[Soggy75]

I've had my ks1 with a variety of lenses for a few years now.
With the currently social distancing measures and the extra free time I've decided to try a bit of macro photography for the first time, either in the house or in my garden.
I want to keep the costs low as I'm not sure whether it'll be a long term interest or just a short term dabble.
After a bit of research I've shortlisted 4 options.

1..pentax a 50mm f2.8 macro- only 0.5x but well thought of
Seen an ok condition one for £79 or excellent for £114
The cheaper one has signs of oil on the aperture blades, don't know what difference that would make

2..pentax a 100 f4 macro dental - again only 0.5x , good condition one available for £100($125)

3. Sigma 50mm f2.8 macro manual focus..1x mag and seen a good condition one for £79

4..Raynox 150 or 250..approx £55 new

Not sure which way to go

Also seen well reviewed ring lights on Amazon for £23 ..is this something else worth purchasing

Thanks

[Not a Number]

What lenses do you currently have? This can affect your choices.

And check out this thread:

CHEAP MACRO -- Buying or exploiting a lens for ultraclose work - PentaxForums.com

[pres589]

Any 90mm Tamron's around? I've got a 90mm f2.5 Adaptall Tamron that I really like and a 105mm made by Kino Precision and sold as a Ricoh (a number of companies rebranded that lens). Using either on a crop body, I wouldn't bother with anything wider than the 90. Others may disagree. Your #2 is probably the way I would go out of all options given but looking further might be worth the effort.

[aslyfox]

I would recommend looking for a F, FA or D FA 100mm F2.8 macro

They share the same optics as the newer and more expensive DFA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR

All are full size sensor capable

And all give you true 1:1 macro

Check under " Lenses " above for details

They also allow more distance between you and your " target " than shorter focal length macros such as the 35mm and 50mm macros

[Soggy75]

Currently have
Pentax 18-55 and 50-200 kit lens
Pentax 50 mm 1.8 and 35mm 2.4 prime
Tamron 18-50 2.8
Pentax a 50mm 1.7

Have looked at other option but all outside my budget

---------- Post added 03-22-20 at 09:31 AM ----------

There are pentax 10mm f2.8 macro lenses out there but are about £140 and are in Japan with upto 1 month delivery time

[pres589]

A Raynox on that 50 1.7 might work pretty well. Maybe the 50 1.8 as well. Hopefully someone here that's used that combination will chime in.

EDIT: Here's a thread and some shots with Raynox macro optics. A DCR-150 might be a fun thing to have and it's nice that they can be moved from lens to lens. If you could find a good one second hand that might be a good solution. Ref: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/74221-raynox-macro-club-54.html

[aslyfox]

keep an eye on the forum's market place something might turn up

The Pentax Marketplace | Buy & Sell Pentax Cameras and Lenses (UK) - PentaxForums.com

The Pentax Marketplace | Buy & Sell Pentax Cameras and Lenses (EU) - PentaxForums.com

you could also post a notice here



Wanted Items - PentaxForums.com

[que es tu]

I've had good results with a Canon 500D close-up filter and my HD DA 55-300 (non-PLM). I don't know if it is 1:1, but it is still cool! Focusing is tough though, focus peeking in live view helps.

[aslyfox]

I've had good results with a Canon 500D close-up filter and my HD DA 55-300 (non-PLM). I don't know if it is 1:1, but it is still cool! Focusing is tough though, focus peeking in live view helps.

you can check the owners reviews of lenses

Pentax Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

third party

Pentax Lenses by Sigma, Tamron, Zeiss, and more - Reviews and Specification Database - Pentax Lens Review Database

ands in the details about the lens you will find the " Max. Magnification " of the lens

Max. Magnification
0.28x

HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED WR Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

[kypfer]

Currently have
Pentax 18-55 and 50-200 kit lens
Pentax 50 mm 1.8 and 35mm 2.4 prime
Tamron 18-50 2.8
Pentax a 50mm 1.7

My "favourite" macro lens is my old Tamron Adaptall-2 90mm ... still fetches a "reasonable" price, as does the PK-A adaptor, but well worth looking out for if you can find one locally. Couple it with the made-for-the-job 01F 2x Flat-field converter and you've got a 180mm f/5 which will give you 1:1 reproduction at around 16 inches


In the meantime, if yours is the same as mine, your 18-55mm will go as close as 10 inches, or thereabouts, which can be surprisingly adequate in a lot of circumstances!

[que es tu]

you can check the owners reviews of lenses

Pentax Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

third party

Pentax Lenses by Sigma, Tamron, Zeiss, and more - Reviews and Specification Database - Pentax Lens Review Database

ands in the details about the lens you will find the " Max. Magnification " of the lens



HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED WR Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

One thing I really like about photography is that I never seem to stop learning, and I will probably never completely master it!! Here is the way I understand it, and PLEASE correct me if I am wrong. As I said, I really do love to learn!
Ok, if I have a 55-300mm lens that has MFD of 4+ ft at 300mm and I add a Canon 500D close-up filter which lowers my MFD to about 18 in or so, is that not tantamount to increasing the magnification, and is this not what macro lenses do, give you a closer MFD therefore increasing magnification?? After all a 100mm lens would still be 100mm even if it was macro, just with a closer MFD. If I am misunderstanding all of this let me know, as I want to learn and understand correctly!!

[aslyfox]

i claim no expertise, I like to read and have good memory

[ I also post a lot ]

I dabble in macro but not a great deal

perhaps a review of this tutorial might help:

The Advantages of a Dedicated Macro Lens
Achieving lift-size magnification
By PF Staff in Tutorial Videos on Apr 4, 2016

. . . Pentax currently offers three autofocus macro lenses: the DA 35mm F2.8 Limited Macro, D FA 50mm F2.8 Macro, and D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro. Tamron also makes a 90mm F2.8 Macro. Note that the longer the focal length, the farther away you can be while maintaining life-size magnification.

Read more at: The Advantages of a Dedicated Macro Lens - Tutorial Videos | PentaxForums.com

as far as I know, the MFD has little to do with magnification ( I hope that is correct ) but more with how close you can be to your target

DA 21mm Limited
Min. Focus 18 cm Max. Magnification 0.15x

DA 35mm
Min. Focus 30 cm Max. Magnification 0.17x

DA 35mm Limited Macro
Min. Focus 14 cm Max. Magnification 1x

D FA 50mm Macro
Min. Focus 20 cm Max. Magnification 1x

D FA 100mm Macro
Min. Focus 30 cm Max. Magnification 1x

[kypfer]

One thing I really like about photography is that I never seem to stop learning, and I will probably never completely master it!! Here is the way I understand it, and PLEASE correct me if I am wrong. As I said, I really do love to learn! ... After all a 100mm lens would still be 100mm even if it was macro, just with a closer MFD. If I am misunderstanding all of this let me know, as I want to learn and understand correctly!!

The focal length of a prime lens is just that, but the effective focal length of many zoom lenses is only as quoted at infinity.

Comparing the image given by a 100mm (or similar) prime lens to that given by a zoom lens set to 100mm, when used at the same close distance from the subject, the subject size in the viewfinder will often differ, in some cases quite considerably!

I'm not saying good or bad, or even not to be expected, just another factor to consider

Enjoy

[aslyfox]

the forum has some great articles among them you can find:

Why Not Try Out a Prime Lens?
A brief look at primes vs. kit zooms
By PF Staff in Articles and Tips on Nov 13, 2012

. . . Lens technologies are ever-evolving, and it can very well be the case that there are high-end zooms out there capable of matching the performance of older prime lenses. However, if you level the playing field and look at current prime lenses, you can still expect them to generally deliver more sharpness, less distortion, and better overall clarity compared to modern zooms. And remember, high-magnification "super" zoom lenses will also be a notch below professional or premium zoom lenses that have fixed apertures.

Zoom lenses offer a lot of convenience, but why not challenge yourself to shooting with a prime the next time you go out to take pictures? You may end up being surprised by the quality of the resulting photos! . . . .

Read more at: Why Not Try Out a Prime Lens? - Articles and Tips | PentaxForums.com

as a kid, back in the film days, I was told that with few exceptions zooms were " compromises " and " primes " were better

time has changed of course and there is undeniably convenience with a good zoom

personal choice is good

Remember, the goal is to have fun with your hobby . IMHO

[Wasp]

The focal length of a prime lens is just that, but the effective focal length of many zoom lenses is only as quoted at infinity.

Comparing the image given by a 100mm (or similar) prime lens to that given by a zoom lens set to 100mm, when used at the same close distance from the subject, the subject size in the viewfinder will often differ, in some cases quite considerably!

I believe this is called focus breathing. It gets more apparent at the longer end in some zooms, AFAIK. In short, the focal length changes with focus distance. Even primes can suffer from it. It's not really an issue for stills shooters but it can add unwanted effects when you do follow focus in a video. Cine lenses are corrected for this and it's one of the reasons that they are so expensive!

Edit: focus breathing is not to be confused with the suction and expulsion of air from within a zoom lens as the internal volume changes.