Devaji
7500 Club Member
I have the 70-200mm 2.8 was wondering how much I would use the macro lens over what I got.
hopefully I find a macro lens in the next few months.
show us some pics after all this is the photo thread
My Favorite Macro Lenses!
- Thread starter d2mini
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hopefully I find a macro lens in the next few months.
show us some pics after all this is the photo thread
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d2mini
5000 Club Member
You could try an extension tube set which will give your current lens some decent closeup capability.I have the 70-200mm 2.8 was wondering how much I would use the macro lens over what I got.
hopefully I find a macro lens in the next few months.
show us some pics after all this is the photo thread
Might be a good option if you don't think you'd get much use out of a true macro lens.
Devaji
7500 Club Member
I have thought about those for years. I think i'll like a true macro tho. I had one years ago and it was fun.
thanks for the link tho. it's a nice back up for sure.
Devaji
7500 Club Member
Hey @d2mini so looks like there are 3 versions or 3 remakes of the Tamron 90mm
I believe this is the 2nd version but with VC control is this the one you have and reviewed or the new one.
this looks like it barrel focus and not the extending tube like G1?
sorry to bug you but figgured you would have some feedback.
from the research i have done the Tamorn is better than the Nikon 105 and the sigma. good for them.
I believe this is the 2nd version but with VC control is this the one you have and reviewed or the new one.
this looks like it barrel focus and not the extending tube like G1?
sorry to bug you but figgured you would have some feedback.
from the research i have done the Tamorn is better than the Nikon 105 and the sigma. good for them.
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d2mini
5000 Club Member
The one i had was from the early 2000's and no VC.Hey @d2mini so looks like there are 3 versions or 3 remakes of the Tamron 90mm
I believe this is the 2nd version but with VC control is this the one you have and reviewed or the new one.
this looks like it barrel focus and not the extending tube like G1?
sorry to bug you but figgured you would have some feedback.
from the research i have done the Tamorn is better than the Nikon 105 and the sigma. good for them.
Joeganja
2500 Club Member
As someone who owns the Canon RF 100mm F2.8 and has owned the EF version along with shooting both the Sony and the Nikon Macros I cannot recommend the canon enough for its significantly faster focusing lesser focus breathing than the Sony. Nikon I’d put at second place and although I own a few Fuji’s I couldn’t go with their macro due to the performance I had achieved with the Canon along with the better autofocus found in my Canon R6 MKII over my Fuji bodies. I will be getting extension tubes one of these days.
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d2mini
5000 Club Member
Very nice!
Gumbies R Us
Certified Noob
Awesome looking pictures!As someone who owns the Canon RF 100mm F2.8 and has owned the EF version along with shooting both the Sony and the Nikon Macros I cannot recommend the canon enough for its significantly faster focusing lesser focus breathing than the Sony. Nikon I’d put at second place and although I own a few Fuji’s I couldn’t go with their macro due to the performance I had achieved with the Canon along with the better autofocus found in my Canon R6 MKII over my Fuji bodies. I will be getting extension tubes one of these days.
beautiful shots!As someone who owns the Canon RF 100mm F2.8 and has owned the EF version along with shooting both the Sony and the Nikon Macros I cannot recommend the canon enough for its significantly faster focusing lesser focus breathing than the Sony. Nikon I’d put at second place and although I own a few Fuji’s I couldn’t go with their macro due to the performance I had achieved with the Canon along with the better autofocus found in my Canon R6 MKII over my Fuji bodies. I will be getting extension tubes one of these days.
Are you shooting through the wall of the tank to get these? And how are you getting the light "right"? Everything I shoot looks just washed out blue (brand new, and trying to pick through threads for how to take pics of this hobby...)
Joeganja
2500 Club Member
Thank you. And yes I always shoot through the glass. I don’t have any port to put the lens inside and try to get closer. I first of all make sure the glass is significantly clean on both side and adjust my lighting on my tank along with adjusting my white balance on my camera. I’ve been into photography a long time so I know the fundamentals and how to correct that really overblown blue hue. And I also typically turn off all the pumps but the biggest thing is adjusting my tank lighting for the time being to take the photo by increasing their whites and then adjusting white balance on my camera. And the only time I ever edit photos is to correct the fish or coral’s colors as to keep them as accurate as possible. I never like to oversaturate or add too much vibrance.
Appreciate it! That makes a lot of sense, I thought you were somehow getting "normal" white balance from the overwhelming blues --- but you're getting it "right" in the tank first, which is likely way easier!
I should check the Mobius app and see if there's a way to turn on "picture friendly" lighting for a moment and then resume my normal schedule without having to reprogram constantly...
Thanks again for the help!
Joeganja
2500 Club Member
In mobius it’s light demo mode under scenes and you can control all the colors and then it’ll have a timer for about an hour or you can manually turn it back to your normal schedule. That’s how I do it.
Oh nice, I see I can set up a limited time scene and then set the WB in there easily.
Appreciate the help!
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d2mini
5000 Club Member
Yep, i do the same! I have a setting on my GHL light that I turn on specifically for photos. It gets me close and then I can make adjustments in post if needed.
The GHL also has a "photo mode" that prevents issues from led flicker.
I'll need to add this to the original article but I've been using a LAOWA 90mm 2:1 lens on my Nikon Z mirrorless camera. It's manual focus only but I prefer the more dreamy rendering over the Nikon 105 macro!
Here's a few recent photos with this combo... uncropped.
How about for micro 4/3's like Olympus?Hi all!
I get this question a lot.... "what lens (or macro lens) should I buy?"
So I figured I'd put together an easy to reference list of my personal favs.
If you are looking for your first lens, outside of the kit lens that may have come with your camera, I always suggest a good Macro lens.
My macros are by far my most used lenses when photographing my tanks because they are the most fun!!!
Here's my quick list broken down by popular camera systems.
Tamron 90mm 1:1
This is without a doubt, the best value in a macro lens!!!!! It's the one I recommend most often.
It's easily got 95% of the optical performance of the name brand lenses from Nikon and Canon but at half the price.
You would have to be doing some crazy pixel peeping to be able to see the difference.
IMO, it's probably the best performing third party lens, period, as far as being compared to its name brand cousins.
Tamron really hit it out of the park with this one.
For Nikon: https://amzn.to/2pkpFu2
For Canon: https://amzn.to/347MxLZ
For a little bit extra, you can get the "VC" version, which stands for Vibration Control.
This can help with hand-holding at low shutter speeds, giving you can extra stop or two. But I tend to turn this off whenever possible because it can cause the images to not be quite as razor-sharp as without. But it can come in handy sometimes so some people like the option of having it.
For Nikon: https://amzn.to/2pUJZlN
For Canon: https://amzn.to/2NcIRla
Nikon 105mm 2.8 VR
The Nikon AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm is a beautiful lens for full-frame Nikon shooters.
I shot with the Tamron above for many years and then finally decided to get this lens. As I stated earlier, you get a few % better optical quality, but you also get a better build quality and Nikon's VR (Vibration Reduction). But it's a little bigger and weighs twice as much as the Tamron. It also doesn't focus quite as close but that's due to having a longer focal length. The longer focal length may be a reason for you to choose this lens over the Tamron if you have a larger, deeper tank. If you must have the top name brand version of a lens and don't mind the longer focal length, this may be the lens for you. But even when I was shooting this lens, I still recommended the Tamron to most people.
Canon 100mm 2.8L
This is the one lens on this list that I can't PERSONALLY recommend, only because I do not own Canon cameras. But from everything I've heard and read, I would not hesitate to offer it as a great option to Canon shooters. Canon is known for its "L" lenses, so if you are a Canon shooter, this one is definitely worth a hard look.
Fuji 80mm 2.8 OIS Macro
I've recently made the switch from Nikon to Fuji and a large part of that decision was based on the performance of this lens. It is my new favorite macro lens, even more so than the Tamron. It's just stunning, and if you own a Fuji X camera, I would slap you silly if you did not purchase this lens. Sometimes, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between images coming out of this lens and any of the others mentioned, but when you get everything JUST right... O, M, G. The details it can resolve are just amazeballs.
Olympus 30mm 3.5 Macro
And finally, what's a list of anything without the underdog?
There aren't many Micro 4/3 shooters out there but there should be.
You get all the benefits of a DSLR in a tiny package. There are limitations, but it still beats the heck out of a phone or little point and shoot camera.
So for those on the fence, thinking about getting into a nice little DSLR camera system, the Olympus Micro 4/3 cameras are definitely worth a look.
There are not many options available for macro, but luckily Olympus makes their own and like their other pro glass, it's actually a really good performer.
This will give you more of a 60mm field of view when compared to full-frame 35mm systems.
Extension Tubes
It may be worth a look. It's a way to achieve closer focusing with standard lenses at a cheaper cost than buying a dedicated lense.
Some people like to use them as a way to see if they will shoot macro enough to make it worth the cost of purchasing an actual macro lens.
I do not have experience with extension tubes so I can not recommend any. If you do have experience in this area, feel free to talk about your findings in the comments below.
Below are some examples taken with the various lenses above (except the canon).
With most of these, I couldn't tell you which were taken with which camera and lens without looking at the EXIF data. Which says a lot. This means any of the lenses mentioned above (except for the canon in my case) are a solid choice. If anyone needs further assistance in this area, feel free to ask here or PM me. Good luck, and have fun!!!
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d2mini
5000 Club Member
I had olympus for a little while about 10-12 years ago and only had experience with the Olympus macro, I believe it was a 60mm? It performed well for a 4/3. I could probably dig up some old pics when I have time.
But that was the only macro I tested on that camera.
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d2mini
5000 Club Member
The Tamron I recommended can be found in that range if you forgo the version with vibration reduction, which isn't really needed anyway. And if you are willing to go with manual focus, I highly recommend the Laowa 2:1 I recommended a few posts up.
Check out the used market for good savings and just in general, manual focus will always be a lot cheaper.
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