Help me pick a macro lens.

Yevoc · Dec 30, 2020

So after much debate I did pick up a Sony a6400.

Still waiting on holiday shipping but I am now trying to decide the right macro lens. Still a beginner here as this is the first camera I will own with interchangeable lens.

I've read, I've watched I've made a list. Price low to high.

1) The 16-50mm kit lens. Not macro but paid for. I've bought a couple extension tubes and I want to see what I can get out of it.

2) 7artisans 60mm F2.8 APS-C Macro Lens
Pros: Super cheap. Seems fairly good at least from reviews and Youtube.
Cons: Never heard of 7artisans. Weird lens. Manual focus. Fixed focal length. Would hate to get dust way down in that.

3) MEKE 85mm F2.8 Manual Focus Aspherical Medium Telephoto Full Frame Macro Lens with Portrait Capability for Sony E-Mount Cameras
Pros: Affordable. Good reviews again. Actually telephoto as well.
Cons: Another off brand. Manual focus.

4) Sony SEL30M35 30mm f/3.5 e-mount Macro Fixed Lens
Pros: Sony glass. Good reviews. Simple and was designed for the Sony APS-C. Image stabilization and auto focus.
Cons: Fixed focal length. Silver( sorry I am vain)

5) Sigma 271965 70mm F2.8 Art DG Macro for Sony E, Black
Pros: Sigma is a better brand than the cheaper options. Flexible focal distance. Auto focus.

6) Sony SEL90M28G FE 90mm f/2.8-22 Macro G OSS Standard-Prime Lens for Mirrorless Cameras,Black
Pros: My high end choice. Every bell and whistle. Optical steady shot, auto focus. Doubles as a solid portrait lens.
Cons: Cost more than my body and kit lens (ready for the get use to it kid comments)

So all in all I am looking for advice on what macro lens to get. Goal here is to simple be able to document the grow out of my 240G with SPS. Not a professional or even a coral seller needing to do this for a living.

Some general thoughts from a couple hours of Youtubing lens reviews. Seems like every lens even the $159 7artisans can take your run of the mill table top macro shot, as in a watch or some coins on a desk. I am trying to differentiate what are the needed features to take in tank shots. If I wanted to drop a grand on the Sony 90mm I think the conversion is over but I am not sure I need that lens. It seems and it makes sense that auto focus is not really a requirement?

Auto focus on macro lens seem to be painfully slow anyway and it makes sense that it is never really going to know which blob of purple we are trying to focus on in tank.

To tele or not to tele, that is the question. So again beginner here, so the fix focal length lenses literally just have one set focal point that is generally very short? That makes them generally pretty useless in aquariums no? My tank is 3 feet front to back with alot of the coral 2 feet out from the glass. I am not going to be able to reach those with a fixed focal length lens?

Comments, guidance, and other lenses welcome (Sony e-mount).

jent · Dec 31, 2020

I would personally try to look at 100mm options. You can't get closer than the glass but you can always go back. I feel like 100mm is ideal with my 2ft wide tank

ReefBeta · Dec 31, 2020

I have the two sony lens. The 90mm is the way to go. 30mm is useless as marco lens for aquarium, because it need to get as close as a couple inch from the object. Even the 90mm, to shoot stuff 12" into the tank the lens is touching the glass already.

The matter sounds more about auto focus manual focus. Unless you're super comfortable at manual focus and enjoy doing it, get an auto focus lens so that you don't hate yourself later.

Spazizz · Dec 31, 2020

Have you tried macro tubes?

ReefBeta · Dec 31, 2020

Spazizz said:
Have you tried macro tubes?

I tried one with my first sony a6000. Didn't work at all because the lens can not manually adjust focus or aperture, and the tube don't pass the connection from body to the lens. But even it work, the focus distance is still way too short. It might work if you have a 200mm+ lens.

King Turkey · Dec 31, 2020

ReefBeta · Dec 31, 2020

Also consider Olympus Tough TG-6 Waterproof Camera. It's an all in one that can also do marco, and cheaper than those lens. You can stuck it in water right next to the coral to take pictures. Got that tip from reef dude. Haven't try it myself yet.

Spazizz · Dec 31, 2020

Here’s a quick shot with my sigma 16 I just got. You can get 4 inches close. its not a dedicated macro lens but it can be a multi purpose lens. I’m still learning with this lens.

zalick · Dec 31, 2020

I have the Sony a6500 and I use the sel90 for my macro lens. I use it for diving and it's absolutely amazing. Never used it in my tank but maybe I should try!

I also have the 16-50 and use it a lot too but yeah not really macro. I have a idas flip that I use with it and kinda get macro. (Only works underwater) When I'm diving and don't want only macro then it works well.

Edit: Just realized you are talking about taking shots outside the tank. Yeah, you definitely want 90mm or bigger. When diving I get inches even with the 90.

zalick · Dec 31, 2020

Continued...

I have the 16-50, the 30 and the 90. I find them all useful in the wild. I never use auto focus for macro. Like you said, it doesn't know what blob you are looking at and things move when super close.

If you can afford them all, they are all great and can be very useful if you take shots outside of the tank setting.

*I'm not photography guru by any stretch. Just love diving and taking pics while diving.

zalick · Dec 31, 2020

Yevoc said:
...

To tele or not to tele, that is the question. So again beginner here, so the fix focal length lenses literally just have one set focal point that is generally very short? That makes them generally pretty useless in aquariums no? My tank is 3 feet front to back with alot of the coral 2 feet out from the glass. I am not going to be able to reach those with a fixed focal length lens?

Comments, guidance, and other lenses welcome (Sony e-mount).

I'll try and take some pics tomorrow using the different lenses at various distances if you'd like. Should give you a good idea.

Yevoc · Jan 1, 2021

Spazizz said:
Have you tried macro tubes?

Thanks to holiday shipping I got the tubes before the camera

kev.2013 · Jan 7, 2021

I’d actually recommend the Sigma 70.

the reason being, with the apsc crop you get a 105 equivalent. I would think that if you went with a higher FL then it might be too narrow for some shooting. I personally have the 90mm and love it, but I’m also working on a FF body.

Yevoc · Jan 7, 2021

Well...
This escalated quickly and took an unexpected turn.

The final winner was the Sony 18-105.

Yevoc · Jan 7, 2021

As in not a macro lens. I thought to begin with that I required a macro for close up.

Thing is my tank is 3ft to front to back.

Reading, watching, asking, and reading more. I discovered that I was going to have issues with reaching that far with a macro.

I ended up with this telephone lens. G series, jack of all trades. Wasn't sure I wasn't making a costly mistake but went for it.

Yevoc · Jan 7, 2021

So day 1 of playing with it. Still having issues with color temp but I am solidly out of cell phone camera territory.

pixel peeked

It is nice to see the striations in the Acro flesh again.

kev.2013 · Jan 8, 2021

Yevoc said:
So day 1 of playing with it. Still having issues with color temp but I am solidly out of cell phone camera territory.

pixel peeked

It is nice to see the striations in the Acro flesh again.