Canon officially discontinues the MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro

Del Paso said:

I agree.
Uncommon lenses, no competitor had, was certainly a reason to enter the Canon biotope, rather than Nikon's or Sony's.
In my case, it was the availability of the widest Tilt/Shift on the market and of the 65 Macro.
In fact, I bought none of them , realizing I needed other lenses more urgently, also lacking money for such specific lenses.
But the existance of such lenses influenced my "pro-Canon" decision.

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Agreed, I also own the TS 17/4, great lens but I am more the macro guy!

Del Paso said:

A new RF 65 macro with internal focusing would be cute, if optically possible.

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As long as you want to have physics as your friend this lens would be rather long, close to the MP_E 65 extended (if you know its extended dimensions ...)

Still hoping for a 85-180 Macro zoom (if optically excellent, I'd "happily" spend $4000).
Leica M 1,4/50 costs more...

Edit: also excellent at infinity setting !

That is just.... sad
I have an MP-E 65. I have found that the new AF (I mean the manual AF aids) & EVF in recent Canon R cameras make it easier to use it compared to DSLRs.
I do not use mine much at all, but it is small (even with the EF-RF adaptor), fun, quirky, unique and not too expensive, so I have one.

I do not see Canon introducing a new RF one anytime soon. I think they have many other holes in the RF lens line up that are better prospective sellers than a super macro. I think it is a super niche lens, which moreover doesn't bring in the big dollars like other super niche lenses do. I sure wish they did though, especially if they manage to squeeze AF in it! But personally there are other higher priorities for the RF lens system.... where is the fast 35mm L Canon?!?

On the good side the MP-E still works fine and I can usually find one for sale if I care to look for it. So if something happens to mine I am confident I'd be able to buy another one.

I'll hope they replace these lenses soon. These kind of special lenses and a lot of primes were the reason why I chose Canon in the first please.
Even though I did not get all lenses directly. I would most likely not make the same choice based on todays lens linup.

I was thinking about getting one of these for a while and now I'm obviously thrown off. If they renew this one with an RF version, it's likely going to be €1900+. It has been around for almost 20 years, surely one could improve it optically, give it greater magnification, but it'll surely become more expensive.

People are talking about alternatives, does anybody know any, If so, let me know, same magnification or better, because I don't.

I think it would be safe to say that whoever wants one has already gotten theirs in the last 23 years prior to this discontinuation announcement.

If they do replace it with a RF version eventually I wonder what Canon will stick in it, maybe with IS (helpful) and AF (not sure how much that will help)?

randfee said:

I was thinking about getting one of these for a while and now I'm obviously thrown off. If they renew this one with an RF version, it's likely going to be €1900+. It has been around for almost 20 years, surely one could improve it optically, give it greater magnification, but it'll surely become more expensive.

People are talking about alternatives, does anybody know any, If so, let me know, same magnification or better, because I don't.

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Laowa 25mm f/2.8 macro 2.5-5x

BurningPlatform said:

I think it is a bad decision driven by short-term marketing data and cost, not taking into account long-term brand value.

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I am sure that there will be inventory in resellers warehouses/shelves for some time to come... and then support for years after that.

Chaitanya said:

There are some good 3rd party options available(Venus Laowa, Mitakon) which will fill this niche, unfortunately Canon has been culling the lenses with no replacments for RF mount in sight in some cases it might be good decade long wait(look at lack of 180mm Macro option for any mirrorless mount).

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Do you use the EF180mm on full frame or crop? Is it for working distance handheld? Would the RF100 + R7 work for you?

David - Sydney said:

Do you use the EF180mm on full frame or crop? Is it for working distance handheld? Would the RF100 + R7 work for you?

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I borrow Sigma 180mm OS for butterflying and shooting Russell's viper and some other dangerous snakes for use on crop DSLR. I dont have exact figures but working distance with 180mm Macro is roughly double that of 100mm Macro(Canon EF). Given RF100mm does max 1.4x compared to Venus Laowa 100mm's 2x I wont be purchasing RF100 when I get RF mount camera in future(unless its free).

I knew this day was coming, but man, it makes me sad having the actual day arrive. I've had mine since 2016 and it is on my camera in the field about 95% of the time. It has been on my 5Dm2, 5Dm4, and now the R5. Combined with the Mt24/26ex flash it is a dream team for me for hand held work. I photograph in the field about 2-3.5x (sometime 5x if the subject is super tiny) and being able to use the magnification for composition is what made me fall in love with this lens. I had it repaired once already - the ribbon went on it from being in daily use for 4 years. Time to send it in have it tuned up for next season, and try and get another 6 years out of it.

The MPE-65 is the sole reason I bought into the Canon ecosystem. I use this lens 99% of the time and I'm devastated we're losing this it with no RF mount equivalent available. The other variable magnification lenses out there just won't cut it. I can't imagine losing electronic aperture or1-5x.

I realize that this is a somewhat niche product, but I also feel that it adds value to the Canon brand and it's the workhorse of the high magnification macro community.

I've considered renting this lens to play with, but haven't got motivated to do so. I'm afraid that having it for a short time won't be enough for me to get the knack of using it. Also, I have no real subject matter in mind. I can do about 2x handily enough with the 100mm and extension tubes.

stevelee said:

I've considered renting this lens to play with, but haven't got motivated to do so. I'm afraid that having it for a short time won't be enough for me to get the knack of using it. Also, I have no real subject matter in mind. I can do about 2x handily enough with the 100mm and extension tubes.

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I bought a used copy many years ago, which is how I evaluate lenses I'm not really sure if I want (IIRC, I paid $500 for it in like-new condition). It's a really fun lens! Do keep in mind that a twin flash is almost a necessity with the MP-E 65 (unless you're shooting only static subjects in studio conditions where long exposures are fine), and that does effectively double the cost.

The MP-E is a reason for choosing/staying with Canon for insect macro, but they've changed mounts, and there's no reason to expect any EF lens to stay in production forever. The only questions are what would we like in a replacement. I don't see a reason for IS, I think most of us who use this lens either have great stability on static subjects, or use low power-settings on flash to have effective shutter speeds of 10,000th of a second or even faster. Two things I'd appreciate would be the option to get lower magnification. Some people may well use the full range of this lens, but I'd be happy to sacrifice some max magnification to occasionally fill the screen with a larger subject; 1:2 or 1:4 at the low magnification end would be very useful, and maybe that could be done without limiting the high mag range. Then there's the question of autofocus. The ability to focus bracket/stack with an AF motor would absolutely get used. I mean this lens currently has no focus, just magnification. Something that could focus over a few centimeters or inches would be enough. In any event, I've had my copy for a decade without any problems, maybe now is the time to stock up on one for later.

illadvisedhammer said:

Then there's the question of autofocus. The ability to focus bracket/stack with an AF motor would absolutely get used. I mean this lens currently has no focus, just magnification. Something that could focus over a few centimeters or inches would be enough. In any event, I've had my copy for a decade without any problems, maybe now is the time to stock up on one for later.

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With focus comes focus breathing. That's why I use a macro rail when I want to stack images. If I did more of it, I'd get a StackShot.

neuroanatomist said:

With focus comes focus breathing. That's why I use a macro rail when I want to stack images. If I did more of it, I'd get a StackShot.

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Yes, with that lens especially, and even with other macro lenses near 1:1, you don’t really focus; you use the focus ring to set the magnification, and then you move the camera to focus. I doubt focus stacking can work well if you change the magnification.

this lens has intrigued me forever and hope to see an RF version some day. However the amount of light needed/gear/technique makes it a difficult choice for me as sort of hobby. I ended up pivoting to the EF 180mm Macro and it's quite good, happy with results, but wish for even more magnification of course. Seems to work fine on R5, but would love to see an RF version some day too as it's also a very old lens model.

I've been tempted by macro rails.. any suggestions, nothing too high end as it's just a hobby.. but also been wanting to try on the 180mm.

Sad to see it go as I love mine, glad I have it and take good care of it, that being said very curious if they’ll make something similar for the RF mount, could really be fantastic