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11-11-2011, 10:58 PM   #61
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QuoteOriginally posted by Laurentiu Cristofor Quote
Ah, I never saw the 72B, must be one of the newer, plastic bodied adaptalls maybe?
The 90/2.8 that you saw at B&H, that's 72B. To think that it's still available new (old stock) is unbelievable. I'd better close the B&H window, it's too tempting to an LBA freak like me.

11-11-2011, 11:26 PM   #62
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let's be honest here, we're splitting hairs comparing some of these macro lenses. All of the ones mentioned are outstanding.

what happened to the OP though? He wanted cheap macro and then mentions a $500 budget.
11-11-2011, 11:29 PM   #63
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The Promaster/Pentax 100mm f3.5 (AF) Macro is probably my favorite lens right now. Reasonably fast, amazingly sharp photos even wide open, and i got it for $100 off of eBay. I was really lucky though.

Seriously. Favorite lens. I use it as a walk-around street lens. I know it's much more limited than say a 28-70, but... it's worth the extra effort. Excellent lens.

Charles.

Last edited by ChopperCharles; 11-16-2011 at 02:49 PM.
11-12-2011, 03:37 AM   #64
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QuoteOriginally posted by abacus07 Quote
let's be honest here, we're splitting hairs comparing some of these macro lenses. All of the ones mentioned are outstanding.
Agree, in terms of sharpness/bokeh/colors. There are however differences in terms of handling and chromatic aberrations.

11-12-2011, 04:57 AM   #65
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cheapest macro lens I use... 4$ ebay reverse ring off of ebay for my 50mm f1.7 Works well enough. I shoot with the 50, then flip it around if I want a macro shot : )
11-12-2011, 06:16 AM   #66
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QuoteOriginally posted by abacus07 Quote
....

what happened to the OP though? He wanted cheap macro and then mentions a $500 budget.
OP wanted excellent quality beyond 1:1 which changes things a bit. What OP judges to be of sufficient quality isn't clear either.

I get the impression that OP has limited macro experience and fuzzy goals so doesn't actually know what specifications to use other than "the best".

In such a situation a good strategy is to put a good achromatic +4-6 diopter close-up lens on the Tamron zoom to see what s/he really wants. Then s/he will be able to see if s/he can actually hand-hold shots at mags greater than 1:1, and if there is anything of interest at higher magnifications. Whatever happens in the long run, the $75 or so invested in a good close-up lens will be money well spent.

I do not recommend getting cheap diopter lenses just to try; the quality may be so poor as prevent learning much except the quality is poor.
11-12-2011, 06:30 AM   #67
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it's that easy to 'over run' a thread huh?

QuoteOriginally posted by newarts Quote
I get the impression that OP has limited macro experience
Sorry to note that, but me too, since OP has not involved in the discussion.

beyond 1:1, reserve lens. 4-5 usd.

11-12-2011, 09:03 AM   #68
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QuoteOriginally posted by abacus07 Quote
let's be honest here, we're splitting hairs comparing some of these macro lenses. All of the ones mentioned are outstanding.

what happened to the OP though? He wanted cheap macro and then mentions a $500 budget.
Well its $500 including the flash (next part of the gear hunt...)
I ended up with Tamron 90mm f2.8 from another member here for reasonable price, this is going to be sufficient for me for now.
In the future once I have more experience working with 1:1 I might get 2X TC to get 2:1 with reasonable cost / IQ ratio. This route also allows flexibility for me in the future (easier to re-sell) in case I want to upgrade/downgrade my gear.

I mulled over the raynox path for a while but I've used it before and I dislike the fixed working distance it offer.

Thanks for the helps esp newarts and rio
11-12-2011, 09:12 AM   #69
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QuoteOriginally posted by hoanpham Quote
it's that easy to 'over run' a thread huh?


Sorry to note that, but me too, since OP has not involved in the discussion.

beyond 1:1, reserve lens. 4-5 usd.

lol the thread grew 2 extra pages in 1 day where I was not checking the forum
11-12-2011, 09:56 AM   #70
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QuoteOriginally posted by Azzy Quote
I mulled over the raynox path for a while but I've used it before and I dislike the fixed working distance it offer.
Oh! That explains a lot!

Your experience was likely with a Raynox DCR 250. It is almost twice as strong as the 150 (+8 vs +4.8 diopters) so the mag is often too high and the working distance is too low (about 5.2" vs 8.3"). The extra 3" in working distance allows one to use the built in flash in P-TTL mode which makes a big difference convenience wise.

Regarding a TC, you might be best off to consider an auto 1.5X to keep image quality high. Or, you could add the Raynox 150 to the front of the Tamron - we know that'll give a high quality image.

Dave

Last edited by newarts; 11-12-2011 at 10:57 AM.
11-16-2011, 02:08 PM   #71
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QuoteOriginally posted by newarts Quote
Oh! That explains a lot!

Your experience was likely with a Raynox DCR 250. It is almost twice as strong as the 150 (+8 vs +4.8 diopters) so the mag is often too high and the working distance is too low (about 5.2" vs 8.3"). The extra 3" in working distance allows one to use the built in flash in P-TTL mode which makes a big difference convenience wise.

Regarding a TC, you might be best off to consider an auto 1.5X to keep image quality high. Or, you could add the Raynox 150 to the front of the Tamron - we know that'll give a high quality image.

Dave
Yes! it was the DCR 250. I might be acquiring 1.7x AF TC in the future for my tele work....So I think I will use that for macro work as well
11-16-2011, 03:37 PM   #72
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QuoteOriginally posted by Azzy Quote
Yes! it was the DCR 250. I might be acquiring 1.7x AF TC in the future for my tele work....So I think I will use that for macro work as well
Your experience shows the downside to the 250 - I'll bet you'd have been happy with the 150's lower strength, hence larger working distance - enough more working distance that the on-board flash works up to almost maximum magnification.

I"m putting together a high performance - low cost macro system motivated in large part by this thread. It is based on a el-nikkor 50:2.8 reversed onto bellows (or tubes) with a glassless PK/A teleconverter (or small camera mod) acting as automatic tube for flash purposes. I expect to receive the final part tomorrow - a 40.5mm - 52mm step-up ring.

I'll assemble a short photo essay on how to do it & where to order the parts. It should appear in a few days.
01-10-2012, 03:22 PM   #73
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update on this, I bought the 90mm tamron but had to return it as it had some AF issue.
I ended up buying Raynox 150 from the marketplace and used the saving to buy Cactus af50 flash, I took a few shots and I think this is a better combination for me than the 90mm.
Thanks again for the recommendations


*edit*
wondering if anyone can recommend a cheap A lens that I can permanently mount the raynox on. I gave my tamron 70-300 away recently and it vignettes on the tamron 28-75 and da 50-135

Last edited by Azzy; 01-10-2012 at 03:38 PM.
01-10-2012, 05:58 PM   #74
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QuoteOriginally posted by azzy Quote
..
Wondering if anyone can recommend a cheap a lens that i can permanently mount the raynox on. I gave my tamron 70-300 away recently and it vignettes on the tamron 28-75 and da 50-135
da l 55-300
01-10-2012, 06:31 PM   #75
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looking for something even cheaper, doesn't have to be AF since its going to be dedicated to the raynox
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