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Macro Lens Suggestions Around 150mm
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 11:47 am    Post subject: Macro Lens Suggestions Around 150mm Reply with quote
I'm looking for something in this range. I have some shorter FL lenses, but nothing longer than 90mm.

I'm looking at 1:1 reproduction, rather than 1:2.


PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 12:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Don't now about legacy there are some around 180 to 200mm or up to 125mm.

Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX APO DG MACRO (AF)
Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 (modern but manual)


PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 2:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Canon FD 200mm f/4 macro, if 200mm is OK.


PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 4:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Enlarger lenses can be had in 150mm FL.


PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 5:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
eggplant wrote:
Enlarger lenses can be had in 150mm FL.

Like Dog

A very good solution, especially if you want a very flat and even DOF. If modern coatings are not important, you can find Schneider Componons with 30 or more aperture blades and very inexpensive (at least in the US). I don't recall the exact blade count, and mine is f/4-40 ~30 or 35 USD. Similar price for a newer, not latest, 50mm with more modern coatings, the high blade count, but f/4-f/something-more-reasonable-for-most-people. Dain Bramage... or CRAFT disease Can't Remeber An F (fancy? Smile ) Thing.


PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 9:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The componon are indeed quite good. I have the 150 as well as the 135, and even a 180 which I have come up with adapter system.


PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 10:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Heard good things about Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX APO DG MACRO too.
I can also vouch for Canon FD 200/4 macro. I do have a copy.


PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 11:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Spiratone sold a 150/4.5 bellows mount lens which goes for ~$50. A quick ebay search shoes the same lens in Hama and Ultima brands.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 7:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
There is the Pentax A* 200mm macro but it is rarer than hen's teeth and £££££. Sad. I know someone who has one and it is superb.

K.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 8:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Pentax 67 has 100mm Macro and 135mm but I am unsure if they go to 1:1 without tubes.
Mamiya RB67 has a 140mm Macro as well and Mamiya 645 has a 120mm macro.
Of all of these the Mamiya 645 120mm would be the lightest
Tom


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 8:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Some good suggestions. Gives me somethings to search on the bay for.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 10:09 am    Post subject: Re: Macro Lens Suggestions Around 150mm Reply with quote
martinsmith99 wrote:
I'm looking for something in this range. I have some shorter FL lenses, but nothing longer than 90mm.

I'm looking at 1:1 reproduction, rather than 1:2.


I use the Tamron 180mm F3.5 1:1 as my main lens. It's ~118mm or so at 1:1. I think it's probably still the best combo of weight, effective length at macro distances, optical quality, and price second hand. You see good copies on ebay from japan at good prices.

On 2x crop it's a decent birding lens as well as bugs and other things you find along the way.

Some sample photos here:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskpQAwEr

shooting at 180mm at ~1:1 is very difficult in the field. Inverse square law means a flash is quite hard to diffuse from the camera body ~80cm away. You can stick a flash on an arm, but that will be a big lever and needs some thought put into mounting it, and will still be quite far from the subject even if it's around the end of the lens. If the subject is indoors and can be safely handled, you don't need a huge long lens to shoot it with anymore, but it performs well enough there -

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmaZCip8

f3.5 on 2x crop is enough to do useful natural light focus stacking which is usually a better bet in the field. For 1:1 it can work, but it will be a lot of work and for practical purposes, if something is flighty and going to let you get close enough to shoot it at 1:1 on 180, you're still going to be very close, and you could probably get a similar shot with your 90.

It is more comfortable for shots of things like territorial spiders or jumping ants that are actually dangerous, though.

ed - oh you want to get the Nikon version which has manual aperture control if you're not using a native body for it.

Last edited by piggsy on Wed Feb 16, 2022 12:37 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 1:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
D1N0 wrote:
Don't now about legacy there are some around 180 to 200mm or up to 125mm.

Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX APO DG MACRO (AF)
Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 (modern but manual)


I agree with the Sigma recommendation, not the Irix one, it has poor image quality at 1:1:

https://www.closeuphotography.com/irix-150mm-macro-lens

There are several 150mm enlarger lenses, I quite like the EL-Nikkor 150/5.6. For larger budgets there are a 150/4 Apo Componon and an Apo Rodagon .


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 5:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
If 125mm is "around 150" there is the voigtlander apo lanthar 125mm 2.5. (Which is on my dream lens list).


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 6:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Oldhand wrote:
Pentax 67 has 100mm Macro and 135mm but I am unsure if they go to 1:1 without tubes.
Mamiya RB67 has a 140mm Macro as well and Mamiya 645 has a 120mm macro.
Of all of these the Mamiya 645 120mm would be the lightest
Tom


Both Pentax 67 lenses need extension tubes to get at 1:1; 135 has 0.31× magnification ratio


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 7:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
dickb wrote:
D1N0 wrote:
Don't now about legacy there are some around 180 to 200mm or up to 125mm.

Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX APO DG MACRO (AF)
Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 (modern but manual)


I agree with the Sigma recommendation, not the Irix one, it has poor image quality at 1:1:

https://www.closeuphotography.com/irix-150mm-macro-lens

There are several 150mm enlarger lenses, I quite like the EL-Nikkor 150/5.6. For larger budgets there are a 150/4 Apo Componon and an Apo Rodagon .


One review of many. You can't make sweeping statements about a lens based on that.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 7:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
D1N0 wrote:
dickb wrote:
D1N0 wrote:
Don't now about legacy there are some around 180 to 200mm or up to 125mm.

Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX APO DG MACRO (AF)
Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 (modern but manual)


I agree with the Sigma recommendation, not the Irix one, it has poor image quality at 1:1:

https://www.closeuphotography.com/irix-150mm-macro-lens

There are several 150mm enlarger lenses, I quite like the EL-Nikkor 150/5.6. For larger budgets there are a 150/4 Apo Componon and an Apo Rodagon .


One review of many. You can't make sweeping statements about a lens based on that.


What are you waiting for, though? More tests at 1:1 with flat, detailed objects?

It's not even down to sample variation - the review explains it doesn't have any floating element correction. Are some copies going to magically have no distortion at 1:1?


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 7:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Only no other reviewer noticed it? There are many macro lenses without floating element correction.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 8:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
D1N0 wrote:
Only no other reviewer noticed it? There are many macro lenses without floating element correction.


Because they didn't do sufficient tests at 1:1- no measuring change in focal length, distortion etc, common to macro lenses


And yes - there are plenty without it, but usually things like enlarger lenses I'd think (with no expectation of leaving the darkroom) or are alot more basic triplets/tessars

Photographic lenses of this style (infinity and 1:1, sometimes with an adapter) - absolutely expect to have floating element correction.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 8:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yeah right. I've had enough discussions like this. In no mood for it anymore.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 11:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Curious what foot I put wrong, just don't think sample variation accounts for what the reviewer showed.


PostPosted: Wed Feb 16, 2022 7:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
What the ....???????


PostPosted: Wed Feb 16, 2022 9:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
D1N0 wrote:
Yeah right. I've had enough discussions like this. In no mood for it anymore.


That's perfectly fine. To agree to disagree is always fine.

Perhaps the reviewer has a copy defective in some way, especially since his review differs from others...


PostPosted: Wed Feb 16, 2022 8:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
D1N0 wrote:
dickb wrote:
D1N0 wrote:
Don't now about legacy there are some around 180 to 200mm or up to 125mm.

Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX APO DG MACRO (AF)
Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 (modern but manual)


I agree with the Sigma recommendation, not the Irix one, it has poor image quality at 1:1:

https://www.closeuphotography.com/irix-150mm-macro-lens

There are several 150mm enlarger lenses, I quite like the EL-Nikkor 150/5.6. For larger budgets there are a 150/4 Apo Componon and an Apo Rodagon .


One review of many. You can't make sweeping statements about a lens based on that.



It is a bit overly swept perhaps indeed. A lot of people seem to very happy with their Irix 150 lenses. I have not seen any tests that show great image quality over a full frame sensor at 1:1 though (I may have missed some). So I'll qualify my statement that the only comparative test at 1:1 I've seen shows the Irix performing poorly outside the image centre. If that is important to the original poster I suggest the Sigma.

Anyway, what may be more important to the original poster is why he wants an 150mm macro lens in the first place. If he wants a macro lens with a long working distance at 1:1 be aware that modern macro lenses all use internal focussing or floating elements. This allows the designers a lot of optical options and keeps the lens compact. It reduces the effective focal length though and therefore the working distance at 1:1.

The Sigma 150/2.8 OS at 1:1 has a minimum focus distance of 0.38m, a working distance of 0.186m and an effective focal length of 78mm

The Irix 150/2.8 at 1:1 has a minimum focus distance of 0.345m, a working distance of 0.178m and an effective focal length of 69mm

There is an interesting website where you can test the optical construction of a rather random number of lenses, including the two above:

https://www.photonstophotos.net/GeneralTopics/Lenses/OpticalBench/OpticalBench.htm

An old enlarger lens focusses with extension only, so it gets rather long, but with more working distance than the internal focussing lenses of the same focal length at infinity.


PostPosted: Fri Feb 18, 2022 4:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
There’s a Sigma 150mm being auctioned off on ShopGoodwill right now.
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