Does anyone know of a good Canon macro lens that would be suitable for Butterfly and Dragonfly photos? I read a few good reviews on the EF-S 60mm 2.8, and the 100mm 2.8. Both sell for $413.00. I would be using the lens while I take photos on my property since I have alot of Butterflys and Insects all over the place. I stand about 2 to 3 feet away while taking the photos. I want to make sure I get the right lens for my Canon XTi.

i ended up picking the tamron 90mm over the canon equivalent as a macro lens for my 20D and apart from its slightly clunky nature I have nothing but praise for it. especially as its a fraction of the cost of any equivalent canon model. something for you to consider.

the XTI will take any EF canon mount lens not just EFS so you will be fine with the tamron.

For Butterfly and Dragonfly photos you will need a long lens , 150-180-200 mm so that you will be able to get them on camera without disturbing them . It is possible with a shorter lens but your success rate will be a lot lower .
I use the Sigma 150 mm and am very happy with that .

Just buy a set of extension rings. Then you can turn any lens over 50mm into a macro lens.

I use a Tamron macro too, but I have a Nikon D70... I think it's excellent and it was the cheapest option avaiable.

I use the Canon 100mm f/2.8 and love it. It is the sharpest lens I own and the contrast is great. The bokeh is smooth and the auto focus is very fast even in low light. The 100mm becomes 160mm with your XTi. Very capable lens in the right hands of course;-)

i have a nikon 105mm macro, and its pretty good. Since you are talking canon all i can say is its a pretty decent focal length for a macro (canon's similar one is the 100). I like that it is a 1:1. Allows you to get really close.

Thank you all for your reply's. I will look at the Tamron lenses also.

Using macro: what's the difference between 70 , 105 or 150 mm?
Except the price... ;-)
Thanks

The longer ones give you more distance to your subject so you don’t scare it away.

I just ordered the Cannon 100mm f/2.8. I will let you know when I start posting photos with it. Thank you everyone. Looking forward to spring.

My wife uses one of them, You will love it.

Gregg, I have Sigma 70-300mm lens where between 200 and 300mm you can switch it to macro. It's quite handy and keeps me a good 3-4 ft away from my subject. I also use +1, +2, and +4 filters which also do a nice job and give me a little more flexibility with which lens to use. You've got to get pretty close with the filters so I wouldn't recommend them with anything that can fly away. I'm considering getting a +10 close up filter so if anyone has any experience with those or has posted any pics using one, I'd like to hear or see...