What Macro lens do you use?

Unbrok3n

This is for all the posters in the macro forum. Ive seen some amazing shots! but never a mention of a lens, setup, flash, etc. Maybe its a secret, but if youre willing to share, please post a pic and the lens/flash/tripod you used etc. I want to get into it, and im weary of which lens to get.

Skippy

Unbrok3n wrote:

This is for all the posters in the macro forum. Ive seen some amazing shots! but never a mention of a lens, setup, flash, etc. Maybe its a secret, but if youre willing to share, please post a pic and the lens/flash/tripod you used etc. I want to get into it, and im weary of which lens to get.

Hey there Unbrok3n,
What gear have you got so far, are you using Canon? Nikon? or other?
This is going to make a difference to what lenses are going to suite your needs. .... Skippy
.

Unbrok3n

Im more interested in seeing some good macros and seeing which lenses took them. I have a nikon D80, 35 1.8ais, 18-55vr, 70-300vr, 50mm1.8, and reversing ring, and Im looking at the sigma 105, the tokina 100, and the tamron 90.

NikonsandVstroms

This shot is with a Sigma 50 mm 2.8.



I love this lens

Unbrok3n

any more bites?

Robinivich

I'll bite

Here's a handheld exposure, canon 50 f1.8 with a full set of Kenko extension tubes, mounted on an XT, with a 430EX being handheld off camera (with shoe cord)


Here's my newer setup in action, Sigma 150mm macro on a 40d, extension tubes also in use, and I got a wimberley bracket for the same flash as above. In use this setup is a lot easier to use. I can be quite a bit further away from my subject and I don't need to hold the flash separately. I also like that the sigma has a nicely rounded aperture, even when quite stopped down I don't get the lopsided pentagons the 50mm gave me. They were generally not an issue, but for some subjects (anything near a spider web, for example) the OOF highlights could be really distracting.

Skippy

Unbrok3n wrote:

This is for all the posters in the macro forum. Ive seen some amazing shots! but never a mention of a lens, setup, flash, etc. Maybe its a secret, but if youre willing to share, please post a pic and the lens/flash/tripod you used etc. I want to get into it, and im weary of which lens to get.

Many of Brian (Lord V's), Dalentech, RodgersDA, Courierman, and a few others including myself, are taken with a Canon MPE-65,
but you cannot use it on a Nikon.

Also folks use the Canon 100mm, but again you can't use it on a Nikon.

Extension Tubes are also very popular, many folks use those too,
they are available for most Camera's.

Personally I find the Extension Tubes to be a great asset,
as you can use them on almost any lens you have.

Not sure I'm really being helpful to you .... Skippy
.

jogle

I've got the Canon 100mm and a set of extension tubes, but I have heard very good things about the sigma 105mm macro.

More importantly then the choice of lens, look at the lighting in the macro shots you like. To get decent depth of field you will be at f16 or higher which means you need a lot of light to get hand holdable shutter speeds. If you have a decent flash, get an off shoe cable and a small softbox, or if you will mainly be shooting in direct sun, get some small reflectors to help fill it in.

The lovely people in the macro forum are very good at sharing their secret sauce, I've learnt a lot in there.

brettcoon

Tamron is a great deal
I picked up a Tamron 90mm macro off ebay a couple years ago for about $200, and it's a great macro lens for the price. It's available in various mounts, super sharp, and a nice size. I've since added a Nikon 105 VR macro to my collection, but I haven't yet decided if it's worth the price premium (and relatively huge size). I'll be selling one of the two, and I haven't yet decided which.

-Brett

pathfinder

The 90mm F2.8 Tamron macro, the Sigma 105 f2.8 macro, the Tamron 180mm f3.5 macro, and the Sigma 150 f2.8 macro are all excellent optics. They are all available for the Nikon mount.

The 60mm f2.8 Nikkor macro is also superb.

There has been dozens of threads discussing macro lenses, lighting, and shooting techniques here on dgrin. A quick search will turn them up. Here are a couple to get you started.

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=25164

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=13417