Looking for macro lens for Sony A550

[wisbucky]

I have been looking for a while now for a macro lens for my Sony A550. I will be using it for taking photos of flowers and insects mainly. I have been looking at the following three lenses.

Sigma 105mm F2.8
Tamron 90mm F2.8
Sony SAL100 F2.8

and recently someone asked me to consider the
Sigma 150mm
Which I think is priced way to high for my needs.

Since I only have taken close up shots of flowers and insects with my 18-250mm with okay results I really don't know which lens is the best for me. I want more definition, sharpness and DOF. With the 18-250 I was getting shadowing, and of course the little critters failed to understand my command of stay.

Any help from the experts here would be greatly appreciated. I plan on spending several days this year at the flower and garden festival taking photos and I want a lens I will not be dissapointed in. As far as budget I am willing to pay for what I get.

 

[ukstitch]

I can personally recommend the Tamron because that's what I have - I've always been happy with the pictures I've taken with it. I've not tried any of the others though so I can't specifically say if they're better or worse.

www.dyxum.com is a good site for looking at lenses for sony cameras - there's normally plenty of reviews on the popular lenses and the average scores provide a good way of comparing the lenses.

 

[wisbucky]

I can personally recommend the Tamron because that's what I have - I've always been happy with the pictures I've taken with it. I've not tried any of the others though so I can't specifically say if they're better or worse.

www.dyxum.com is a good site for looking at lenses for sony cameras - there's normally plenty of reviews on the popular lenses and the average scores provide a good way of comparing the lenses.

Thanks I am checking out the site now. Can you tell me if you have taen photos with of flowers and insects and have great results with detail.

 

[HPS3]

I just bought the Tamron 60mm f2 and love it. The lens is internal focusing so the the barrel doesn't extend. When I bought it last month there was a $100 rebate. Also, the minimum focusing distance is the same as the 90mm so it's not that close I think it's 4 inches.


Carly by Harry Shields, on Flickr

Up Close and Personal by Harry Shields, on Flickr

Pollenator by Harry Shields, on Flickr

With the bee picture I was probably 4 inches away. The only thing I'm not used to is the extremely narrow DOF in macro.

 

[ukstitch]

Hopefully these will show up... These are all pictures I've taken with it attached to my A55. The bottom one is obviously not macro, but I thought I'd include it to show that it's a reasonably versatile lens that isn't specifically limited to macro and I quite regularly take mine out if I'm shooting in low light.

 

[bob100]

I have been looking for a while now for a macro lens for my Sony A550. I will be using it for taking photos of flowers and insects mainly. I have been looking at the following three lenses.

Sigma 105mm F2.8
Tamron 90mm F2.8
Sony SAL100 F2.8

and recently someone asked me to consider the
Sigma 150mm
Which I think is priced way to high for my needs.

Since I only have taken close up shots of flowers and insects with my 18-250mm with okay results I really don't know which lens is the best for me. I want more definition, sharpness and DOF. With the 18-250 I was getting shadowing, and of course the little critters failed to understand my command of stay.

Any help from the experts here would be greatly appreciated. I plan on spending several days this year at the flower and garden festival taking photos and I want a lens I will not be dissapointed in. As far as budget I am willing to pay for what I get.

depends on your budget, I use a Tamron 90mm 2.8 macro on a Canon and it's great for insect and flower macros and portraits

 

[wisbucky]

depends on your budget, I use a Tamron 90mm 2.8 macro on a Canon and it's great for insect and flower macros and portraits

My budget is not high priority as getting a good lens that will do the job properly. I will be taking photos from anywhere between 8 inches to 4 feet away.

 

[zackiedawg]

I also have been using a Tamron 90mm F2.8 macro on my A550 (recently replaced with an A580). It's a solid performing lens and a good bargain for the prices you can find them for - I actually bought mine used for under $100 - can't beat that for the performance. I've used it primarily for flowers and bugs...

 

[LordAthens]

Pollenator by Harry Shields, on Flickr

With the bee picture I was probably 4 inches away. The only thing I'm not used to is the extremely narrow DOF in macro.

I'm going to take a guess and say that you know this, but I'll say it for those that don't. Stopping the lens down (IE, increasing the f stop number) will increase your depth of field. At 2.8 you have less DOF than at 5.6 or 8, for example. I wouldn't go past f/11. Due to diffraction, the image stars becoming softer and losing detail. If I'm shooting engagement rings or something along those lines, I try to shoot at 5.6-8.

 

[wisbucky]

I am very impressed with the photos taken by zackiedawg with the Tamron 90mm. Does anyone know how much difference there might be between the 90mm and the Sigma 105mm and Sony 100mm. I have seen several articles about the Sigma 105mm being stripped by the Alpha. Anyone have any input on this.

 

[HPS3]

I understand DOF and f stops. I'm just used to shooting portraits and landscapes. At f8, portraits and landscapes have plenty in focus. I find that when in macro and focusing really close even f8 doesn't give you a great deal of DOF. I'm just saying that I wasn't aware that shortening the focusing distance had that much affect on DOF even at narrow apertures.

 

[wisbucky]

Can someone give me the difference between the Tamron non di and the di version out. I am wondering if I would be better off spending the money for a new di version. I am also wanting that Sigma 105mm but would like input on it from someone who has it.