My Favorite Macro Lenses!

[d2mini]

I love my Fuji 80mm. @d2mini what do you think of the Fuji 60mm macro? Any others your recommend from the Fuji line up?

The 60mm.... meh. Kind of how I feel about the nikon 60. It'll do the job if you need a shorter focal length.

Great post. I just got my first macro for Nikon but it’s the 40mm I wish I got the 90mm instead

It's such a wildly different focal length though so get the Tamron 90 when you can but don't regret having the 40 because it will still come in handy.

 

[BeardedMcG]

It has a very cool feature that I had to discover because I did not read the manual. The focus ring clicks fwd and back on the lens body which changes from auto to manual focus.

Agree it's super easy to switch from AF to manual. Only downside is when I kept it in my bag it switched every time I pulled it out. I also seem to have dust building up inside so I have to do more and more retouching when I use it. Sony didn't do a good job sealing them.

 

[AZMSGT]

I use Canon glass professionally. I use the MP65 super macro, 100mm and 180mm. As well as many other lenses. In the original posting the OP uses Amazon links to the gear. I would not advocate amazon for camera equipment. Shop local first, then if local doesn't have what you are looking for go to Adorama or B&H for online shopping.

I haven’t done any reef photography yet. I can say these lenses all have their best and worst capabilities.

Only yesterday did I try to shoot any fish in my tank.
The attached image was shot with the Canon EF 100L 2.8 L IS USM
1250 ISO, 2.8f 1/160s
Using an EOS 5Dsr
The file was rather large so I had to shrink it to be forum friendly. Also I use Adobe Lightroom to adjust the colors. Darn blue lights.

Here's a closer view for detail.

 

[d2mini]

I use Canon glass professionally. I use the MP65 super macro, 100mm and 180mm. As well as many other lenses. In the original posting the OP uses Amazon links to the gear. I would not advocate amazon for camera equipment. Shop local first, then if local doesn't have what you are looking for go to Adorama or B&H for online shopping.

I haven’t done any reef photography yet. I can say these lenses all have their best and worst capabilities.

Only yesterday did I try to shoot any fish in my tank.
The attached image was shot with the Canon 100L IS USM
1250 ISO, 2.8f 1/160s
Using an EOS 5Dsr
The file was rather large so I had to shrink it to be forum friendly. Also I use Adobe Lightroom to adjust the colors. Darn blue lights.

Nice Purple Tang!

B&H is great, but Amazon is fine too. Just be smart. Pay attention to who the seller is (Amazon directly or one of the big box stores like B&H, Adorama, KEH, etc). Amazon makes it so easy to return if you got a poor copy. I've ordered tons of photography equipment from them, no issues.

 

[ghermes]

90mm Sony G-Series Macro OSS E-mount is a stunning lens for A7-A9 series etc.



It has a very cool feature that I had to discover because I did not read the manual. The focus ring clicks fwd and back on the lens body which changes from auto to manual focus.

What do I see attached to the front of your lens. Kinda looks like a coffee can?

 

[SuncrestReef]

I went all out on my Nikon 200mm f/4 macro lens for my Nikon D610 camera. It's a bit of a beast to handle, but an amazing lens. The guys at Avast Marine were kind enough to custom build a 14" long top-down porthole for this lens since it has a 10" working distance on focusing.

 

[Garia666]

I’m looking for a macro lense for my new iPhone 11 pro. Any suggestions for that?

 

[Daniel@R2R]

I use Canon glass professionally. I use the MP65 super macro, 100mm and 180mm. As well as many other lenses. In the original posting the OP uses Amazon links to the gear. I would not advocate amazon for camera equipment. Shop local first, then if local doesn't have what you are looking for go to Adorama or B&H for online shopping.

I haven’t done any reef photography yet. I can say these lenses all have their best and worst capabilities.

Only yesterday did I try to shoot any fish in my tank.
The attached image was shot with the Canon EF 100L 2.8 L IS USM
1250 ISO, 2.8f 1/160s
Using an EOS 5Dsr
The file was rather large so I had to shrink it to be forum friendly. Also I use Adobe Lightroom to adjust the colors. Darn blue lights.

Here's a closer view for detail.

I went all out on my Nikon 200mm f/4 macro lens for my Nikon D610 camera. It's a bit of a beast to handle, but an amazing lens. The guys at Avast Marine were kind enough to custom build a 14" long top-down porthole for this lens since it has a 10" working distance on focusing.

Great pics!!

 

[bar|none]

What do I see attached to the front of your lens. Kinda looks like a coffee can?

same AVAST tube you see above^^^ for shooting top down in water.

 

[ebeez]

I'm using a Canon 7D Mark II with a Canon Macro Lens EF 100mm IS USM

 

[PanRoasted]

The Canon 100mm 2.8L is an OUTSTANDING lens. I highly recommend.

 

[inktomi]

100x would recommend the Sony 90mm f2.8 if you're using a Sony e-mount body. I've had nothing but great results with it in both photos and videos.

I also have a set of extension tubes which are a great way to get macro results from non-macro lenses. They were free with points from buying some other stuff, so I thought I'd try them. Be sure that if you're using extension tubes they pass through any electronic data from your lens - not all of them do. Not all extension tubes allow autofocus as well - so be aware of that.

The issue with those top down portals from Avast (I use them too!) is that you can't ever use manual focus with them. Not an issue for some cameras (my a7r does fine autofocusing in my tank) but not all bodies will be so happy to nail the focus for you every time.

 

[bar|none]

M

....
The issue with those top down portals from Avast (I use them too!) is that you can't ever use manual focus with them. Not an issue for some cameras (my a7r does fine autofocusing in my tank) but not all bodies will be so happy to nail the focus for you every time.

Hmm. I don’t have that issue. I screw the set screws onto the focusing ring which is very beefy on the 90mm. Then I can push pull to change between auto and manual focus. Twist the portal in manual mode to manual focus. Works great, but i agree it was not obvious at first.

 

[inktomi]

M


Hmm. I don’t have that issue. I screw the set screws onto the focusing ring which is very beefy on the 90mm. Then I can push pull to change between auto and manual focus. Twist the portal in manual mode to manual focus. Works great, but i agree it was not obvious at first.

Tighten them on the focusing ring! haha! That makes sooooooo much sense.

Thank you! This is going to save so much trouble.

 

[d2mini]

Yep, that's the way to do it... should work on most lenses.
Just may depend on how much of the lens you really need to cover and the location of the focus ring.
BTW... am I the only person who has dunked too far and gotten water inside the portal? ;Wideyed ;Hilarious Oops.

 

[bubbaque]

Yep, that's the way to do it... should work on most lenses.
Just may depend on how much of the lens you really need to cover and the location of the focus ring.
BTW... am I the only person who has dunked too far and gotten water inside the portal? ;Wideyed ;Hilarious Oops.

I’ve dunked it way too many times. I now try to put my finger near the edge of the porthole so I can feel it get cold before water flows into it.

 

[SuncrestReef]

Yep, that's the way to do it... should work on most lenses.
Just may depend on how much of the lens you really need to cover and the location of the focus ring.
BTW... am I the only person who has dunked too far and gotten water inside the portal? ;Wideyed ;Hilarious Oops.

Ha! I’d have to submerge mine 14” before getting water inside. That’s a great advantage, but the drawback to such a large tube is the buoyancy. It really pushes back if I move it too deep and can make it difficult to get the subject in view. I almost need 3 hands to aim the camera and tighten the tripod knobs!

 

[bubbaque]

Dennis with your pics are you using a tripod?

 

[d2mini]

Ha! I’d have to submerge mine 14” before getting water inside. That’s a great advantage, but the drawback to such a large tube is the buoyancy. It really pushes back if I move it too deep and can make it difficult to get the subject in view. I almost need 3 hands to aim the camera and tighten the tripod knobs!

haha!
Yeah i couldn't deal with that monster. But I don't use a tripod.

 

[d2mini]

Dennis with your pics are you using a tripod?

Nope.