Just a Macro Lens to go: thoughts on this one please...?

theMusicMan

theMusicMan

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Hey All...

Got the zoom lens today, now just the Macro one to go. After asking on here for advice et al, I am thinking about this one;

photo_17-70.jpg


I have an Olympus E400: your thoughts on this lens with that camera please. Thanks all.
 
What sort of stuff you going to be using it for? Thats not really a 'true' macro lens, as it doesn't do 1:1 magnification. What sort of budget are you looking at? Ive got the Sigma 150mm f2.8 and I love it to bits. If thats a bit too expensive, then you could also look at the Sigma 105mm f2.8, which lots of people swear by. Also if you are going to be using it purely as a macro lens, then I would say a prime lens really is the way to go. The increased sharpness gained from it being a prime lens is very usefull for macro shots, and I can't see any benefit from having a zoom macro lens.
 
As stated thats not a true macro..it just focuses a bit closer than others in that range..how about the sigma 70mm..supposed to bevery good indeed.
 
Many thanks for the advice guys - I guess it's a general purpose Macro lens I am after. I will look into the two mentioned as these have been suggested to me before.

I was under the impression that a Zoom Macro could be more useful than a fixed focal length macro lens. I still very much have loads to learn eh :)

Thanks so much for the pointers.
 
Messiah Khan said:
What sort of stuff you going to be using it for? Thats not really a 'true' macro lens, as it doesn't do 1:1 magnification. What sort of budget are you looking at? Ive got the Sigma 150mm f2.8 and I love it to bits. If thats a bit too expensive, then you could also look at the Sigma 105mm f2.8, which lots of people swear by. Also if you are going to be using it purely as a macro lens, then I would say a prime lens really is the way to go. The increased sharpness gained from it being a prime lens is very usefull for macro shots, and I can't see any benefit from having a zoom macro lens.
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I second what MK is saying, but with a bit of a twist. The crop factor on the nikon is 1.6 (I think), giving and EFL of 240mm. But on the Olympus the crop factor is 2, so the 105mm Macro will get you an EFL 210mm, or 300mm for the 150mm. Minimum focus distance remain the same.
 
Chillimonster said:
I second what MK is saying, but with a bit of a twist. The crop factor on the nikon is 1.6 (I think), giving and EFL of 240mm. But on the Olympus the crop factor is 2, so the 105mm Macro will get you an EFL 210mm, or 300mm for the 150mm. Minimum focus distance remain the same.
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1.5x for a Nikon, but thats a very good point actually. 300mm might be quite tricky to use on occasions. Having said that, if you also wanted to use it for non macro shots, then 300mm could be a nice length. On the 1.5x crop body, I find the 150mm a bit of an inbetween length. Often too long for general shots, and not quite long enough for wildlife shots etc.
 
Thanks for the advice all... I took a trip over the water to Bristol Cameras and decided to grab the Olympus 35mm f3.5 Macro Zuiko Digital lens.

OK, it's only f3.5, but for a noob like me, it's all I'd need. I took a few snaps with it at the store and I was very pleased with the results - so an impulse purchase was made - along with an additional battery and a few skylight filters.

All in all I am a happy chappy... also been to Dunelm Mill store today and got hold of 3m * 2m of black matte material to use as a backdrop for the portraits of my son I want to have a go at. Gonna have a fun afternoon with my Sister in Law and her partner first - experimenting with what to use etc.

Good times ahead :)
 
Good choice, a lot of oly owners are very happy with that lens (especially considering the price).

Dont forget we need pics! :D
 
Chillimonster said:
Good choice, a lot of oly owners are very happy with that lens (especially considering the price).

Dont forget we need pics! :D
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Sure thing Chilli...

A little bug is here - the first with my new Olympus macro lens.

... and my daughter is here... which is my first portrait shot.

Loving this so far, and receiving some great help from everyone on here - thanks.
 
Macro images need small apertures to get some depth of field. You have probably found out for yourself by now that the amount you get in focus with macro is very small. Even at F11 it is still pretty shallow....

Enjoy the learning curve :)
 
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