Originally posted by SharkyCA Would be shooting outside, primarily nature, and I was hoping to get 1:1 magnification without using adapter. I know the da 35 Ltd will do this but focal distance is short, and was not looking at a ff lens. Any other suggestions?
Thanks for input.
A full frame lens does not change much when discussing macro, so don't discard it outright.
There are a few things to consider,
-when looking to achieve 1:1 subject to sensor reproduction ratio, first you need a tripod really because even though shake reduction deals with lateral and vertical movement, it does NOT help at all if you move towards or away from the subject. At 1:1 the depth of field is so small the error from moving towards and away from the subject are critical in getting focus.
- focus breathing, or the change in focal length when close focusing. Many longer macro lenses use this to achieve maximum reproduction ratio, you need to look at the close focus distance which should be 2x the focal length (from approximately the front element, not the camera)
You have a 55-300 which should give about 1:4 reproduction ratio, have you played with it? Just curious.
You might want to start with something relatively cheap, like an M100/4 which works to 1:2 and see where you wish to go from there. An A series macro would be better as it would allow flash support and metering, and auto aperture modes as well