outdoor photography

Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L It may surprise you that I believe Canon's 180mm macro lens to be the best macro lens for nature photography. After all, a few years ago, Canon released a new macro lens, the EF 100mm f/2.8L.  It's smaller, lighter, cheaper, auto-focuses faster, has a wider maximum aperture, and it even sports a new hybrid form of image stabilization. And, whatever differences there may be in image quality, they are probably imperceptible in real life situations. So why would I recommend the the 180mm f/3.5L over the 100mm f/2.8L? Well, I should concede that the 100mm f/2.8L is probably the better lens for some people.  Those needing IS will likely benefit from it; those who would also use this lens for portraits and other uses may also have good reason to opt for this lens over the 180mm f/3.5L.  But I'm concerned here with using this lens as a macro lens for nature and wildlife photography--flowers, insects, spiders and other small things in nature.  There...