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macro lens for a6000 or add lens on to 16-50 kit lens


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i just got the a6000 i'm starting to like it the more that I learn about it. One thing that I don't like is that

the marco mode .... how shall I say.... isn't very good. I like macro photography a lot so this is very disappointing. Have any of you had any good results with any macro lenses? Either Sony, aftermarket or old lens from other cameras.  I don't thnk I want extension tubes but I wondered if there was a lens that screwed onto the front of the 16-50 lens? I also don't need to be right on top of the object either. 

Maybe this next question should be another discussion started but I have an old Olympus OM-4 with some nice lenses and I wonder if there is an adapter to be able to use any of those lenses. I know that I would have to do focusing and maybe apeture manually as these don't have much in the way of elecrtonics. lol... 

thanks all

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marty - Sony makes a macro lens.  If you want to look up prices, reviews, etc it's: SEL30M35 30mm f/3.5 e-mount Macro Fixed Lens  When I bought my a6000 I bought 4-5 lens including this one.  It's okay I guess.  It is not stabilized so be aware of that.  I don't use it enough to justify keeping it so I'm going to sell it on ebay with a lot of other stuff that I'm selling.  

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I use my a6000 for macro even more than my FF bodies. 

Most of my cameras are 24MP and if I use the larger 

cameras I wind up cropping down to 12MP. The a6000 

provides that crop, and maintains 24MP :-)  

   

As for optics, I work at high imaging ratios so optics are 

not that critical. A huge tripod and tiny f/stop equalizes 

all lenses ... at least optically. But I use dedicated macro

lenses for aspects other than IQ. The a6000 has no real 

tripod interface. Yes it has a threaded hole on the bottom 

but thaz rather useless. So I prefer a macro lens that has 

its own sturdy tripod interface. 

   

Other reasons I use dedicated macro lenses are the fairly

obvious stuff ... built-in close focus ability, 100 to 200mm 

FLs, very small minimum aperture. I also depend on a 

focusing rail for final focus. Using the lens helical for final 

focus can drive you nuts.  Worse yet is moving your tripod 

for final positioning. The rail is your "zoom".  

   

Just get any appropriate macro lens, IOW not a zoom and 

preferably with a tripod interface. I have 4 different Micro 

Nikkors, plus Minolta and Sigma macros. You cannot tell 

the images apart. 

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Yes there is an adapter, many adapters, for your OM lenses. 

The Metabones is much better than the cheaper ones. But 

the Novoflex is no better than the Metabones even tho it is 

about twice the price. IOW, get the Metabones ... unless the 

$70 premium for skipping over the cheap versions will leave 

you living in a cardboard box. 

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If you use a front mounted close up lens on your 

kit zoom, your rig will be light enuf to be trusted 

to the minimal tripod interface of the a6000 body.   

   

You'll need to stop way down for DoF so optically 

the added optics do no visible harm to IQ. If you 

wanna try it with no tripod, realize that the OSS 

will be less effective ... reduced but not useless.    

       

The OSS knows the image magnification at all 

normal zoom and focus settings. When you add 

the close up lens, you have more magnification 

than the OSS "thinks" you have. Don't shut off 

the OSS but allow for a reduced benefit from it.  

   

Steadiness is important in another way. Forcing 

a zoom, especially compact kit zoom, into macro 

service brings about significant curvature of field. 

THIS IS NOT DISTORTION. It means that the 

presumably FLAT field of focus is no longer flat 

but curved. IOW the entire sensor-and-lens is no 

longer focused to just one distance all across the 

format. If it's focused to 15" in the center, it may 

be also focused to 12" half way out to the edge  

and only 9" at the far edge or corner. Bottom line

is that if you shift your aim AFTER focusing, you

shift not only your aim but also your focus :-( It's 

quite possible that your disappointment with the 

macro ability of your kit lens is due to your being  

unaware of the focus effect of curvature of field. 

Working carefully, you CAN get very fine results 

withing the built-in macro abilities of the kit lens. 

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I use my a6000 for macro even more than my FF bodies. 

Most of my cameras are 24MP and if I use the larger 

cameras I wind up cropping down to 12MP. The a6000 

provides that crop, and maintains 24MP :-)  

   

As for optics, I work at high imaging ratios so optics are 

not that critical. A huge tripod and tiny f/stop equalizes 

all lenses ... at least optically. But I use dedicated macro

lenses for aspects other than IQ. The a6000 has no real 

tripod interface. Yes it has a threaded hole on the bottom 

but thaz rather useless. So I prefer a macro lens that has 

its own sturdy tripod interface. 

   

Other reasons I use dedicated macro lenses are the fairly

obvious stuff ... built-in close focus ability, 100 to 200mm 

FLs, very small minimum aperture. I also depend on a 

focusing rail for final focus. Using the lens helical for final 

focus can drive you nuts.  Worse yet is moving your tripod 

for final positioning. The rail is your "zoom".  

   

Just get any appropriate macro lens, IOW not a zoom and 

preferably with a tripod interface. I have 4 different Micro 

Nikkors, plus Minolta and Sigma macros. You cannot tell 

the images apart. 

tripod interface is a term i'm not familiar with. is it a focus rail you are refering to? thanks

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marty - Sony makes a macro lens.  If you want to look up prices, reviews, etc it's: SEL30M35 30mm f/3.5 e-mount Macro Fixed Lens  When I bought my a6000 I bought 4-5 lens including this one.  It's okay I guess.  It is not stabilized so be aware of that.  I don't use it enough to justify keeping it so I'm going to sell it on ebay with a lot of other stuff that I'm selling.  

that sony sel sells for 253.00 on Amazon. what do you think that you might want for it just in case i might want to go that way?

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tripod interface is a term i'm not familiar with. is it a focus rail you are refering to? thanks

     

I use the term "tripod interface" to refer to the camera's ability to interact successfully 

with a tripod. Having a threaded hole in the base plate is NOT any guarantee of success.   

  

Consider the size and strength of the area surrounding the hole. Also, for two different

cameras with a similar flat area surrounding the threaded hole, the camera with the hole

located further toward the back of the camera has the better interface, cuz we add weight

to the front of the body [big lens, etc] but not to the back. OTOH if we flip the rig to vertical 

format, then the rearmost hole is a problem, cuz lens weight causes the the whole deal to 

try to rotate to a lower aim than desired ... unless we overtighten the tripod screw.  

 

There are "cradles" and "cages" for compact camera bodies that greatly improve their 

tripod interfacing. 

       

Most Sony APSC bodies have a miserable tripod interface. When I use a macro lens that 

has no tripod interface on it, I'm glad I'm using an adapted lens, cuz all my adapters have 

better tripod interfaces than the Sony camera bodies. Even the A7 series is only a small 

improvement over the APSC bodies in that aspect. So .... when you consider a dedicated 

macro lens, do consider one that attaches via an adapter if the lens itself lacks a built-in 

tripod interface. Acoarst not ALL adapter have an interface :-(     

  

When using an adapter macro lens with built-in tripod interface, I skip the interface on the  

adapter cuz the one on the lens has a big advantage: It allows rotation around the axis of 

the lens so I can level the horizon or rotate to vertical format without resorting to the huge 

motion involved in using the tripod head for that purpose.   

   

A good choice is a Metaobones E-N/F adapter and an old 105mm Micro Nikkor with its 

built-in rotatable tripod interface. You can also adapt to A-mount, but A-mount lenses are 

waaaaaay harder to find than Nikkors. However, if you shop for the lens first and let the 

lens you find determine what adapter you need, then you might get lucky and find an A-

mount lens which would allow you the luxury of an auto-iris coupling. Sony's adapters do 

have a decent tripod interface. 

  

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martygene - most likely I would get $200 - 215 on ebay for that lens.  All this talk about tripods are confusing to new users.  I've hand held macro shots and they are fine.  If you want to make sure just put your camera and lens like that on a good tabletop tripod and shoot away.  I have a mePhoto that suits my needs.  I've taken shots of knives that I've sold, cameras that I've sold, etc on ebay.  But the images I've had before I cropped them, reduced the file size and the resolution and such are fine and could be used on large prints if I wanted.  Don't get too involved in the "pro talk" as everyone in that bunch has their own opinions for their workflow and their end product may be for completely different uses compared to your work or what you want out of it.  If you buy a lens you don't like or get good results for they are easy to sell without losing much money.  Or rent one for 3-4 days, experiment with it and see what you think.

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Guest Jaf-Photo

It depends on what kind of macro you will be doing. Macro rings is a very cheap and effective way of getting sharp macro shots with good background blur. The only negative is that you will be restricted to short working distances.

 

The macro filters won't give you as sharp images and you'll be similarly restricted to short working distances.

 

For macro work at varied distances and telephoto capability, you can choose a vintage maro lens with adapter. Manual focus is best for macro work anyway. The Tamron 90/2.5 or 90/2.8 is really nice as is the Minolta MD 50/3.5. Both are quite affordable.

 

Personally, I do a lot of macro work with the Tamron AF 90/2.8 (272) and LA-EA4 adapter on A6000. It's a very agile combo that lets you do angles. For serious work, I bring out the Sony 100/2.8, which is probably the most underestimated lens for A-Mount.

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With my A6000 I use a Canon EF 100mm Macro f2.8L IS USM lens attached to either a Sigma MC-11 or a Comlite adaptor. I use manual focus, which I normally use for macro work anyway. The Comlite will try and autofocus, in autofocus mode, but is very slow. Focussing manually with the Sigma A6000 is very quick and accurate. The Canon macro lens is one of the best available. I originally bought it to use with my Canon 70D DSLR.

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