly want a camera that can focus near and far and has hookups for a mic. It doesn't have to be high-end and I certaintly don't have a big budget. I was mostly just curious if you could get a decent filming camera under $300 that can focus (like blurring the background as it sees near and then far). I'm not expecting a super supreme camera, just an upgrade. When I went to Best Buy, the ones with the focus dial on the lense was running $800 and up. Thanks in advance!

"blurring the background" involves use of equipment and exposure settiings to create a shallow range at which subjects appear to be in acceptable focus... but outside of that range the image will not be focused. That "range" is referred to as the "depth of field" or just "DoF" for short. Creating shallow DoF requies a camera with a large sensor (due to the nature of physics, the smaller the imaging chip in the camera, the less this effect is possible. You need a camera with a large chip -- which is why DSLR cameras are very popular. Any camera with an APS-C size sensor (roughly 23mm by 15mm) can pull this off nicely. But you also need a lens that pull it off. This requires a combination of a long focal lens and a low focal ratio (the focal ratio is the ratio of the lens focal length divided by the lens' diameter of clear aperture (the area through which the light may pass.) It turns out lots of characterstics of the lens will affect the particular quality of this blur. The "quality" (not to be confused with the intensity) is referred to as "bokeh". Not all lenses (even lenses with the same specs regarding focal lengths and focal ratios) will produce the same quality blur. Zoom lenses that can offer long-ish focal lengths and provide low fixed focal ratios (e.g. f/2.8 zooms) do this nicely. But those lenses are all roughly $1000 or more (for just the lens... that doesn't include the cost of the camera.) There are some non-zoom lenses (A lens that does not "zoom" is referred to as a "prime" lens.) which are much more affordable. E.g. the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM would do a very nice job and costs a little over $300 (I didn't check the price). There's a much more economical version... Canon introduced a new version of their EF 50mm f/1.8 with the STM focus motors (the "STM" motors are exceptionally quiet -- so quiet that the internal mic on the camera typically cannot pickup the noise of the focus motors moving.) That lens wont be able to get quite as much intensity of blur as the f/1.4 version... but the f/1.8 version is VERY affordable... at only $125 it's a bargain. Lastly, how you position your subjects and background are important. The closer the subject is to the lens, the easier it is to create that shallow DoF. And the farther away the background is behind your subject... the more strongly out of focus it will be. If you put a subject directly in front of a wall, that wall will only be very slightly out of focus. But if you put your subject at a very close distance to the camera and then quite a large distance between your subject and your background, then it's much easier to get a tack-sharp subject and a strongly blurred background. One of the really nice things about DSLR cameras is that they're really just the base part of an overall camera "system". When you use point & shoot camera, the lens is permanently attached. The point & shoot does whatever it does... and over the years there's really not much you can do to change anything. But a DSLR camera has removeable lenses and the ability to leverage numerous accessories. This means all you need is enough to buy the base camera and a single "kit" lens to get you started. That will not satisfy what you'd like to do with video (it wont produce a particularly high quality nor strong out of focus blur effect -- you'll have some effect but it will be very weak.) But over time you save and buy another lens (like that 50mm f/1.8 STM lens). Eventually you can upgrade the camera body ... but you get to keep using all the lenses you've accumulated, etc.

Supported lens corrections profile not listed in Lightroom 3.2

I have installed the Lightroom 3.2 update, which lists support for the "Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II" lens. I've shot a number of photos with this lens (using a Canon T1i) and loaded them into Lightroom. In the metadata for the photos, the lens appears as "EF50mm f/1.8 II".
Within Lightroom's "Lens Corrections" section, the "Auto" option reports "Unable to locate a matching profile automatically." I've manually searched the list of Canon lenses, and it's not on the list.
In the folder
/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/LensProfiles/1.0/Canon/
I see a file corresponding to this lens
Canon EOS 5D Mark II (Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II) - RAW.lcp
but it's listed with only the one specific body.
I've tried manually installing the Camera Raw 6.2 update, but it reports "Update is not applicable." Given the file listed above, I suspect it was already installed.
In the release notes, which listed Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens, it didn't mention that support was limited to only a certain camera body. Could someone please help me? Thanks!

CanadianPhotographer wrote:
My assumption that I should be able to find the lens within Lightroom came from the release notes at
http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2010/08/lightroom-3-2-and-came ra-raw-6-2-now-available.html
rather than the filename of the profile that I found. As far as I can see, the release notes don't specify that it only applies to raw images.
I agree that the release notes could have been a clearer in terms of what was provided. I can also appreciate why the profiles for JPEG were not included, namely time constraints.
After converting the original raw images to JPEG it would have taken an hour or so to run the calibration images for these "new" profiles through the lens profile creator application. Following a number of requests I did this myself for the dozen or so profiles that I had already uploaded to the Adobe lens profile server. That was a days work for me, for the Adobe engineer(s) working on all of the new profiles it would probably have taken a fair number of days/weeks.

Why does my 5D Mark III suddenly stop shooting pictures?

Every so often when I am shooting a lot of pictures with my 5D Mark III, once I release the shutter button I am unable to focus or take more pictures for a few seconds. I thought at first this was because it was writing information to the memory card but that does not appear to be the issue. The screen also does not indicate that it is busy or writing informatoin to the card. This issue does not happen on my 7D or 50D.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Canon EOS 7D
Canon EOS 50D
EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom
Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo Macro Lens
Canon EF 180mm f3.5L Macro USM AutoFocus Telephoto
Canon EF 70-200mm F/4L USM
Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
Quantaray 18-200mm 1:3.5-6.3
Sigma 105mm 1:2.8 DG Macro
Canon Extender 1.4 III

tdehan wrote:
So, I need to make a correction on the Compact Flash Card. The card I am using is a SanDisk Extreme PRO 32GB Compact Flash.
I am wondering...I was shooting a wedding this past weekend when this was happening. The card is rated at 32GB however, the formatted space shows approx 29GB. The total space used for pictures was just over 27GB. Wonder if it was stopping because the card was getting low on space?
What lens were you using? My 70-200 f/2.8 has two modes. In one of them it focusses faster, but doesn't let you get as close to the subject as in the other mode. If you're in that first mode and you get too close to the subject, the resulting behavior is as you describe. I doubt that that's your problem, but thought it was at least worth mentioning.
If the card were out of space, it would tell you. You wouldn't have to guess.
Bob
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Lens Correction Profiles: Unable to locate matching profiles automatically

In LR3, I can't seem to load the auto lens correction profiles for my Canon lenses, many of which should be readily available. I used the 24-70L 2.8 USM lens and the 50mm 1.4 lenses on a recent shoot and the profiles can't be found. Is there a place to download the stock LR3 profiles to enable this option? I'm not that interested in making custom profiles at this time.
Here's what I'm seeing:
Thanks for any help.

The lens profiles coming from Adobe should be installed automatically when installing LR, no need to install them seperately. You can check for files named
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III (Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8 L USM) - RAW.lcp
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III (Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8 L USM).lcp
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III (Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM) - RAW.lcp
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III (Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM).lcp
in the folder
WinXP:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Local Settings\Application Data\Adobe\CameraRaw\LensProfiles\1.0\Canon
WinVista or 7:
C:\ProgramData\Adobe\CameraRaw\LensProfiles\1.0\Canon
Mac:
Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/LensProfiles/1.0/Canon
These are the profiles provided by Adobe for the lenses you mention. If they are there, something seems to be wrong in LR recognizing your lens. If they're not, try reinstalling LR3.
Beat Gossweiler

Macro possibilities?

Thanks for reading this.
I really like taking photos of things like insects and little lizards. I found a really cool praying mantis yesterday in the garden and took a few shots of it. I used my 70-200 with the 1.4 tc which was pretty good, but obviously I couldn't get very close 'cause of focus depth limitations. I am considering getting the canon extension tubes: EF 12 II and EF 25 II. Is this a good way to go? Are these something that you'd use as well as a tc on a 70-200? Or is that the wrong kind of lens for this kind of work? I've also had an initial investigation of circular macro flash rings. But I'm assuming they wouldn't work with my 70-200 cause of the large diameter of the front element. There seems to be so many options for macro set ups. What kind if setup should I be aiming for to do fairly decent macro shots? I've been a big fan of Igor Siwanowicz' work for a very long time.
Cheers,
Cg.
Canon 6D,Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM, Sigma 1.4 x EX DG Teleconverter, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro USM, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8, EF 40mm f/2.8 pancake, Sigma AF 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM, Pentax 400mm f/5.6
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Hi,
As ebiggs says, there are many ways to achieve macro shots.
Personally I use a number of extension tubes (a Kenko set of three - 36, 20 & 12mm - plus one Canon 25mm and two Canon 12mm). These are always handy to have and I wouldn't be without a few in my camera bag, all the time. They are inexpensive and can allow you to get that macro or close-up shot when you don't happen to have a macro lens with you, or can be used to increase the magnification capabilities of a true macro lens beyond it's 1:1 (typically) potential, or just used to get closer minimum focus distance with a telephoto.
For example, this was shot with EF 70-200/2.8 IS, Canon 25mm extension tube, and 550EX flash (fill)...
I was out shooting birds and didn't have a macro lens with me.
For the below image, to frame the tiny bush *i* (replace the astericks with "t"... the cyber censors won't allow me to use this bird's actual name) as tightly as I wanted, I needed to add a 36mm extension tube to an EF 500/4 IS lens, to enable that lens to focus closer...
While they aren't necessarily designed for macro or near macro work, teleconverters (Canon calls them Extenders) change the effective focal length of a lens, but leave it's closest focus distance uneffected.... so will increase potential for magnification. In order to get the below shot of a tiny fence lizard, I had to use both - Canon EF 1.4X II and a 25mm extension tube - on 300/2.8 IS lens...
The longer the focal length of your lens, the less effect any particular amount of extension will give. A 25mm extension tube only slightly changes the magnification and closest focusing distance of a 300mm lens.... But the same amount of extension on a 50mm lens would have dramatic effect. Following image was shot with 12mm extension on EF 50/1.4 lens...
Even more extreme, the following was shot with 12mm extension on an EF 20/2.8 lens (I wanted extra depth of field to retain more background detail)....
When shooting the above, the flower petals were actually touching the front element of the lens! Can't get much closer than that!
All the above macro or near macro shots were done using "non-macro" lenses that were made to focus closer than normally possible, using extension tubes. Those can work well, but there are some advantages to true macro lenses, too. Personally I use four in my Canon kit: Tamron SP AF 60mm f2.0, Canon MP-E 65mm f2.8, Canon 100/2.8 USM (not the L/IS), and Canon 180/3.5L. I also use a Canon TS-E 45/2.8 for close-up work, and occasionally a vintage, adapted Tamron SP 90/2.5 1:2 macro lens.
When you force non-macro lenses to focus closer than intended, there can be side-effects. For example, the shot of the rose bud above has fairly strong vignetting and softer edges. This is characterisic of the EF 50/1.4 lens when it's made to focus very close and a larger aperture is used.... It's not necessarily a bad thing. I used the lens with extension deliberately for that shot, because I wanted both the vignetting and softening effects.
One thing you don't need to worry about with "true" macro lenses is image quality. In general, they are all very capable of making great images. It's more down to the other features of macro lenses that set them apart from each other.
Focal length is probably the main consideration. Too short a macro lens can put you awfully close to your subjects, which might scare living critters away, or cause you to cast an unwanted shadow on the subject, or even get you bit or stung! . A longer focal length gives you more working space, but too long a lens is difficult to get a steady shot and renders extremely very shallow depth of field.
If I could only have one, I'd choose my Canon EF 100/2.8 USM macro lens. It's the best all around for my purposes, on both crop cameras (like yours, though I use 7Ds) and full frame (5D MkII). 90 to 105mm gives reasonable working distance, yet is pretty easily handheld for quick shots. DOF is still shallow, but pretty manageable without having to resort to ridiculously small apertures where lighting is a problem and optical diffraction robs fine detal from images.
Here's an example shot with my 180/3.5L, that demonstrates how razor thin depth of field can get with such a long focal length....
Even though that's a fairly large bee, the plane of sharp focus is only a few mm deep. This was shot near 1:1 on full frame (with a film camera, actually). The lens and camera were resting on the ground to help keep them steady. Something closer to 100mm is much more easily handheld, not too big and renders a little more depth of field.
There are other features of the Canon EF 100/2.8 USM that make it a great macro lens, IMO.
It's "internal focusing" (IF), which means it doesn't grow in length when you focus it closer, so doesn't cut into your working distance (note: the 100L, Tamron 60/2 and 180/3.5L also are IF lenses). There's no such thing as a free lunch, though, with optics. In order for the 100/2.8 to be IF, it starts out larger than some other lenses of similar focal length. And, the focal length actually changes a bit as it's focused closer. I have heard that at max 1:1 magnification it's closer to 70mm lens.... but this isn't particularly noticeable in the field working with the lens.
100/2.8 USM macro lens on crop sensor camera, with 550EX flash, handheld...
The 100/2.8 version I use has got USM focus drive, which gives it reasonably quick auto focusing for a macro lens. Macro lenses tend to be slower focusing for a couple reasons. One is that they have to move their focusing elements a long, long way to go all the way from infinity to 1:1 magnification. Another is that most emphazise precision over speed, so use what's called a "long throw" focus mechanism. In the old days of manual focus, you would have to turn the focusing ring a lot farther with a long throw lens. Short throw lenses were built for speed and might be used for sports photography. The 100mm's USM drive (which the EF-S 60/2.8, 100L and 180/3.5L also have) makes it more of a dual purpose lens, more usable for non-macro purposes. In spite of having USM, the 180/3.5L is noticeably slower focusing and not as useful for non-macro work.
I make the distinction between macro and non-macro focusing because often macro shooting is more easily focused manually. I use AF sometimes, but just as often or more often use manual focusing of one method or another. But if you want to use the lens as a non-macro, moderate telephoto too, it can be nice if it's reasonably fast focusing. Another benefit of USM is that you don't have to turn off AF before overriding it manually. (Note: there was an earlier version of EF 100/2.8, discontinued years ago, that doesn't have USM).
To me, one of the most important features of the Canon 100mm macro lenses is that they can optionally be fitted with a tripod mounting ring. The 100/2.8 USM uses Tripod Ring B (b) and the 100L uses Tripod Ring D. I'm not aware of any other macro lenses shorter than 150mm that an be fitted with a tripod ring, and to me that's a very important feature. A lot of macro photography is done from a tripod or monopod. Which is one reason I don't really feel the need to upgrade to the newer, IS version... plus it costs a lot more. Besides, stabilization is of limited effectiveness when shooting macro.... though it might be very nice when using the lens for non-macro purposes (except that I have several other lenses, so don't rely on the macro for dual purpose that much). The 180/3.5L and most other 150mm and longer macro lenses come with a tripod ring.
Speaking of stabilization, the Canon 100L uses a hybrid form developed especially for macro, which by all accounts is one of the most effective. Even so, at 1:1 mag it might only be good for one or two stops of assistance. For non-macro shots, the IS might give three or four stops assistance.
I got the Tamron SP 60/2.0 recently because it's quite small and light, easy to pack in my camera bag when I don't know if I'll be taking any macro shots or not, have other gear to haul around. The same is true of the Canon EF-S 60/2.8 USM, it's equally compact. I opted for the Tamron for it's f2 aperture, mostly in order to use the lens for portraiture, as well. Both the Canon and the Tamron 60mm lenses are "crop only" (all the other macros mentioned are FF capable). I don't have images uploaded online from it yet, but have found quality to be quite good. It is a little slow focusing.... no problem for macro or portraits, but not a lens I'd use for sports and action shooting. I imagine the Canon with its USM is faster focusing.
I used to use the vintage (25-30 year old) Tamron 90mm as my "compact" macro (shown on one of my 7Ds, above).... and it served well for that purpose but was less useful for portraiture. Still, for a lens that cost me all of $60 US. That was $20 for the lens - like new with hood, 1:1 adapter, caps and a Nikon Adaptall mount - plus $40 for an Adaptall-EOS mount from China. It's slower to work with. Manual focus, as well as manual aperture control, but does a pretty good job (here with 36mm extension tube to increase magnification)...
The other lenses I mentioned using are more specialized. The Canon MP-E 65mm macro is an ultra-high magnification, manual focus lens. The least magnification it can give is 1:1, where most other macro lenses are at their maximum (unless you add extension tubes to them). It goes up to 5:1 or 5X life size, so essentially can fill the frame on one of my 7Ds with a grain of rice. Below image made with the MP-E 65mm is of a tiny, newly hatched snail that was smaller than the nail on my pinky finger, at about 2X magnification...
I gotta say, I wouldn't recommend the MP-E 65mm as a first macro lens. It's mostly going to be a tripod-only lens. Depth of field is incredibly shallow. Due to the extension of the lens, it's smallest f16 aperture becomes something like an effective f96 at the highest magnification. I'm going to have to work on focusing stacking techniques with this lens (and will need something a lot slower moving than a snail, to shoot those!).
I use the TS-E 45mm "Tilt Shift" lens primarily for small product close-ups.... Tabletop studio shoots, such as this which was one of hundreds done for a client's website...
Magnification with the 45mm alone is not really macro territory, but it allows unique control over the plane of focus with the tilt movements, as well as means of dodging reflections with the shift movements. It's manual focus lens, too. For higher magnfication work, the TS-E 90mm might be a better choice, and either lenses' magnification can be increased using extension tubes.
As to flash, there are choices with those, too. There are specialized macro flashes, or ways to use standard flashes for macro shots.
I used a Canon MR-14EX Ringlite for the snail shot, above. I mostly only use a ring light with really high magnificatioin shots.... at lower mags the light just seems to flat and "clinical" for me. As far as I know, the MR-14EX is pretty much dedicated to Canon lenses, since it clips directly onto the lens, latching in a groove only found on the Canon lenses.
MR-14EX on MP-E 65mm lens, on 7D...
More often, especially for 1:1 and lower magnification shots, I either use Canon MT-24EX Twin Lite or a single, standard flash with some minor modifications. The Twin Lite is great, but a rather large kit and not widely useful for non macro purposes. It also is designed to clip onto the front of Canon lenses, but is more flexible in that it can be used with a more generic dual flash bracket, too.
LH image: MT-24EX normally mounted. Center: Lepp/Stroboframe dual flash bracket. RH image: MT-24EX on Lepp bracket.
But you don't have to use a dedicated macro flash either. Often I'll simply use a single, standard flash, on an off-camera shoe cord so that I can hold it off to the side of and/or above the subject...
Note that I've put a couple layers of white qauze bandage over the flash head, held in place with a rubber band. This reduces and diffuses the flash output so that it can be used close to a small subject. A single flash works surprisingly well, because relative to a small subject it's like a giant softbox in the sky. This mantis was shot using something similar to the above setup (and EF 100/2.8 USM macro lens)...
Have fun shopping!
Macro is a lot of fun... and a lot easier today than it was back in the good/bad old days of film! One of my old rigs...
Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & PRINTROOM

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

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