Macro lens recommendation

893bet

Hi,

I have a Sony a390 camera.

Could someone recommend a macro lens that will fit? Want to take some watch close ups?

Second hand or new.

Thanks,

flashinthepan

I have a Sony a77 and I picked up a Tamron SP AF 90 F2.8 di Macro with A mount and find it really great
Tack sharp :-)

There is also the older Minolta macro lens will fit your Sony as Sony bought out Minolta and kept the A mount
so something like this will also work great
https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Excellent-w-Hood-Minolta-AF-Macro-100mm-F-2-8-new-for-Minolta-A-from-Japan/333789612429?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item4db769498d:g:JFQAAOSwCatfsGtG&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACcBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%252Fn%252BzU5L90Z278x5ickkCrLl8erj3ATP5raQxjc%252F%252B1g%252B2MIiwzfRRi0MUW%252F1%252BuaTu%252Be2uoRTHkgiWgLrCRMMbH3Iu9j2mDEjf4IhZMzkbTzoENa%252F7iuiUaDykp9D5Yk5J06YSEV0M8O6ORRMaPT1XmekRryARjW%252BL1PmVDsAlZxYEaN6jE4er%252F1H9WEu0Oa2ne7zZhCXu24QWsTylI%252BKnUACBAOVP87TN9VIbipGxF%252B0T8Mkh9BvIKTOcboErKxjkqaOKoAI8MhKdEq6SLW3%252B0HwDNh4SjZn5YYoYR5GM3E6mDhijEsgpxNBJu848biUZsousO6vESanBb%252FWipPq6nn6yZY54lwcMuFPNazeNyJ6Byw1mgo%252FSsu%252Fo1%252FgUR6fXFgKkM0jKUrkqnsYgzLVkrj0%252FltTigSrPdeL%252FNQUk1WKT84pkY8SxMYhEtRr4%252FcKYqm9%252FELY0w0UUF%252FNPTIbX5qF73N4AWII5Ld7XtUpbWc2oRlf0tmvmdB3JRnHs58fNjAxxocFVeNCtIcg9dt47TYZixzMqhnGhQyURYca8hxBGKnreY2D0pI7M82dhXIAX3iCQN2b7eC5YuowizZZ5f7%252Bn9Kz6itAOH3hjwplILZEHYbtsAlqd8N1W1E6Ym%252FAt6H7R1pDgSpN8fYrDJC4yD4xSsx%252FmmIkl5zsxZWVVMSAzYfkv5mKLTcl3DUpApLufzK27OLmWwKXMOrF7xatvsF6C4VZ7J57j324pRhuRsvuTrPmqldp97i4T6YoI00hjLg3E8YF2NFbS3LbQ4NupkrfMx7sMyoNSGWYb48a3A%253D%253D%7Ccksum%3A33378961242936f8f9f4cfdc44d39a88b5cd9c2d9dd4%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2334524

This will also work on your A390
https://www.adverts.ie/lenses/sony-a-mount-lens-minolta-af-28-85mm-f-3-5-4-5/20449812
It has a macro switch that you slide while turning the zoom ring to get to macro distance
Also google minolta macro hack :-)
I have a couple of minolta lens's that have the macro switch and it is useful
But if you are after top quality shots you are best with a dedicated macro lens :-)

The Important thing here is that what ever make of macro lens you get it needs to be A-Mount

Irishphotodesk

893bet wrote: »

Hi,

I have a Sony a390 camera.

Could someone recommend a macro lens that will fit? Want to take some watch close ups?

Second hand or new.

Thanks,

Off the top of my head there’s some reverse ring filter thing which allows you to use whatever lens you have backwards which somehow also makes it possible to shoot at closer than minimum distance required for lenses to focus, which should get the images that you need.

Failing that, how close do you want to get ? There’s a canon mp-e65 (manual focus macro lens) on adverts at the moment, I can supply a canon camera if you can persuade the owner to loan it to you for the pics.

Salmon Leap

893bet wrote: »

Hi,

I have a Sony a390 camera.

Could someone recommend a macro lens that will fit? Want to take some watch close ups?

Second hand or new.

Thanks,

I use a Sony A68 and still use my old A390 at times too. I also use the Tamron 90mm f2.8 as well. (272E model) and it is a good lens. You should be able to pick one up on eBay reasonably priced. I got a mine in mint condition from a Japanese seller a couple of years ago.

Heebie

flashinthepan wrote:

I have a Sony a77 and I picked up a Tamron SP AF 90 F2.8 di Macro with A mount and find it really great Tack sharp :-)

I have this lens in a Pentax mount and find it is optically really nice. Price was right, too.
(Optically the mount shouldn't make much difference)

893bet

Thanks for the recommendations. Keep them coming. I have no clue about photography to be clear so just want a lens that I can pop straight on and it will look.

Links welcome. Preference for less than 200 if possible.

One option below from your suggestions. Assume I would get hit with customs etc

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/224186330665

893bet

New on Amazon def interested me....thoughts? As mentioned total beginner and just want a lens that I can plug and play with for up close shot of watch movements and watch hand etc.


Sony SAL30M28 A Mount - APS-C DT 30mm F2.8 Macro SAM Prime Lens https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002QRBDYC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ejzTFbR3G4BM5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Second hand from Finland
https://kamerastore.com/product/sigma-50mm-f2-8-ex-dg-macro-7/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAqdP9BRDVARIsAGSZ8AkjBmEUt8pss4NUsxQv7tJQe0WfDx8Ew65FLvTgzSq5B5_qi03ALA8aAuH-EALw_wc

flashinthepan

Yep if you buy from Japan there is a chance you could get caught for customs :-(
But it may be so busy that it gets through

If on the other hand you wanted one sooner you could possibly go for this 50 mm macro
https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Minolta-AF-2-8-50mm-Macro-f-Sony-A-Mount/143840074752?hash=item217d895c00:g:TrYAAOSw-rVfrrxI

Looks in great condition and a good price

bearing in mind I got a mail the other day from an post saying be prepared for customs charges on goods bought from UK from Jan 1st

DaireQuinlan

Just as an aside, a lot of Japanese sellers use Fedex, so not only will you absolutely 100% have to pay whatever the applicable VAT and duty is on the item (which I'm totally ok with) , Fedex will add on their 'handling' fee, which is typically about €19 or so, which I'm totally _not_ ok with. Gougers.

893bet

893bet wrote: »

Sony SAL30M28 A Mount - APS-C DT 30mm F2.8 Macro SAM Prime Lens https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002QRBDYC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ejzTFbR3G4BM5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Got this one in the end!

893bet

For macro do people generally crop their images to remove out of focus parts? or is there a way of getting the whole image in focus?

flashinthepan

The out of focus area is a shallow depth of field :-)
To increase the area in focus you can up the fstop to a higher number so instead of having a value of say 2.8 you can up it to f8 and maybe not so much of tilt on the subject
The image will get darker as you go up in the value so you compensate by increasing the shutter time

But I must say I like the Bokeh ( out of focus ) and the shots are nice :-)

Gregor Samsa

893bet wrote: »

For macro do people generally crop their images to remove out of focus parts? or is there a way of getting the whole image in focus?

Shallow depth of field goes with the territory in macro. Most of the time, it's tolerated as a composition technique, so you just have to be careful which bits you get in focus. Almost always with macro, you'll be using manual focus. In a controlled setting like a studio or indoors, you can use a tripod and take your time getting the focus right. Out side, it's often not that convenient (especially if your subject it a flower blowing in the breeze), so the best thing to do is to set a focus on the camera based on the magnification you want (macro lenses will have a scale on the barrel), and then focus the shot by moving yourself back and forward ever so slightly and carefully. A high speed burst while you move can help get the part you want in focus. Macro photography outdoors is a bit of an endurance test, but it's fun.

There is a post processing technique called "focus stacking" that creates a fully in focus image. Basically you take lots of photos with a different bit successively in focus (called "focus bracketing", and then stack them together to use all the in-focus bits to make the full image.

Some cameras have a focus bracketing feature that automates taking the photos. Some cameras even can do the focus stacking in camera (they seem to be mainly Olympus and Panasonic). But you can do it with any camera and software - either dedicated focus stacking software or manually with the likes of Photoshop. There's plenty of YouTube and web tutorials about the various techniques involved, but a focus rail (a type of camera mount you put on a tripod that has rails and precision wheels to move the camera forward or back) makes life easier (failing that, the burst mode I mentioned above).

Gregor Samsa

Nice pics by the way, 893bet.

Obviously you’re doing a great job with the lens you got, but if you do start getting into macro more, one thing to bear in mind is that a longer focal length lens will give you a greater working distance.

You probably had to get quite close to the watch to get 1:1 with the 30mm lens. I’ve both Sony 50mm and 100mm 2.8 macros that I use on an a77 (and sine last week, on an a7iii with an adapter while I decide on a native lens), and I find that the increased working distance from the 100mm makes things much easier. So much so, I don’t actually use the 50mm at all. Now, most of my macro is live things outside, so it’s a bit of a different situation. You’ve done a great job on the watches!

Gregor Samsa

Since the OP brought it up, and I had nothing better to do this cold lock-down night, I thought I'd give macro focus stacking a go.

I've a Velbon Super Mag Slider rail mounted on a Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head, all mounted on a Manfrotto 190XPROB tripod, which together give very precise control over movement in every axis (pitch, roll, yaw, forwards-backwards and left-right, up-down). Shooting with a Sony A7iii with an old Sony 100mm F2.8 Macro (SAL100M28), mounted on an LA-EA5 adapter (the lens is A mount, the camera E mount). Used a craft ring light for quick and dirty illumination.

Here's the setup:



Had the lens at 2.8 and 1:1 magnification. So the depth of field is very shallow. I started by focusing at the far end of the watch, took a shot, then turned the forward-backward wheel on the rail a third of a turn to bring the camera back about 3mm, and then took another shot. I repeated this for 51 shots. So each shot only gets a very thin section of the watch in focus. So you're focusing by moving the camera rather than touching the focus ring on the lens. Remember, with a macro lens, the focus setting of the lens determines magnification. So if you want to keep 1:1 magnification, you have to move the camera, not refocus the lens. The rail allows for very small and precise movements of the camera.

Here's one from the middle somewhere:



Then, once I had all my shots, I imported them into my Mac and just ran them though an app called Focus Stacker. I didn't change any settings, just imported the 51 photos, let it do it's thing, and saved out the result.

Here it is:



With better lighting and a bit more care and attention to the adjustments on the rail, I probably could have done a better job. But it's not bad for a watch that's got a face exactly the same diameter as a 1 Euro coin. I'll attach a full size JPEG to the next post so you can see the full detail. There's probably better software too, and the stack images could do with proper processing and editing. I just wanted to try the process myself, and demonstrate the concept.


Personally, I think the thin depth of field in your photos makes things much more interesting. It gives the feeling of looking closely at something very small - of seeing into a world you wouldn't usually see. There's a place for focus stacking, but I think it produces much less interesting images. It's just a watch. Only bigger.

Gregor Samsa

Here's the full size stacked image attached. (I had to reduce the JPEG quality to get it under the 4mb attachment limit - I don't have 3rd party hosting at the moment)

Irishphotodesk

Would you be able to achieve the same image (slightly different angle) if you shot the image with the lens/camera directly over the subject?
... Or had the subject parallel to the lens, less need for stacking and would potentially make the workflow faster.

Or maybe the angle is what you wanted instead of straight on, it's been a while since I did product photography but it was more about getting it right first before taking the photo, long before stacking was created..... I'm old and remember taking photos before Photoshop was available.

Gregor Samsa

Well, the angle would be completely different if you shot it square on the face. And this was only a demonstration of the technique, since the OP asked about it.

Also, not all items are as shallow as a watch face, so you can't always set it up so that the whole thing would be focus at 1:1 magnification.

Focus stacking is also used in landscape photography, where you can get items close up and far away in focus in the image together while using a large aperture.

The weird thing about focus stacking is that you look at the final image and think "Yeah, so what? It's just a picture of something in focus". It's only when you take into account the limitations optical physics introduces into macro (or large aperture photography) that you realise that any kind of process is needed to get such a mundane image in the first place.