Zen and the art of the MP-E 65

Recently I lent my MP-E 65 macro lens to two colleagues at work.  Both are very good photographers but had never used this lens before.  Interestingly, neither one was able to come up with decent shots from the lens.

Comments that I heard were

“I just don’t have that much patience.”

“I took a number of shots, but they all came out blurry”

I feel like some sort of zen master, when I prognose that the reason that they failed to take good shots had nothing to do with their photography skills (they’re both better than I), but that they were unable to find their inner peace to use the lens correctly.

Unlike most other lenses, the only chance you have to get good shots with the MP-E 65 is to completely concentrate on the subject.  Nothing else matters except for getting the photo.  There is no room for thinking about other subjects - but instead you must concentrate entirely on the subject in front of the lens.

When I believe that I have the subject in focus, I hold me breath to steady the camera - rather like rifle shooting.

Ultimately, the MP-E 65 is the ultimate lens for relaxing - because it cannot combine with worries.  Perhaps that is why I like this lens so much - because I find myself in a different world whenever I use it.  I find myself in a world not inhabited by war, terrorism, successes, and failures but instead one inhabited by aphids, ants, and springtails.

So if you do come across this lens some day, do not think of merely going outside to get a few pictures.  Instead, clear your mind completely, focus on your subjects, and prepare yourself to enter a new world.

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Tags: canon, concentration, lens, macro, mp-e 65, peace, photography, tranquility, zen