Macro Lens Recommendations, Please!

[mytripsandraces]

I licensed one of my photos for use in a school book series and would like to use the proceeds to buy myself a macro lens. I bought the Pentax K-5 with a Tamron 18-200 lens, but take a lot of flower and food shots, so I need a good macro for those types of pictures. Can anyone recommend one?

If I license another photo, I'm hoping to buy a longer zoom lens, too, if anyone can recommend one of those, too?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Congratulations on the license deal.

There are several ways to get macro pictures. You can buy a macro lens, use extension tubes, or use a closeup filter.

A macro lens is the easiest to use, but it is also the most expensive solution. I'm not familiar with Pentax macro lenses, so I can't recommend a specific lens.

Extension tubes work with your regular lenses. They move the lens further away from the sensor. That allows you to focus much closer. The downside is that while you can focus closer when the extension tubes are on, you can't focus far away. They are cheap and light weight. They work well, but I find them a pain to work with. Because they go between your lens and your camera, you have to get ones that work for your lens mount. Most people I know buy the Kenko brand ones because they are much cheaper than the OEM brands and work just as well.

Closeup Filters are like reading glasses for your lens. You screw them on like a filter. Like extension tubes, they allow you to focus closer than you normally would but you lose the ability to focus far away. Because it is a filter that screws onto the front of your lens, you can get any brand that fits your lens.

I use a 100mm macro lens what I want to go out "macro" shooting. More often, I just throw some extension tubes or a closeup filter into my bag and use them with my normal lenses. It saves space and weight.

If you want to get serious about macro, it doesn't stop with buying the lens. The problem with shooting macro is that it is hard to get enough depth-of-field. In other words, part of your subject is in focus but the rest is out of focus. To get around that problem, you need to use a very small aperture, which means that you end up with low shutter speeds. You can attack that problem in two ways - use a tripod or use flashes. If you do macro with a tripod, I recommend some kind of focusing rail. If you want to use flash, you'll want either a ring flash or special macro flashes.

Don't let me scare you off from macro shooting. You can have a lot of fun with a macro lens or a closeup filter. Like everything with photography, if you really want to get serious about it, you'll find yourself wanting that other gear.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

I use a Vivitar 100mm f3.5 on my Pentax bodies, has a very cheap plasticky feel but dont let the scare you away from it! Its very sharp and a pleasure to use....

 

[HPS3]

Like Mark said, be aware of the narrow DOF. I shoot with a Tamron 60/f2 DiII. It's very sharp, as most macros are, and internaly focuses so the barrel doesn't extend. Just to give you an idea about the DOF, I think this is shot around f4-f5.6 at an angle. I'm not sure about the aperture exactly because I shoot with a Nex with manual adapter.


Up Close and Personal by Harry Shields, on Flickr

 

[mytripsandraces]

Congratulations on the license deal.

There are several ways to get macro pictures. You can buy a macro lens, use extension tubes, or use a closeup filter.

A macro lens is the easiest to use, but it is also the most expensive solution. I'm not familiar with Pentax macro lenses, so I can't recommend a specific lens.

Extension tubes work with your regular lenses. They move the lens further away from the sensor. That allows you to focus much closer. The downside is that while you can focus closer when the extension tubes are on, you can't focus far away. They are cheap and light weight. They work well, but I find them a pain to work with. Because they go between your lens and your camera, you have to get ones that work for your lens mount. Most people I know buy the Kenko brand ones because they are much cheaper than the OEM brands and work just as well.

Closeup Filters are like reading glasses for your lens. You screw them on like a filter. Like extension tubes, they allow you to focus closer than you normally would but you lose the ability to focus far away. Because it is a filter that screws onto the front of your lens, you can get any brand that fits your lens.

I use a 100mm macro lens what I want to go out "macro" shooting. More often, I just throw some extension tubes or a closeup filter into my bag and use them with my normal lenses. It saves space and weight.

If you want to get serious about macro, it doesn't stop with buying the lens. The problem with shooting macro is that it is hard to get enough depth-of-field. In other words, part of your subject is in focus but the rest is out of focus. To get around that problem, you need to use a very small aperture, which means that you end up with low shutter speeds. You can attack that problem in two ways - use a tripod or use flashes. If you do macro with a tripod, I recommend some kind of focusing rail. If you want to use flash, you'll want either a ring flash or special macro flashes.

Don't let me scare you off from macro shooting. You can have a lot of fun with a macro lens or a closeup filter. Like everything with photography, if you really want to get serious about it, you'll find yourself wanting that other gear.

Wow! Thank you for the info! It sounds like I can try both of those options before deciding to spend money on a macro lens. I've resisted taking photography lessons, because I'm afraid to lose the look of my pictures (apparently, I have an "eye" - I have one picture in a book series, one in a museum, several on websites, plus portraits for friends), but I really should learn more about the technical aspects, so I can use my camera more effectively.

I use a Vivitar 100mm f3.5 on my Pentax bodies, has a very cheap plasticky feel but dont let the scare you away from it! Its very sharp and a pleasure to use....

Thank you! I'll check it out. I'm not worried about using Pentax lenses. My current lens is a Tamron.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

I'd love to see your pics! Please post them to the Pentax Photo thread or give us a link!

 

[HPS3]

Me too! I wanna see some.

 

[Golf4food]

For a great Pentax lens look no further than the DA 35mm f/2.8 Ltd Macro. It is phenomenal. I often use it as a walk around lens (as do others), not just for macro work. It is a 1:1 macro but will take great wide shots when stopped down as well. Worth every penny. On the Pentaxforums.com there is even a thread debating if it is the best Pentax lens ever made (only slightly tongue-in-cheek - it has a ton of devoted followers).

http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-35mm-2-8-Focus-Macro/dp/B0015CRAZA

 

[mytripsandraces]

I'm back into the research phase. Thank you for the suggestions - I'm continuing to shop and review. I may hit up B&H next week (it's a block from my office) to see how things work with my camera.

For those wanting to see pictures, all of the pictures I took on my Disney/DCL trip in January were taken with a Pentax (either K-5 or Optio W60). Here is the link to my collection in flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/collections/72157628910173813/. Any tips/suggestions welcome!

 

[mytripsandraces]

Here are the pictures I took at the Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America awards: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/sets/72157629993071041/.


I really like the effects in some of them, but I was frustrated not to be able to take good close-ups of the various pastries.

 

[photo_chick]

I've resisted taking photography lessons, because I'm afraid to lose the look of my pictures (apparently, I have an "eye" - I have one picture in a book series, one in a museum, several on websites, plus portraits for friends), but I really should learn more about the technical aspects, so I can use my camera more effectively.

A good instructor will help you refine what you're already doing if you have a style established rather than try and change that. The trick is finding a good instructor.

 

[mytripsandraces]

A good instructor will help you refine what you're already doing if you have a style established rather than try and change that. The trick is finding a good instructor.

Very true - I did take a class once and it was not a great experience. It was meant to be a technical class (how to use the camera and to discover all of the features), but the instructor focused on the students who had her preferred type of camera.

 

[handicap18]

I agree with Mark. Macro isn't easy. It can be very rewarding, but it takes a lot of work. A fews ago I bought the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro. Got it used for a good price. Its a great piece of glass. I took some macro shots when I first got it, but got frustrated with it. I used it a few other times for non macro shots, but that was about it.

I ended up selling it last year for $100 less than what I paid for it because it sat in my closet and got hardly any use.

You REALLY have to have a passion for macro to spend that kind of money on a VERY specific lens.

Just my $0.02.