macro set up (macro guru's please help)

famas

famas

famas

Soldato
Joined
12 Dec 2004
Posts
3,284
Location
the south
Hi all

Im after a new macro set up, some thing that will give me super sharp images with as much magnification as possible. mostly snapping bugs and insects.

ideally i would love to have a MP-e 65, but as im from the dark side of the force and use nikon this is out of the question.

At the moment im looking at the sigma 150mm with a set of kenko extension tubes. I've read this lens is pretty sharp, how does it compare to the mp-e/nikon 105?

Another thing i've noticed is the minimum aperture is 22, Which the lens would be stuck at if using manual tubes, will this be the same case with the kenko, and if so will it give to shallow a DOF?

What sort of magnification will this setup give?

As i understand a longer focal lengh with give me more working distance, is this the same case when using extension tubes?

For similar money is there a better lens choice than the sigma?

As far as im awear the only way to get close to the mp-e x5 magnification is to use bellows, i think these will be to expensive and cumbersome to use. would it be possible to use 2 sets of kenko tubes? or will the light fall off be to much/ the extra tubes have no effect?

Is there a better setup to be had? I've heard of reversing lenses? im not to familiar with this and have heard image quality suffers and working distances are tiny.

finaly im after some lighting to.

i've been looking at the Sigma EM-140 DG Flash. Is this a worthwhile investment, or for similar money is there a better option. i've seen the Nikon R1 Speedlight for £100 more, is it worth the extra cost and is having two flashes over a ring flash any benefit?

sorry for the million questions, as you can see i'll be spending a fare amount of money so want to get the best setup as possible.

thanks
Dan.
 
I cannot comment on any other lens as I have not used one, so I am unable to compare. However, I find the Sigma 150mm Macro a really good lens. It is very sharp and feels very sturdy as well. I find it a bit of a pain when trying to autofocus on an insect or something, but generally manual is the way to go for this anyway.

Some photos I have taken with mine:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3353/3191401240_c768807d7f_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3329/3190554385_951cb099a4_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3472/3190553927_b7d20e9c18_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3351/3190553251_710276c08e_o.jpg
 
I don't think you can go wrong with the 150mm Sigma. f22 is a small enough aperture. Any smaller and the lens performance will fall off due to diffraction.
The Kenko tubes should pass all the electrical information between camera and lens but I find a full set awkward to use with my 105mm Micro-Nikkor. Forget about using two sets as they probably won't be up to the weight of the lens. Two sets still won't give you an extra 1x magnification so you need to look at alternative solutions.

The usual one is to either use close-up 'filters' on the front of the lens (but they must be good ones, not the cheapies from the auction site) or to reverse a shorter prime lens on the front of the 150mm. Using a 50mm lens like this will give you three times magnification. Do you really need more?

Another option is to use a teleconvertor then an extension tube then the 150mm. In this configuration the teleconvertor magnifies the extension rather than the focal length of the lens but you'll still have light loss due the increased extension. I must actually try this with my 105mm to see if it suits me. I've had a couple of courses from someone who combined both the above approaches to get 15x magnification!

I think the R1 is a wonderful device because it's so flexible. I often use one of the SB-R200 flashguns on its own, either on a tall bracket or just held high in my left hand. As it's cordless I can stop it firing just by pushing down the camera's built-in flash. And, of course, I can add more SB-R200s plus it'll work alongside my SB-800 if needed. Only problem for you would be that it can't be used using the reversed lens technique but that would apply to a ring flash too.
 
Last edited:
I've got the sigma 150mm and have to say its very sharp:

IMG_5109.jpg


My only gripe is the autofocus isn't too quick. Not a problem for macro as manual focus is better but makes it less useful for a general telephoto.
 
Absolutely love my Sigma 150, but have to say that if I was specifically after something for super-macro work I'd probably actually buy a decent prosumer/superzoom cam and use a Raynox DCR-250 attachment.

I've used the raynox on both my D200 and an old Sony H1 superzoom and the Sony setup is much nicer to use, although a bit slow and with crap noise... not up to date with current superzoom models but find one with decent IQ and low shutter delay and it'll give you awesome results.
 
cheers for your replys guys.

i have to say i think im leaning towards the 150mm at the moment and liking snapshots idea of reversing a 50mm or using a teleconverter to get 3x. even with the image quality lost the 150 should still produce pretty sharp images.

i take it that using the 150 with just a 50mm reversed on the front the working distance will be pretty small?
would the 150 + a 2x teleconvter + tubes give a better working distance? as this is an important factor for me.

thanks for your input as well king, i think my next purchase will be the R1 flash, as i think lighting is by far one of the most important parts of macro work, so id like to stick with the d90.
having a quick look at the raynox am i right in saying its pretty much like a close up filter? if so could i use it on the 150, or is it Specifically for bridge camera's?

thanks for all your help so far.
 
I use the Sigma 105mm Macro and find it a very usable bit of kit. I have yet to get a really decent image using my extension tubes but I haven't really tried all that hard if I'm being honest.

Here are a couple from the 105mm

3412276858_6c780fcfcf_o.jpg


2939311930_ddc5144f42_o.jpg
 
Its pictures like that which make me want a macro lens next. great shots. look forward to seeing your results famas when you make your purchase :cool:
 
Wow they're exceptional shots! I bought a set of Kenko extension tubes for that reason but I'm having trouble getting really sharp images with it.
 
i believe these were taken at 5x mag, i think you'd need about 5 sets of tubes all stacked together to get anwere near as much magnification as that. Totally imposible to do tho :)

this is why im considering reversing a 50mm ontop of a 150mm, or using tubes + teleconverters. Or changing to canon (PUKES) for the mp-e
 
yeah that was a thought as well, but there about £550 plus all the extra bits you need, also as i understand you can only use them by reversing a lens, which i'd have to get as well and ontop of all that they look very cumbersome to use for a long period of time.
on the plus side with the bellows extension you can get 23x mag :)
 
SteveOBHave said:
You might have more luck and possibly less expendature with a set of bellows. you can get up to 11x from those.
Click to expand...
But only with a very short focal-length lens. With a 150mm lens you'd need over 1.5 metres of extension.....

@famas: you can't get high magnification and good working distance. A 150mm lens will get you off to a good start but as soon as you start adding extras to increase the magnification the working distance is going to plummet. Reversing a short lens on the front is the best route for optical quality at high magnification with reasonable handling.
 
Last edited:
+1 for the Bugma (Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro) its a cracking lens heres some of mine from last year

2771592648_245df50b90_b.jpg


2765865366_deeb9f024a_b.jpg


Nikon D80 with the Bugma and Nikon SB800
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom