Good lens to shoot FIRE ANTS

[Will Keir]

I'm going to give it a shot with my 17-50mm, because for some reason I can focus extremely close and see the details in my skin texture on my hands but what lenses are good for shooting bugs in detail? Am I looking for a "MACRO" lens?

 

[Ryan De Franco]

Still lenses? Zeiss Contax 60mm or 100mm Macro... I like the 60 because depth of field is nicely in control and it focuses 1:1, or life size, in this case a cm or two from the edge of the barrel.

 

[Pawel Achtel]

there is some (very interesting) optics and physics involved when shooting macro....to cut a (very) long story short: the size of the sensor matters: the smaller the better!

getting back to your question: you may need to re-evaluate the camera or/and digital crop before you decide on the best lens for the job

 

[Matt Ryan]

Canon 100mm macro

 

[David W. Jones]

When working with fire ants I would recommend the longest macro you can afford. As mentioned, crop sensors can be a plus when shooting macro. I own a Zeiss 60mm macro and at times will sacrifice the light loss in favor of adding a Mutar 2X.

 

[BRANDON JAMESON]

Kilfitt Munchen Macro-Kilar 90mm f/2.8

Kilfitt Munchen Macro-Kilar 90mm f/2.8

The Kilfitt Munchen Macro-Kilar 90mm f/2.8, is a classic lens that we love for incredible close-ups.

 

[Dylan Macleod CSC]

Not sure if it is in your price range - but Clairmont has an awesome Macro system that allows you to keep your distance. With most macros - you'll end up inches away from your subject. I'd imagine you want to keep your distance with fire ants! The system is called the InfinFX K2 Long Distance Macro System.
http://www.clairmont.com/spec_items/infin_fx.html

 

[Zhang Ming]

Canon 100mm macro

That's my recommendation too, I used it in my short movie, perfect!

 

[Nick Morrison]

Some long zooms have great macros at the end. The Contax 80-200 F4 has a 1:3 macro function at the 200mm end. Meaning, you can be about 6-8 feet away and still get in there pretty close. Good luck!