Canon Ef Life Size Converter

[Geoff F]

Latest from the US users is that some of them have used this converter on other makes of macro lenses (Canon fit) and say that it works OK but only manual focus. Don't expect good results from standard zooms.

[GerryNick2]

I picked up a second hand Canon EF Life-size converter in mint condition for £40 which I thought was reasonable given they retail in the Uk for £160+.

It fits all my Canon EF lenses but as anticipated will not fit the EF-S lenses.You loose AF and ability to focus at infinity which I was aware of before purchasing.

The magnification and sharpness when attached to my 100mm-400mm pump is very impressive. I would say the sharpness of images produced are superior to just a standard 1.4x tc. Just waiting for better light conditions to give this set up a good test.

It really comes into its own when attached to my 100mm macro, not sure what the actual increase in magnification is but certainly worthwhile. A couple of adhoc shots here taken in natural light of the lens cap and a perforation gauge that happened to be to hand.





Can't wait to experiment further when time permits, but certainly looks like it has potential. If you see one going cheap I would certainly grab it while you can.

Gerry

[Stromgard]

I just want to report that the Life Size Converter works perfectly together with the new Canon EF 100/2,8L IS USM Macro 1:1.

With the converter attached, your 1:1 macro turns into a 2:1 (or something very similar). For me, this is a great balance between magnification and handholdability when shooting small insects in the field. It really pushes my 40D to its limits without having to use flash.

And best of all - image stabilization works perfectly!

In normal daylight and shade here in Sweden, I can normally use f4.0 with 800 ISO and get a shutter speed of 1/200 at 2:1 magnification. When there is less light (evenings, deep woods etc) I can push it to f2.8 and 1000 ISO and still get a decent shot (in those cases the shots are not brilliant but enough for insect identification). In direct sunligt I can of course use any aperture and ISO.

All in all, the combination is perfect for a macro field rig. No flash, no camera stand. Usability would be even better with a full sensor camera like the 5D mk2, since that camera handles ISO better than my 40D.

Like Gerry said, AF works but hunts a lot, so you will want to switch that off. For me personally, that's no drawback though. I would never use AF on 2:1 subjects anyway. You also lose ability to focus on anything more that 2 or 3 meters away. But you always have the option to disconnect the converter and pocket it if you have a temporary need for AF and infinity focus.

/Martin