Your favorite MF macro lens?

phinix said:

What is your favorite macro manual lens?
Maybe some vintage one, like Vivitar 135mm 2.8?

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Nikkor MC 105 Z lens with the Af switch set to MF.

Suntan said:

phinix said:

What is your favorite macro manual lens?
Maybe some vintage one, like Vivitar 135mm 2.8?

Click to expand...

Nikkor MC 105 Z lens with the Af switch set to MF.

Click to expand...

Right...

For many years the Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x adapted to Sony FF was my favourite, but now it's the Laowa 90mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO. The MP-E hasn't been touched since that arrived a few months ago.


Crab spider on dandelion. Handheld focus bracketed. Approximately 1.5x

That’s a great picture. I was thinking about a laowa lens but holding back since its manual. I really like the in-camera focus bracketing. I wonder why they haven’t produced an auto focus 2x lens?

Nikkor 55mm/f2.8.

Marceppy said:

That’s a great picture. I was thinking about a laowa lens but holding back since its manual. I really like the in-camera focus bracketing. I wonder why they haven’t produced an auto focus 2x lens?

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Thats the thing - I would like to finally try focus bracketing with my Zf, but then I would need to go with AF lens. Is it worth it? Or should I just ignore that feature and use MF lens?

photoholiko said:

Nikkor 55mm/f2.8.

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Is it hard to use with its MFD?

OM 90mm

Tamron 52b but only 1:2

I am sure any MF Laowa is going to be better but I just use tamron sp90 f017 on dslr for its magic vr and afc close in and a Z mc105 on a z6. Both are pretty good in MF though the Tamron is better with a mechanical focus.

phinix said:

Marceppy said:

That’s a great picture. I was thinking about a laowa lens but holding back since its manual. I really like the in-camera focus bracketing. I wonder why they haven’t produced an auto focus 2x lens?

Click to expand...

Thats the thing - I would like to finally try focus bracketing with my Zf, but then I would need to go with AF lens. Is it worth it? Or should I just ignore that feature and use MF lens?

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Im leaning toward AF . I’ve used my MPe65 for years but rarely now and decided to sell it. The in camera feature is nice but also requires some upgrades. I looked at BH reviews for the Laowa 100 ef mount tripod collar … only 3*. The lens seems ok but still leaning to AF.

Actually, the focus lubrication as dried up has frozen the ability to focus.
To use it I mount it on a Nikon Belows. Stil love this lens.

phinix said:

Marceppy said:

That’s a great picture. I was thinking about a laowa lens but holding back since its manual. I really like the in-camera focus bracketing. I wonder why they haven’t produced an auto focus 2x lens?

Click to expand...

Thats the thing - I would like to finally try focus bracketing with my Zf, but then I would need to go with AF lens. Is it worth it? Or should I just ignore that feature and use MF lens?

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You can still focus bracket with an MF lens. You just need a macro slide rail.

But it is tedious manually, while an AF lens and the in-built focus bracketing feature makes it effortless.

Marceppy said:

phinix said:

Marceppy said:

That’s a great picture. I was thinking about a laowa lens but holding back since its manual. I really like the in-camera focus bracketing. I wonder why they haven’t produced an auto focus 2x lens?

Click to expand...

Thats the thing - I would like to finally try focus bracketing with my Zf, but then I would need to go with AF lens. Is it worth it? Or should I just ignore that feature and use MF lens?

Click to expand...

Im leaning toward AF . I’ve used my MPe65 for years but rarely now and decided to sell it. The in camera feature is nice but also requires some upgrades. I looked at BH reviews for the Laowa 100 ef mount tripod collar … only 3*. The lens seems ok but still leaning to AF.

Click to expand...

I lusted after in-camera focus bracketing since I switched to Sony (started with A7rii), but by the time I got to the A1, they *still* didn't support it. At that time, about 3 years ago, I realised that the only AF macro lens I used was the Sony 90/2.8 anyway. Everything else was MF or no focus at all.

So I decided to "try harder" at manual focus bracketing, and I'm really glad I did. It didn't take long to get good enough (most of the time) and I kept the flexibility to use any lens I wanted. MF (MP-E65), AF (Sony 90/2.8) or even microscope objectives and other lenses.

Here's an early effort, parasitic wasps emerging from shield bug eggs. I used continuous shooting at 12 fps with flash. The setup was on a monopod and rocked slowly towards the subject during exposure. Stacked in post with Zerene stacker. Magnification around 2.5x on sensor.



I used the lens from an old Minolta DImage film scanner for this one...



...mounted on an M42 helicoid to give some zoom capability. This lens is brilliant at 2x with better resolution than any macro lens I know of!



In summary, manual focus bracketing isn't hard to master, it just takes practice. During exposure(s) you can move the whole camera setup toward the subject, move the subject toward the lens (e.g. insect on a leaf) or rack the focus ring (if there is one). Of course, you can still use a rail if you prefer - but I think they're too cumbersome in the field and best in a studio macro context. Handheld and manual focus bracketing is "freer" in practice and allows for far more lens options.

Cheers

Beats

Your image of the wasp hatchlings is awesome. Nice setup too. I think you have mastered the manual focus technique. I’ve watched several tutorials on it but the in-camera focus bracketing is sooo easy, I’m inclined towards AF. Still on the fence tho. I can almost reach 3x w/AF enabled + ICFB. Canon hasn’t produced a RF to EF adapter so I can’t use a RF lens with my EF gear yet.

Vega 11u -- it's a Soviet-era 50mm f/2.8 enlarger lens that I use with bellows on an OM-D E-M5. The lens itself has no focus adjustment, only an aperture ring (which I usually keep at f/8 or 11).

nprnncbl said:

Vega 11u -- it's a Soviet-era 50mm f/2.8 enlarger lens that I use with bellows on an OM-D E-M5. The lens itself has no focus adjustment, only an aperture ring (which I usually keep at f/8 or 11).

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Any good enlarger lens is worth trying on a bellows or on a helicoid adapter.

I like the 50mm f/2.8 EL-Nikkor, and also particularly the 65mm version.

Generally, look for a 6-element lens rather than 4-element.

Don

Hi,

After a few months, I'm curious as to which set up M or A focus you find yourself using most? Also is there a type of shot where you favour one over the other?

Cheers

Richard C

RichVic said:

Hi,

After a few months, I'm curious as to which set up M or A focus you find yourself using most? Also is there a type of shot where you favour one over the other?

Cheers

Richard C

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If I'm focus bracketing for macro then it's always a manual focus method, even with an AF lens. I will use AF for single-shot, not-so-close stuff though.

The A1 recently got an update with in-camera focus bracketing. Utter pants for macro IMO. It tries to be too clever, adjusting step size based on a number (1-10 for "small" to "large") which appears to be scaled according to focus distance and aperture.

It's sooooo slooooow too - not good for skittish live critters!

And it only works with AF lenses, of course, with a lot of third-party glass unsupported. Maybe even no 3rd-party support, I don't know.

So (Sony's) in-camera bracketing might be OK for landscapes and product photography, etc, but I don't find it at all useful for macro. Very glad I learned "the hard way" - which I find faster, easier and more flexible.

Cheers

Beats

RichVic said:

Hi,

After a few months, I'm curious as to which set up M or A focus you find yourself using most? Also is there a type of shot where you favour one over the other?

Cheers

Richard C

Click to expand...

For outside and close up eg of bees, I try to use afc. This works ok-ish with a Tamron sp90 f017 on a fast dslr. Prefocussing a MF lens can work but not as close as 1:1 imo.
Used to photo a bit inside on the bench using a tethered camera at maybe 2:1 or 3:1. This needs a lens with a motor than the software can control via the camera.

I also use a macro rail if there is time ( don’t have a motorised rail ) and there it is the camera that is shifted. Likewise burst mode is with a lens in MF

Have tried in/ camera stacking with a Z6 - Nikon’s algorithm is not really up to detailed macro work. Fine for landscapes or not so close stuff.

Dont do anything closer than 2:1 eg extreme macro where AF is pretty useless.