DPReview.com is closing April 10th - Find out more

Lens comparison for macro work

Started Feb 20, 2022 | Questions thread
John K Veteran Member • Posts: 9,870
Re: Lens comparison for macro work

Janer_2 wrote:

Macro guy wrote:

I completely agree with John K.

I think that what he's trying to tell you is that macro is a VERY specialized field and requires specialized tools depending on the type of macro photography you're going to do. There is no such thing as a "general purpose" macro lens,

Think of it this way: At this point, you're saying that you want to be a doctor and you're asking which doctor tools are better. John is telling you that it doesn't work like that. You have to decide WHAT TYPE of a doctor you want to be. If you're going to be an orthopedist, a stethoscope does you no good. If you want to be a psychiatrist, you don't need a scalpel.

It's the same scenario here. The TYPE OF MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY YOU DO DICTATES YOUR CHOICE OF EQUIPMENT.

Just to clarify; I've never asked for a general purpose macro lens. I have however asked for user experience regarding four specific lenses, which some apparently seem to ignore...

...and what we are trying to tell you is that they are all pretty good, and the one you choose will be determined by the light source you want to shoot with and how you want to shoot...

To explain a bit further, the type of answer I am looking for would be information regarding how well someone finds "lens A" to be in terms of sharpness, stabilization for handheld or if they found a tripod necessary at all times...

...depends on the light source again. I doubt you are going to find anyone who has owned every lens that you listed in the OP, but from what I and others have seen they all perform about the same. You could always look at the MTF charts for each lens, although the best lens for the job will be the one that works with your technique and light source. Funny how that works

Look no one here is trying to bully you -we are all trying to give you the benefit of our experience. I do not think that you are going to find a detailed comparison of the lenses that you are considering, and at best you will just get fan boys that will tell you that "X" lens is the best because that is the one that they use.

Do you really want some help, or are you just looking for someone to make you feel good about buying one of the lenses on your list?

Post (hide subjects) Posted by
(unknown member)
(unknown member)
(unknown member)
(unknown member)
(unknown member)
(unknown member)
(unknown member)
Keyboard shortcuts:
FForum PPrevious NNext WNext unread UUpvote SSubscribe RReply QQuote BBookmark MMy threads
Color scheme? Blue / Yellow