There are a number of stacking applications out there, but what sets Zerene Stacker apart is its ability to align photos.  This is critical for insect photography as most photos are hand held.  This means that the chances that they will perfectly align are practically nil.

Zerene Stacker is extremely easy to use, though it does contain an impressive list of options.  It also contains a very powerful retouching feature that allows one to explain from which image to take different parts of the final image.  This is extremely useful in a number of cases, though with care I have found that it is often not necessary.  Typically I use the retouching feature when I specifically do not want a particular part of the final image to be in focus.  Often this is for artistic reasons.  I want the insect to be in focus but not this part of a leaf, etc.

There’s a common expression that a picture is worth a thousand words, so without further ado I’ll show you what it can do.

The following are three unedited photos of a stink bug I took recently.

As you can see, each of these images has a different part in focus.  The image at the top has only the antenna in focus.  The image in the middle has the face and the front of the body in focus, while the one on the bottom has the top of the shell.

Also note that they are not completely aligned.  In particular the bottom image is quite a bit off.  Nevertheless, I brought all three of these images into Zerene Stacker and then stacked them using PMax.  The following is the result, which also includes some post processing to make the shot a bit more interesting.

As you can see, most of the stink bug is now in focus.  The entire post processing for this photo, including the following, took only a few minutes.

1. 1) Stack the photos using Zerene Stacker.
2. 2) Exposure and slight contrast change in Lightroom.
3. 3) Tonal contrast (to insect only) using Nik Color Efex in Photoshop CS5.
4. 4) Removed dust spots.

This shot would not have been possible to take otherwise – there is simply too much depth of field (the original shots were all taken at f11).

One other small point to note is you can see at the very bottom of the shot that there is a part that looks slightly different.  This effect is an unfortunate side effect that occurs when Zerene Stacker aligns the photos.  To combat this issue you need to try to take the shots as aligned as possible.  Also, make sure that no important visual elements are on the edges.  Usually, I just crop this part out but if I feel it is important I will just use content aware fill in CS5 – which does a good job with these.

Of course, it can still be tricky to get several workable shots that can then be combined with Zerene Stacker.  One must pay particular attention to the parts of the insect in the shot.  As one moves in closer or farther to focus on a nearer or further part of the insect, very often part of the insect will leave the frame.  The trick is to still keep the same parts of the insect in the frame while changing the area of focus.

This technique is even more important at higher magnifications.  Due to diffraction at high magnifications, if you need a very high quality shot you will need to stop down quite a bit.  On a 5D2, the MP-E 65 does show diffraction at 5x at f11.  This can be noticed on an 8×10 shot, though not enough to overly detract from the shot.  If one needs to crop the shot though or create larger prints, then the lens will need to be stopped down to f5.6.  At this aperture, the DOF is miniscule and focus stacking is a necessity.

For these reasons, I believe Zerene Stacker is an essential tool for any serious insect photographer.

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This particular image is a focus stack from two images.  I have been working a bit more with focus stacking using Zerene stacker and find it very useful – in particular for someone like me who does not have a lot of time.

Dandelion seeds can actually be rather tricky to photograph.  I usually find that more than 1:1 magnification is required so I use my MP-E 65 anywhere from 1:1 to 2:1.  Generally the seeds do not stay still so a flash is required.  It can be quite tricky though getting the seed in your viewfinder and in focus as they tend to sway quite a bit in the wind – causing the seed to come in and out of my viewfinder.

This swaying further complicates getting a good set of images for a focus stack.  The only way I have found to combat this so far is by taking a number of images.  After taking a good number of shots, I am able to evaluate them right on the camera so the majority of the shots never see Lightroom.

The above shot was taken closer to 1:1 so you can see the magnification difference.  It also suffered from extreme swaying and due to the number of seeds involved I was not able to take a set that worked well enough for focus stacking.  Still, I rather like the shot though my wife says I needed to ‘add’ one more seed to make it an odd number.

Using flash with dandelion seeds can also be a bit tricky.  The problem is the dandelion makes up only a small part of the image so the camera will often overexpose through the flashes.  This tends to cause the seed to be blown out.  The best way to compensate for this is to dial the flash back.  I often dial my MT-24EX back between –1 1/3 to –2.

This image I liked better as I was creating it than I like the final product.  The image I wanted was successfully executed – doing a multiple image focus stack so all of the seeds are in focus.  However in this case I believe the seed head is exceptionally ugly and really distracts from the shot.  The seed head looks rather old and stale.  Still, I think it is an idea worth exploring more – perhaps with a full head of seeds.

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It then occurred to me that the answer was quite obvious.  First, by switching to my 7D instead of my 5D2 I reached an effective magnification (compared to my 5D2) of 8x.  Second, I was curious if my 1.4x extender would work with the MP-E 65 – so I fit it on to give me an effective magnification of 11x.  I decided to ignore the inevitable diffraction and try it out.

After trying it out on the carpet, I decided to find a real subject so I went outside with my contraption.  I quickly found a fly that was temporarily willing to be a still subject – or at least up to 3x when it flew away.

I quickly noticed a number of things about the combo.  For one thing, while hand shooting at 5x is a challenge, when it comes to 11x things take quite a different turn.  Not only is it incredibly difficult getting something to stay still in the viewfinder, but the viewfinder is even darker than usual.  For the first time in awhile I was forced to use the lamps on my MT-24EX just to focus.  While normally the viewfinder is dark at higher magnifications, I can see barely enough to be able to focus.  This wasn’t the case here.  Also, I noticed that the image on the viewfinder itself looked much ‘noisier’.  This was a bit of a surprise and took getting used to.  I’m not sure if it is an effect of the 7D or the 1.4x extender, but the viewfinder quality was definitely worse.

After playing around with the fly I decided to look for a smaller subject.  Aphids on our rose bushes have always proven a challenge.  While they keep relatively still, they are quite small.

For comparison sake, here is an aphid taken at 5x with the 5D2 on the same day.

And here’s a different aphid – even smaller than this one on a different leaf at 11x.

While I was very pleased with the result, there are obvious drawbacks.  FIrst, image quality suffers – which one would expect.  I am honestly not sure how much of this was due to the increased diffraction inherent in the small sensor of the 7D and how much was caused by the 1.4x extender.  I will have to try the extender some time on the 5D2 to get a better idea.

Diffraction, at least, can be combated.  For instance I can take multiple shots at a lower aperture and focus stack them.  I may try this some time with this combo to see what type of quality I can get, but on this particular day I did not have much time.

While I will not go through the lengths to post the 100% crops here (this is not a review blog) I did compare the crops from the 5D2 and the 7D/1.4x combo and it looks like they are roughly equivalent.  In other words, about the same detail is visible from a 5D2 image at 5x blown up to the equivalent size compared to the 7D + 1.4x.  Still, at first sight the 7D + 1.4x certainly looks more impressive!

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Stage 1

In this stage, you can recognize what insect the photo is of.  With these shots, you feel it is extremely cool that you caught the insect on camera.  What you miss is that the framing may be awful, the insect is out of focus, and the lighting may be poor.

Here is a good example from when I first bought my camera.  You can see that this is a fly, but it is looking the wrong way, is too small for this shot, and should not be centered in the viewfinder.  The focus could also be improved.

Stage 2

In this stage, you have mastered getting the insect in focus, but your framing and other aspects still leaves much to be desired.

In the above shot, the focus is decent and the eyes are in focus.  However, the legs and parts of the antenna are both out of the frame.  The angle is uninteresting and the lighting is too strong.

Stage 3

In this stage, the insect is in focus and either the entire insect is in the shot, or enough of it to not detract from the photo.  However, the shots still suffer from bad placement of the insect in the shot.  The insect may be centered or just approached from an uninteresting angle.

The above shot is a good example.  The pill bug is in focus and all of it is in the viewfinder.  It is, however, a rather uninteresting shot.  It may make a good stock shot of a pillbug, but the bug is centered in the frame and the angle really isn’t that interesting.

Stage 4

In this stage, the rule of thirds and other framing is made use of to make the shot more interesting.  Also, the insect is approached from a more interesting angle.  The result is a more interesting insect shot.

The shot above is a good example that the entire insect does not always need to be in the frame.  By approaching the fly from the front and putting the head off center, it is a more interesting shot.  However, the shot seems to be missing something.  Some may certainly find it gross, but it really isn’t anything more than an interesting fly shot.

Stage 5

Past stage four, improvements generally do not involve technical details.  At this stage, the photographer is able to provide character and beauty to the subjects.  They begin to become interesting even to those who are not into insects.  I do not believe I am fully at this level yet, but I have taken some images that qualify.

I have received a lot of good feedback about this shot, and it is one of my favorites.

Stage 6

At this stage, the shots are not only interesting to people who do not love insects, but they also provide extra emotions about the insect world in general.  These types of shots often involve keeping insects and waiting for particular life events.  Even still, a shot of an interesting event is not sufficient here.  The shot must be something that truly conveys emotions.

These shots are exceedingly difficult to take and I have not yet taken one worthy yet.  You can find one occasionally in National Geographic though.

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First, if you are using autofocus at all when shooting macro, turn it off.  In macro, when you change the focus using the focus ring, you are actually changing the magnification.  Generally, you care what the magnification is on a given shot. The camera, on the other hand, has no idea. Therefore, do not let the camera do this for you.  Set the magnification yourself (most macro lenses have it printed on the barrel) and focus by moving towards and away from the subject.

As you increase in magnification, focus becomes even trickier.  With lenses like the MP-E 65 at high magnifications such as 3x-5x, focusing is incredibly challenging.  When shooting subjects like flowers, typically the camera is on a tripod and if you have Live View you can use the zoom feature to verify focus.  However, when shooting handheld – particularly subjects like insects that are on the move – it is much more challenging.

One trick that I use very often is obtaining focus at a smaller magnification, then increasing magnification to the desired level.  This will only work for subjects that are either stationary or easily trackable.  For very quick subjects like bees, you will need to preset your desired magnification.

I always start farther away rather than close in.  I try to place the lens just beyond the point where it will be in focus, then slowly move in.  One goal, of course, is to not whack the subject with the lens.

When focusing on your subject, there are two things you must always keep in mind.

1) The angle of the subject to the lens.  This will determine what is in focus, and what is not.  This is particularly important as you will not be able to determine the focus for the entire subject if it is moving or may leave any moment.  Instead, you should learn what is possible with each aperture at different magnifications and approach your subject accordingly. 

2) When determining focus in the viewfinder, look at only the most important part of your subject.  When focusing on insects, I look only at the eyes.  I do not pay attention to the rest of the insect, as I already know what will be in focus and out of focus based on the angle of the insect to the camera.  Once I know I have the eyes in focus, I will take the shot.

For insects, the eyes are incredibly important.  With rare exceptions, if the eyes lack focus the shot is lost.

In terms of triggering the shutter, I find it very much like my old rifle target shooting days.  Learning how to consistently get shots in focus takes a great deal of practice, but the following are some tips that may help.

1) Holding the camera steady is huge. Pay particular attention to where your elbows are.  Try to hold your elbow against part of your body.  When sitting, I rest my elbow on my knee.  When standing I try to rest it against my chest if possible.  Standing is by far more difficult than sitting.  Very often when standing, holding the camera steady is a function of getting the right stance while holding the camera with both hands.  I cannot really describe it, but practice definitely helps.

2) When you take the shot, hold your breath.  This will prevent some camera shake, which often is the culprit for missed shots.

3) Do not take a single shot of any subject. Take a number of shots at each angle.  I often take twenty to thirty shots of a single subject if I can, though most of my subjects do not allow me anywhere near that number.  Very often, I find that a number of shots are still out of focus, but if I get a number of frames off there usually is a good in focus one in the bunch.

4) Use a high shutter speed or flash.  If the frame is sufficiently dark, you can use flash to stop the subject and a lower shutter speed.  I will cover this in a bit more depth in a later post, as I have found that there are negatives with using the lower shutter speed.  However, the important thing is to stop the subject, which must use either a high shutter speed and/or a flash.

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I had looked at brackets for several months prior to buying these.  In terms of macro brackets, the two main competitors are Really Right Stuff and Kirk Photo.  After some consideration, I chose the Wimberley macro brackets, but for those interested the following are the reasons I did not buy the other choices.

Really Right Stuff – For awhile, this was my first choice.  Only when I learned about the Wimberley brackets did I change my mind.  In order for the bracket to work with the MT-24EX, I needed to buy another flash mount.  Also, I needed at least one telescoping arm to get the flashes past the lens.  Therefore, the price came out a bit higher than the Wimberley solution.

The main reason I chose the Wimberley was flexibility.  The RRS solution is nice – but the Wimberley brackets can literally bend in almost any direction.  The RRS brackets are limited by the flexibility of the arm – which can be rotated around the bracket and extended.

Kirk Photo – This solution looks a bit more flexible than the RRS, but looks a bit flimsy.  I hesitated whether it would take a 580EX without issue or something heavier.  It is also not as flexible as the Wimberley.

Iguana taken in Mexico’s Riviera Maya.  Canon 180mm macro with two Wimberley lights. 1/125 f/7.1. 

The Wimberley solution allows you to buy parts of your flash bracket piece by piece.  I actually purchased a vertical bracket to allow one of the flash brackets to be placed directly over the lens but it really isn’t necessary – the brackets are long enough as is.

The flash brackets are an important tool – but are not always useful.  In general, I rarely use the brackets when using my MP-E 65, but almost always have them on when using my 180L.  When taking insect shots, I like the lighting effect but they get in the way more than they help.  Since my camera often sits close to the ground, having two big brackets just below it can become troublesome.  It is also difficult getting it into tight places.

On the 180L, I don’t like the lighting when placing the heads at the end of the lens using the 72C adapter.  Instead, I find that by using the Wimberley brackets I can get the lights much closer to the subject – which generally improves the lighting.  I know that in general by moving a light further away it should soften it, but that is not the case here.  I think due to the size of the subject, by moving the flash closer to the subject the light becomes larger – and therefore softer.

The brackets attach to the plate on the lens – though you can connect it to your camera plate as well through an optional adapter that I did not buy.  Note that if you want to use two of these (necessary when using the MT-24EX) you need a plate that has a double dovetail design.  Unfortunately I had Kirk lens plates at the time – which are not double dovetail plates.  Both Wimberley and Really Right Stuff make double dovetail plates – so make sure you use those if you intend to use these brackets with the lens.

The flash heads mount on the screw at the end of the bracket.  You can also mount a 580EX or similar flash on the end by attaching the small stand that comes with the flash and screwing it on the bracket.  I have used the bracket with a 580EX flash and it held the weight without issue.

The arm is relatively simple – with three ball joints joined by two ‘pipes’.  On each of the pipes is a knob that allows you to change the tension.  One minor annoyance though is that in order to place the flash on the bracket, I need to loosen the top knob, which also loosens the bar itself – so the whole thing wobbles all over the place while I attempt to put the flash head on.  Sometimes I do not tighten it all the way after I have the bracket in the exact position I want – at which point I have to loosen the whole thing, tighten the flash, then reposition the bracket.

The camera also looks a bit scary with these brackets on.  I drew more than a few strange looks when walking around with this apparatus at our all-inclusive in Mexico.

Another huge advantage with these brackets is it allows me to change the angle of the flash to the subject.  In some cases, this is hugely important.  For instance, without these brackets, the flashes would shine back at me when shooting through the glass of a fish tank.  Instead, they enable me to angle the flash just right so as to illuminate the subject without getting hit by the flash.

Canon 180mm macro with MT-24EX mounted on two Wimberley brackets. ISO 800 1/200 f/11

I take advantage of this ability as well with drops and my MP-E 65.  This is the only time that I use my MP-E 65 with the Wimberley flash brackets – but in this case by moving the lights at an angle that is closer to the sides of the drop, I don’t blow out the drop as much.  Here is a shot without the brackets.

Falling drop taken with MP-E 65 at 1.5x magnification.  Lighted using MT-24EX.  1/200 f/11

Compare that to this shot with the brackets.

Falling drop taken with MP-E 65 at 1.5x magnification.  Lighted using MT-24EX and two Wimberley macro brackets.  1/200 at f/11.

Therefore, I am very happy with my Wimberley flash brackets and they are always in my bag when shooting macro.  Along with my macro lenses and MT-24EX flash, I consider them essential tools of the trade.

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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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I take most of my fly images with my MP-E 65.  Once in awhile I use my 180L but I like the larger size of the fly that I can achieve with magnifications higher than 1x.  Of course, this requires that I get even closer to the fly.  When I use my 180L, it is much easier to get shots but I tend not to like them as much unless it happens to be a large fly.  For lighting, I always use a MT-24EX.  For the most part, taking high quality pictures of insects with only ambient light is not practical.

The problem most people have is not in the gear, but in scaring the fly off.  Flies are very skittish (they are used to us swatting them) and will take off at a moment’s notice.  Even today the majority of flies I attempt to photograph take off before I can get a shot off, but with patience I can get the shots I want.  The first piece of advice that most people offer is to not get in the fly’s light.  I have found this rule to also be true, so it is always a good idea to know where the sun is.  This also makes it a bit easier to photograph flies on overcast days.

As is true with all insects, mornings, late afternoons, and colder days are the best times to photograph.  However, I have noticed that many types of flies only come out when it is warm and sunny.  You can find flies in almost all types of weather, and certainly it is a good idea to start out on cold days, but you’ll also have to get used to photographing them on the hot, sunny days as well if you want more varieties of flies.

On the hot, sunny days, I try two different strategies.  The first strategy, which I find does not work as well, is to work very softly and keep a lookout.  When you see a fly, slowly approach it with your lens and hope to get close enough to get a shot off.  This is how I search for a number of different insects, but has a high failure rate.  More often than not the fly gets away before I even have a hope of getting a shot off.  However, with patience I eventually find a fly that is more patient.

The other approach, which requires more patience, has a much higher probability of success.  Basically you find a spot where flies seem to frequent and you “set up shop”.  Basically sit down, sit still, and wait.  Eventually, when you see a fly, slowly move your lens toward it.  Since you were already there, it will pay less attention and you’ll have a better shot of getting it.  In my experience, I also notice a number of other insects that I would not have otherwise noticed.  The shot above used this technique.  The other major advantage of this method is you often get more shots off of the fly.

In terms of framing, always try to get the fly from the front.  Side and back views (which are all too common) are just not interesting.  It might take a bit more patience to wait for the fly to face forward, but the end shot will be worth it.  I don’t bother even taking the shot if the fly is facing the wrong way.  Some side shots, though, can be interesting.

The main key is to keep in mind the way the fly is facing as you want the shot to be interesting for your viewers.

One thing to take away from all of these approaches and advice is that you must be patient.  Fly photography is something that is best done in solitude, with no one to distract you.  It is also something that usually fails when you are in a hurry.  However, with some patience and time you’ll find that these shots are not very difficult to achieve.

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However, let’s get more specific on the differences between a diopter and a true macro lens.

The above shot is one of my favorites from the 500D paired with the Sigma at 400mm.  However, the above size doesn’t truly show the real sharpness.  Here is a view at 100%.

When you compare it to the MP-E 65 and 180L shots from yesterday, this shot is nowhere near as sharp.  There are several reasons for this.

1. The telephoto lens I had on the camera, the Sigma 80-400 4.5-5.6 OS, was nowhere near as sharp as the MP-E 65 or the 180L.  Keep in mind that when you use the 500D, the image will be no sharper than the sharpness of the lens you place it on – in fact it will be worse but we’ll get to that.
2. Macro lenses are calibrated for short focus, while telephotos are usually calibrated for objects near infinity.  Of course all good lenses should be sharp all around, but when designing macro lenses engineers pay particular attention to the sharpness for objects that are close in – as that is the main purpose of the lens.
3. The 500D itself causes a loss in sharpness.  This is one reason why extension tubes are often preferred – though they do not increase magnification greatly on a telephoto lens.  Still, the 500D is a very good diopter and you will lose much less sharpness than simpler single element diopters.

Therefore, the 500D is not nearly as sharp as a true macro lens.  Another large difference is the magnification.  The true magnification that you receive with the 500D mounted on top of a telephoto varies with the layout of the optics within the lens, but I found that on the Sigma at 400mm I managed .75x at the highest magnification.  With a shorter lens such as a 200mm, the magnification will be even less.  Since true macro lenses start at 1x, you will get better magnification with a true macro lens than the 500D on a telephoto.

The following are other differences.

1. A true macro lens is much faster. The 100mm is 2.8 and the 180mm is 3.5. The top telephotos are 2.8 but many are 5.6. Since you lose at least a full stop when you add the 500D, you wind up with f/4-f/8.
2. You’ll generally find that the color contrast is much better with a macro lens.
3. AF is slowed down significantly with the diopter on, though for the vast majority of photographs AF is not necessary.

Still, the following are the main advantages of the 500D.

- It is significantly cheaper than a true macro lens.  A 77mm filter runs about $150, compared with the most often used macro lens – the 100mm 2.8 at almost $500.

- You can quickly switch to taking macro shots while taking other types of shots.  I used to keep the 500D in my pocket while trying to photography birds.  When I found a cool insect, I would quickly put the diopter on the lens and shoot away.

I often recommend that those interested in macro photography buy a 500D or extension tubes to see if they like macro photography before spending more on one or more true macro lenses.  It tends to sell used for around $100 so if you decide that you no longer need it, you will only wind up paying $50.

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First of all, you have to be very realistic about the place you are going to?  What types of macro pictures will you really take there?  While macro photography can be done anywhere, some types of trips make certain types of macro photography difficult.  For instance, my wife and kids generally will not sit around and wait while I setup a tripod to take a picture of a flower.  While I occasionally use a tripod for my flower pictures in gardens around Seattle, I never use a tripod for macro photography on vacation (I do use one for sunrise/sunset and night shots though).  The following are my experiences on different types of vacations.

Jungle adventures – I spent some time in the rainforests of Peru before I had an SLR.  One of the members of my group brought an SLR together with a 50mm macro lens.  He expected to get close shots of army ants but came back without a single decent macro shot.  There were several problems with his approach.

1. He had no prior experience with macro photography.  When on vacation, I find that I need to move quickly for my macro shots.  The time to learn is back home – not on the road.
2. The 50mm macro is one of the worst lenses you can take with you on vacation.  It simply does not offer the distance you need to get the shot right.
3. Unless you really know what you’re doing, you don’t want to be that close to army ants.  Fortunately he was not bitten, but when starting out with army ants I suspect I would try a 180mm first.
4. He had no lighting equipment.  He did have a tripod, but this won’t help much with quickly moving army ants.
5. The group kept moving.  He never had time to properly attempt much because the tour guide kept us moving.

Jungle trips are one of the best places to take macro shots, but you will need ample time to perfect your technique before going there and you’re best shot at good macro pictures will be in the vicinity of your hotel.  Unless you are on a photography specific tour (and even then) the tour guide will keep you moving.  You will not have time to stop and get the ideal macro shot, except during down times when you can check around the camp.

Tropical trips – These are trips to tropical countries where you stay in hotels instead of camps that are usually in built up areas.  While tropical locations do have excellent opportunities for macro photography, you will still find that your best opportunities are in the vicinity of the hotel.  Therefore I highly recommend that you choose a hotel that is located closer to nature.  For instance, when traveling to Singapore, stay in Sentosa rather than in the city.  In Bangkok, I found a number of opportunities at the Marriott – which is located in the city but has ample gardens.  Many resorts not located in cities are already close to nature – but make sure to not choose one that uses pesticides or your subjects will be few (except for flowers of course).

European trips – For the most part, these aren’t the best trips for macro.  I’m sure there are some areas where you can find some interesting subjects, but unless you are staying out in the country you’re unlikely to find great subjects.  When I travel to Europe, I generally leave most of my macro equipment at home.

In general I find that I do not have much time to take my macro shots when on vacation.  I do sometimes take walking trips for an hour or so while my wife and kids relax in the hotel, but I certainly don’t have the time to setup a tripod and get things exactly right.  Therefore, I highly recommend that you take a form of macro lighting with you on vacation.  The best choice is the MT-24EX.  I won’t go into detail here about the advantages of this flash, but while on vacation I constantly have it on my camera if I am using any of my macro lenses.

Of course, this means that you have another thing to carry.  This has caused a number of problems for me as I do not have a large backpack and don’t want to carry an extra large backpack when I am on vacation.  Therefore, I often divide my equipment into two camps – macro equipment and non-macro equipment.  When I am out and about visiting sites, I generally have the non-macro equipment.  When I am walking around the hotel, I generally have my macro equipment.  As I have already stated, the vast majority of my macro photography is done near the hotel.  When I am out and about I simply don’t have the time and most of the subjects are not macros.

So now you have the lighting, but which lens do you take?  In my experience, most people who have a macro lens have the 100m 2.8.  This is an excellent macro lens and is always the lens I recommend to people getting started.  On vacation, I think this lens is the ideal choice with a cropped frame camera.  However, with a full frame camera I think it falls a bit short.

The main problem I have run across while on vacation is I never know what I will want to photograph.  For instance, on a recent trip to Mexico I was photographing a flower by a bridge.

Suddenly, I heard a pack of coatis.  I didn’t know how much time I would have with them, so I dared not change a lens.  Besides, the only other lens I had on me at the time was a wide angle lens – I had left my telephoto in the hotel to make room for the macro.  Luckily, I had the Canon 180L mounted on my camera at the time.  I turned on auto-focus and took several frames of the coatis.

If I had the 100mm 2.8 at the time, I would have had a much more difficult time getting this shot due to the shorter focal length.  On a cropped frame camera, where the 100mm macro is really a 160mm lens, I don’t think the difference is as important – though the 180L will still prove to be all the more versatile.  This lens served this purpose multiple times on vacation and is now my favorite macro lens for vacations.  Granted, it is a much heavier lens than the 100mm, but it is also more useful.  Also, a number of animals are a bit shy (such as the lizard above) and difficult to get too close to.  The 180L makes it much easier.

Keep in mind that I am not advocating you do most of your wildlife photography with the 180L.  On my last vacation to Mexico I used the Canon 70-200 4L IS to take most of my coati and bird shots.  The extremely quick AF in that lens allowed me to get more keepers.  However, my images from the 180L were a bit sharper.  Still, when I had the 70-200 that was the lens of choice as the 180L has very slow AF – even with the focus limiter.  This isn’t really a drawback of the lens – it’s not really intended for that purpose anyway.  What the 180L did offer though was the ability to switch quickly from larger wildlife to smaller critters.

What about the MP-E 65 that I currently use for a majority of my macro shots?  While I love this lens, for standard vacations it is not very practical.  This lens requires a lot of patience and time to get a good shot – even with a macro flash attached.  I simply don’t have that kind of time when on vacation.  I wound up not taking a single picture with it on vacation.  I did put it on the camera a few times, but most of the subjects I found were flowers that required the 180L.  It also didn’t help that the hotel used pesticides and as a result insects were hard to find.  Lizards, on the other hand, were in large supply – but the 180L was required because they were skittish – and too large to be photographed with the MP-E 65 anyway.

For future vacations, I will likely leave the MP-E 65 at home unless I am going on a tropical vacation where the hotel is in close proximity to the jungle – and the hotel does not use pesticides.

The last piece of equipment I take with me may be overkill for some, but I always take two Wimberley macro arms to hold the MT-24EX.  In general I find that putting the lights closer to the subject makes the lighting more pleasing.  Therefore I always use these together with my 180L.  The combined rig tends to scare some fellow tourists and I always receive a wise crack or two whenever I go out.  However, if you are using the 100mm 2.8 or shorter, I don’t think this is necessary.

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