The Canon MP-E 65mm 1x-5x

Canon EOS 20D, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1x-5x Macro, 1/125 f/8, iso 100, handheld, flash. Firenze, Italy.

The Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1x-5x Macro is the most extreme macro lens currently available in every digital SLR system. When I look through this lens, I feel like Alice in the Wonderland: through this lens, you can see a whole new world of amazing creatures, colors, shapes...even the smallest creatures becomes fascinating alien-like monsters, and you can see every single "cell" of a butterfly eye, the cells of a leaf, and many other amazing details that you can't even imagine by naked eye...

What is the MPE? For those who don't know it yet, the MPE is a very specialized macro lens that is able to reach a magnification ratio from 1x (1:1) to 5x (5:1). Almost all macro lens are able to reach 1:1, but the MPE is the only one that goes to the amazing 5:1 ratio! It is a fantastic lens, but it is not easy at all - in my opinion, it is the most difficult-to-use lens currently manufactured by Canon. First, it is made exclusively for macro photos: you can't frame subjects larger than 24x36mm. Other than that, it is manual focus, well, actually it has not focussing: it has just a large ring that allows to select the magnification, then you have to move back and forth to put the subject in focus. The depth of field is extremely small - the smallest aperture available is f/16, but actually you can use this aperture only at 1:1, at higher magnifications you have to use wider apertures, otherwise the diffraction soften the image so much that it becomes unusable. The following table shows the smallest aperture that I recommend to use at every magnification, and the field of view, both on fullframe and APS-C cameras.

Magnification: 1x
Smallest recommended f/: f/16
Field of view: 24x36mm (FF), 15 x 22.5mm (APS-C)

Magnification: 2x
Smallest recommended f/: f/11 (f/16 ICE)
Field of view: 12x18mm (FF), 7.5 x 11mm (APS-C)

Magnification: 3x
Smallest recommended f/: f/8 (f11 ICE)
Field of view: 8x12mm (FF), 5 x 7.5mm (APS-C)

Magnification: 4x
Smallest recommended f/: f/5.6 (f/8 ICE)
Field of view: 6x9mm (FF), 3.7 x 5.6mm (APS-C)

Magnification: 5x
Smallest recommended f/: f/5.6 (f/8 ICE)
Field of view: 4.8x7.2mm (FF), 3 x 4.5mm (APS-C)

In the smallest f/ field, I noted also the smallest aperture that I'd use "in case of emergency" - but I'd recommend to use such aperture only when you absolutely need more DOF, because it already leds to a noticeable loss of image quality. Even at the smallest apertures, the depth is a millimeter or less, so the focus is extremely difficult; you have to choose the area of the image that you want in sharp focus, knowing that the rest of the photo will be completely out of focus. Usually, with bugs and other small animals, I try to focus on the eyes, as I did in this photo.

In a warm morning of May, I was walking in the woods together with my friends Daniela, Simone and Dario, when I saw a small orange butterfly. It was early morning and the butterfly was in shade, so it was very cooperative, because it still had wet wings due to the morning dew. I removed some grass stems in front of the subject and I slowly get close...with the MP-E, you have to get very close: at the maximum magnification, the working distance is nearly 1.5 centimeters! I'm used to the awesome working distance of my "250mm macro" (Sigma 180 + 1.4x TC), so when I tried the MP-E for the fist time I was really disappointed, but after some days I'm getting used, even though it takes a lot of patience, and of course you need a very cooperative subject.

Laying flat on the ground, I set the lens on 1:1 and I framed the butterfly, then I slowly "zoomed" to 5:1, adjusting the position of the lens to maintain the subject in focus. This lens is not a zoom - the focal lenght is always 65mm - but using it "as a zoom" helps a lot; framing the subject straight at 5:1 is pretty difficult, since the field of view is very small (3x4.5mm on my 20D). The difference between this lens and a real zoom is that, while you change the magnification from 1:1 to 5:1, you have to change also the distance camera-subject to maintain the focus. But the framing is not the only challenge - once you have framed the subject, you have to fine tune the focus, and to make the composition. The viewfinder is pretty dark, because at 5:1 the brightest aperture of f/2.8 is effectively a f/16. If your subject is in shade, the "lamp" function of the Canon MT-14EX helps a lot: it turns on for some seconds two small lights to brighten up the subject. I'm not a fan of flash, usually natural light is more pleasing, and the flash may bother some animals, but it is almost essential with this lens: handholding it in natural light is science-fiction, using it on the tripod in natural light is extremely difficult, while the flash make it usable, even handheld. The Canon MT-14EX ring flash is not very powerful, but it gives a nice diffused light, and it gives all the light that you need at the extremely short working distance of the MP-E. The light of the flash lasts less than 1/10,000, and it freezes both the movements of the photographer and the movements of the subject; moreover, it allows to use ISO 100 or 50, to get the best image quality.

I have taken many shots to be sure that at least one was in sharp focus where I wanted it; I stopped down to f/8 to get a little more depth of field, even though this is really the smallest usable aperture at this magnification. The post-processing has been quite simple (I did mainly contrast and saturation adjustment), but I've spent a lot of time to clone out dust spots: with this lens, even the smallest dust spot becomes clearly visible, and unless your sensor is really clean you have to spend some time to delete the dust spots. And my 20D's sensor is pretty dirty ;-)

The Canon MP-E is not a lens for everyone - it is expensive, very difficult to use and very specialized. But once you have mastered its difficulties, you will be in the Wonderland.

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