Guide to Macro Lenses

EXTENSION TUBES
Lens Mount adapter with Extension

15mm ultra wide 1:1
24mm PROBE Lens 2:1
5X Macro lens
Sony 50mm 1:1
Tamron 90mm f2.8 to f64 1:1
Tokina 100mm 1:1
Laowa 100mm f2.8 2:1
Voigtlander 110mm f2.5 1:1
IRIX 150mm Macro Cine Lens 1:1

[mattgranger]

Enjoy folks! Links to gear shown:
EXTENSION TUBES
Lens Mount adapter with Extension

15mm ultra wide 1:1
24mm PROBE Lens 2:1
5X Macro lens
Sony 50mm 1:1
Tamron 90mm f2.8 to f64 1:1
Tokina 100mm 1:1
Laowa 100mm f2.8 2:1
Voigtlander 110mm f2.5 1:1
IRIX 150mm Macro Cine Lens 1:1

[frankluo]

As one of the most famous Nikon fans and long term nicknamed the Nikon guy on YouTube, you didn't do Nikon micro justice in this episode. Nikon has long produced some of the best macro lens. Ais55mm af60mm af70-180mm macro, af micro 200f4 ed-if. Even dx 40mm isn't half bad. Nikon knows two things their long prime lens their micro lenses. F mount also has the legendary Voigtlander 125mm F2.5, ZF100 makro although at 1:2. I bet they are a cut above those new Chinese Korean offerings in terms of image quality.

[JS-tckt]

Surprised you didn’t mention the bellows method. It’s not for everyone, but it does have a compelling case use, and there are many “used” bellows at bargain prices.
Great video! Thanks.

[peterrose]

Maybe I missed it, but you didn't mention that a lens+extensiontube combo will not allow one to focus to infinity (Maybe there are exceptions). Very good rundown of available glass. Though for a budget shooter like me, extension tubes seem to be the far more balanced option (great results with the right lens pairings for the price of a piece of aluminium frankly).
Cheers

[henningmartin]

@18:09 In fact, you do loose light by using extension tubes!
Another disadvantage of them is, of course, that you can't focus to infinity anymore.

[Comalv]

I have bought the laowa 100mm during this quarantine to take photos of my watches and I absolutely love it, I wanted to pull the trigger since you did your first hands on more than a year ago!

As a Canon Macro shooter I miss the mighty Canon MP-E65mm 1-5x Macro in a "Guide to Macro Lenses".

Also, the focus on focus rings feels a bit weird. For video it is one thing, but when you're using a lens for photos at greater than 1:1 magnification, you're not going to bother finding the focus by turning the focus ring. You move yourself (and the camera) ever so slightly closer or further away and take the shot when the correct part of the subject is in focus.

[somdov]

Watched about 50 videos trying to decide on a macro lens but this is the best and you've helped me end my search. thanks

[MeAMuse]

A couple of things I would highlight to people wanting to do macro if they are a Sony shooter. Old macro lenses are super cheap. My Mrs loves her Canon 50mm FD F3.5 lens for macro. It is small and relatively light. She uses it on her Sony APS-C with an adapter during wildflower season here in CA. It was about $100. I have heard that the Nikkor AIS F2.8 Micro is one of the sharpest lenses ever. I actually wish I had bought that one for her (bought a Nikon film camera later - so would be nice to use it on that). It's around the same price. The 50 / 55mm tends to work well for APS-C because it fits the form factor well and gives you a good working distance once you take into account the crop factor. If you are looking for Macro for Sony Full Frame... the one Matt does not have is there is the 90mm F2.8 G. It is a truly amazing lens, super sharp, and much better working distance for full-frame - but is heavy! It also a pretty good portrait lens (although it is so sharp it can be a little unflattering by showing all the pores in someone's skin). Recently though I have found that I just use my 100-400mm GM. It has a surprisingly short minimum focus distance and I carry it hiking with me anyway (may even get an extension tube). I am thinking I may just sell the 90mm as I rarely want to carry the 100-400 and the 90mm on a hike.

[chrisogrady]

I’ve had an old Tokina 100mm macro for years and it’s really surprisingly good, even for regular photography it renders beautifully

[SomeonewithaSony]

Recently purchased the Laowa 2x 100mm and absolutely love it. Sharp as sh*t with no CA. Replaced my Tokina 100mm which replaced my Tammy 90mm.

[amdenis]

Also, SONY's G 90mm Macro is a phenomenal macro lens, and is one of the sharpest, best designed lenses I have ever used.

[nelsonclub]

Hey Matt - right up my street - again - I use all 3 of the Irix Cine lenses - I've been a pro for 30 odd yrs - commercial and fashion - studio operator now retired but still have the creative buzz - I now do close ups of cut flowers (Lilies etc) in B+W (backlit) and 'scapes' for dare I say it 'fine art prints for sale'!! Yeah I know; but the reason I went for the Cine versions (11, 45, 150) mounted to a Sony A7RIv is:-.
1). I can use a follow focus on the 150 - even with a macro rail focus is critical - even with the Sony A7RIV - *** and focus stacking and HDR and 9 frames stitched and well you got this far you may as well pixel shift as well - takes time ***- but boy is it worth it - printing onto Giclee and French paper is a sight to behold and I used to print Cibachromes from
2). Consistency in all 3 lenses. Same size fronts and stuff -
3). They look epic - sorry but they just do
4). Price.
5) Their regular lenses are not available in Sony E Mount
6). I have manual aperture control - on the lens where I use another remote FF to control that too.
I sold my GFX 50S kit and it paid for the whole
Kept the Broncolor lights as consistency of light is crucial here
One is very happy
*** I don't actually do any of that in reality except the pixel shift which is a truly wondrous thing
Stay safe - keep posting - we all need you now.

[spelunkerd]

For amateurs looking for creative ideas, don't count out some of the new phones. I was pleasantly surprised by my Iphone 11, it's got a surprisingly close focus and DOF. You need a tripod mount for the phone, and excellent light. The result is far less expensive than any dedicated macro lens, and better than any of my conventional non-macro Canon glass. The wide angle view from a phone up close feels more realistic compared to longer glass. I tried using extenders to get closer with my canon L lenses, but I found the lens ended up so close it was difficult to light the subject. As technology allows pixel count to rise in tiny sensors, some of the old yardsticks regarding sensor size and image quality can be eclipsed. I've also tried digiscoping with a dissecting microscope and a phone held a phone mount, with similar results.

[shmuelaryehkoltov]

There are a lot of interesting macro lenses, even older ones, such as the Nikkor 105mm f2.8 Micro AIS, even though it's only a 1:2 magnification (and hence not a true macro lens). Add an extension tube, and you'll get there. That's the beauty of macro photography, while you definitely can spend a lot of money, there are enough cheap and great options, allowing anyone to get into it.

One thing I missed a bit in this video, is talking about what kind of macro photography the various lenses could be good for. As in, why and when would you pick the Laowa 15mm f4 macro over the 100mm f2.8 lens, just as an example.

[laszlokladni]

On a full frame sensor (24 MP or along these lines) the Laowa ultra macro is showing diffraction softening at f/5.6 at 5x because its effective aperture is f/33.6 so having f/16 is already overkill with effective aperture between f/56 (2.5x) and f/96 (5x) that's why it is a trap to tell people, especially beginer macro shooters, to stop down as they like it because their images won't be sharp. Diffracion softening starts at even wider apertures on smaller sensors (or very high resolution full frame ones like the Sony A7RIV) like f/16 with a sensor of crop factor of 1.5x instead of f/32 with the FF sensor.

[ChaitanyaShukla]

For people interested in ultra wide macro check photos by Kurt Orion Mystery, Jasmine Vink, and few others. That Laowa 15mm Macro is extremely tricky lens to use(I shot few wide angles of Hump noses pit viper with that lens) but at the same time very much highly recomended by Herping community.
Edit: there is such a thing as effective aperture associated with Mag ratio. Also Diffraction which creeps in much quicker at High mag ratios due to smaller effective apertures.

[lowfatedes]

For sufficient working room and effectively perfect optics, Canon and Nikon have 180/200mm pro macro lenses which are unsurpassed for macro work. Also, I like that you included the extension tubes, I was hoping you would.

[randyfox]

Legit question: why were no Canon lenses shown as an option? They have a nice 5:1 ratio MP65. The 100mm is a tack sharp lens too.
Or should the title have been "Guide to Macro lenses for Sony and Nikon"? (no, honestly, it would have saved us Canon owners from watching all of this)
Great video for those who are Sony and Nikon owners though. Thorough!

[MrGflan]

I’m a canon snob, and was really impressed by the Laowa lenses. Excellent construction and image quality. I find them very similar with no noticeable image degradation compared to canon