Nikon 105mm f/2.8 ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens

Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens is the leading lens in Nikon lens lineup for macro photography. This is a review of this famous lens based upon practical use without the technical jargon.

       Should you buy Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens?

Magnification

As this is a true macro lens, it offers 1:1 size reproduction of the image. This makes it ideal for close-up work.

Click here to buy Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens

Focal Length

The focal length is 105mm fixed with an aperture of f/2.8. This focal length of 105mm means that you can take the picture of the bug without having to go too close. On an APS-C sensor you get magnification of 1.5X.

Vibration Reduction

The lens feature the Nikon Vibration Reduction (VR) function which lets you shoot upto 4 f stops less in handheld photography as claimed by Nikon. Ideally, I have found the reduction in f stops is around 2-3 f stops.

In practical use, the VR function is more suitable for portrait photography. When you are doing closeup of a bee, you would find the VF function is quite limited as the depth of field is so small that you need to stop down to capture detail. You can still get about 1 stop difference in macro photography.

Focus

The focus is quite fast. It is not as fast as the other zoom lenses like Nikko 24-70mm, but it is still quite fast. Since this lens is purpose built for the macro fans, the focus tends to hunt a little bit in between the infinity and close range.

The internal focus (IF) means that you can focus quite fast and silently without changing the length of the lens. This maintains the same distance between the lens and the subject facilitating the use of polarizer filters and closeup speedlight kits.

An aspect of focusing often hidden by other companies is that the maximum aperture changes to f/4.8 showing the true f stop which is due to being focus dependant.

The closest focusing distance is 1 foot. If you use a close up lens you can get down to a 9.6” distances. This lens is also compatible with a teleconverter for increase magnification.

The manual focus ring is smooth and firm, however it tends to be a bit slow.
 

Click here to buy Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens

 Image Quality

Nikon has incorporated Nano Crystal Coating and Extra Low Dispersion (ED) glass elements which reduce the overall flare and chromatic aberrations. This improves the image quality, colors and clarity.

The bokeh is very beautiful and even toned. Nikon claims the 9 blade diaphragm renders the out of focus lights into nice circles rather than rough geometric shapes The images are very sharp with slight bit of softness at f2.8 but improve when stopped down to f4.0 and beyond.

 Lens Build

The build quality of the lens is quit solid. The focus rings and the markings are quite good. The weight due to heavy construction tends to be on the heavy side. The sealing is quite good for rough usage.

Optional Items & Uses

The lens shade is included in the packing. The packaging is of high quality and includes a velvet puch and front and rear caps.

The main purpose of this lens is macro photography. However, the medium telephoto length makes it ideal for portraits. If you are doing landscape photography, you make some details stand out in the scene. On an APS-C sensor, you can use it for sports also.

Competition

The main competition would come from Nikon AF-S Micro 60mm f/2.8G ED and Sigma 150mm f/2.8 Macro. Both of the lenses are cheaper in price to Nikon 105mm with not difference in image quality but with difference focal lengths.

Click here to buy Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens

Negatives

 The lens is quite heavy in weight. If you are just starting out in photography, it might be difficult for you to handhold one and focus at a very close to the subject. One of the reason is the heavy construction of the lens.

As this is a macro lens with f/2.8 aperture, the depth of field is extremely narrow. It will take some experience and practice to get accurate focus. You can get out of focus images even at a shifting of half a millimeter.

The fixed aperture of this lens is 2.8, but in practical use it goes down to f/4.8. Effectively it becomes a variable aperture lens.

At apertures of f/2.8 some people find the lens a bit soft. If you stop down by 2 stops, the lens becomes quite sharp.

The price at $899 is quite high than the other lenses in competition.

The lens tends to search a bit in low light. The focus will shift from macro to infinity and back while the lens searches for the focused image. This can be frustrating at times.

If you are planning to use the VF function in handheld macro photos you will be disappointed. Some people have found the VR helpful, but in macro most of the time you will better off with manual focus. Also the VR function tends to use up battery quite faster, so you should turn it off if you are not using it.

Actual Customer Reviews

• Serious Flower Power
• A hidden jewel of Nikon,
• Too Pricy for the Non-Professional? NO!,
• The NIkkor 105 VRII Micro is an excellent lens,
• THE sharpest lens I have purchased!,
• Fantastic macro lens.

Recommendation

 With a price tag of $899, the lens packs features such as VR and fast focus and is not cheap but worth the price.

Youtube Reviews

Sigma 17 70 mm

Sigma 17-70 is a DC (digital camera) lens which is purpose build for DSLRs having APS-C sensors. The field of view comes to 27-112mm on a full frame SLR. It cannot be used on a full frame SLR. This is a review of this handy lens from Sigma based upon practical use minus the detailed technical jargon.

Should you buy Sigma 17 70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS Lens?

Magnification

The lens offers a magnification of 1:2.7 on all focal lengths. This ratio does not mean life size magnification, it translates into ½ life size on image sensor.

 Click here to buy Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM Lens

 Focal Length & Zooming

The focal length is 17-70 converting into 27.2 – 112mm, which makes it a general purpose zoom covering from wide angle to decent telephoto. The lens has a big, ribbed and comfortable zoom ring which works fine through the complete range. Additionally there is a zoom lock which prevents the range from being changed accidentally. There is a button for changing from autofocus mode to manual focus mode.

Optics & Image Quality

At the wide side, the maximum f stop is 2.8, which increases to f/4 at the telephoto end. The maximum aperture of 2.8 makes it easy to use in low light situations with OS feature enabling more images without flash.

The images are a little soft at the maximum aperture on longer focal lengths but get much better on stopping down.  As with other cropped sensor lenses, the vignetting is most pronounced at 2.8 at 17mm, but the vignetting is decreased when you stop down a few stops. As expected the performance at 17mm at 2.8 is best in the centre of the frame.
Image quality is great.  Stopping down a bit sharpens it up nicely. f/2.8 at 17mm is really good. You can get professionally looking images in the mid range.
Zoom lenses with multiple focal ranges show distortion and this lens is no exception. However, you will find this problem is noticeable in only a few places. Unlike many zoom lenses this lens has a low chromatic aberration .

Click here to buy Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM Lens

Colors

The color rendition is good with nice vibrant colors in your images. The images having shadows and harsh contrast conditions show good colors better than the kit lens.

Build Quality

Sigma 17 70mm lens has a metal mount with good decent build quality with a matt finish. The lens is quite sold but does not feel heavy. Overall finish and feel of the lens is good. The controls are all tight with no loose buttons or loose rings. Although it is not one of the Sigma EX lens (professional grade) lens but the construction is still pretty solid.

Focusing

The lens has an SM (Hyper Sonic Motor) which is a little noisy but since the focus path is small, so the speed of the AF is very fast. In most situations the accuracy is comparable with kit lenses. In comparison the OS is very silent but can be picked up in video.
The shortest distance you can focus is about 3 inches from the front of the lens in autofocus and slightly less in manual focus. At full zoom this distance reduces to 1 inch.

Image stabilization

Sigma has incorporated the OS (Optical Stabilizer) function in this lens. OS is a unique anti-shake technology which enables you to use about 4 stops lower than normal shutter speed as claimed by sigma.
In real life the stabilization is slightly above 3 stops which is really good performance and overall better than other sigma lenses which have a result of about 2 stops on OS.

Bokeh

Sigma 17 70 mm has a 7 blade diaphragm which renders a nice smooth and creamy bokeh although not a breathtaking one. The bokeh is best when the composition is simple and distance is present between the objects in the image.

Optional Items & Uses

The lens comes with the both caps and the petal type lens hood, which is great for reducing lens flare. The lens is a great walkaround lens with macro capabilities. It is idea for many applications like portraits, sports, macro and landscape images. Sigma makes this lens in mounts for Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Spny /Minolta and Pentax camera bodies. However, the OS feature is not available for Sony / Minolta camera mounts.

Click here to buy Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM Lens

Price

Sigma 17-70 lens averages for around $450, which is a lot cheaper than propriety lenses. Keeping in mind the macro function and walk around zoom capabilities, it is a great deal. Sigma has kept the price above the kit zoom lens however it is still in the range of beginners and budget photographers.

Competition

This lens competes with the more expensive Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 or EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 USM IS lenses. The propriety lens have the matching technology to their advantage however this lens gives good competition in areas of image quality, features and an affordable price.

Negative Points

Sigma OS technology engages the stabilization when you press the shutter half way and remain on as long as the camera’s exposure meter is on. This would drain the batteries more faster than using either Canon or Nikon lenses.
The focus button has to be changed manually. You cannot just grab the focus ring in autofocus mode and change it manually, meaning the lens does not have full time manual focus option. Secondly the distance between the macro and infinity is so small, it is a bit difficult to find accurate focus.

If you plan to use this lens to record a video with the newer DSLRs, you will find that zooming is not very easy with video function. It is quite smooth and accurate but you will have to use some force. The benefit is that lens zoom will not creep.
Some people find the focusing a bit problem in low light situations. If you are using Sigma lens on another company camera, you will find that sigma is still not fully compatible with especially Canon EOS bodies and there is sometimes AF problems even in daylight.

Actual Customer Reviews

-  The build quality of this lens is good, better than some Canon lenses and much better than the kit lenses.
- Very crisp and with great color.
- I read every review I could find, and have used Sigma lenses before (although minimally) and after loads of research, I purchased this lens anyway.
- Canon copy with no focus problems
- Good Lens for the Budget.
- Perfect Walking Around Lens

 Click here to buy Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM Lens

 Recommendation

If you are looking to substitute your kit lens for an affordable walk around zoom lens with macro function and good optics, you cannot go wrong with Sigma 17 70mm lens. Its performance is at par and sometimes even surpasses the more expensive lens.
This lens was awarded the “Best Entry Level Lens” award by TIPA in 2010.

Youtube Reviews

Click here to buy Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM Lens

This post will give you a basics photography lesson and prepare you for macro photography. Let’s begin with overview of cameras in our lesson:

Camera: Cameras come in all types and sizes ranging from old film point and shoot to new digital medium format cameras. Chances are you would be using a digital SLR or digital point and shoot camera. Whatever camera you have, make sure to read the manual from start till end at least 2 times, since every camera has different controls and you would not want to carry the manual with you all the time.

Digital SLR Camera                              WaterProof Compact Camera                            Compact Digital Camera

The digital cameras have a CCD or CMOS sensor inside which captures the images and then the camera records it on the storage card. The size of the sensor is important as a large image can be edited and also printed out on large size. Nowadays, anything above 10 mega pixels is fine and is easily available.

Lens: If you have a point and shoot the lens would be fixed in the camera, while in the digital SLR you have the option of changing the lens as per your requirement. It is here that the digital SLR gives you great versatility over the point and shoot. The focal length of the lens shows you the angle of the lens i.e what is the coverage of the lens. The lens coverage ranges from wide angle (very wide view) to telephoto (very narrow view).

Telephoto Zoom                                             Wide Angle Zoom Lens                                   Macro Lens

Lenses are made for a variety of applications ranging from macro to sports photography. The aperture and focal length of the lens is made according to the purpose it is made for.

Aperture: Aperture is the opening of the lens. Inside the lens are shutter blades which control the light passing through the lens. A smaller number like 1.0 means a bigger shutter opening as compared to a bigger number like 32.

Aperture Blades

Depth of field: The depth of field is determined by the aperture of the lens. Depth of field means how much area of the picture is in focus from the point where you focus. A small aperture will give a shallow depth of field, while a high aperture like 32 would give you a high depth of field.

High Depth of Field        -       Shallow Depth of Field

Shutter Speed: The shutter speed is controlled in the camera body. It depends upon the light entering the camera through the lens. A higher shutter speed is very essential for macro shots if you are holding the camera in your hand. Generally, a shutter speed reciprocal to the focal length of the lens is enough to hand held the camera. i.e a shutter speed of 1/100sec on a 100mm lens is ok.  Any shutter speed less than that would require a tripod.

Slow Shutter Speed                 -                 Fash Shutter Speed

Exposure: The exposure in layman terms is the amount of light falling on the sensor and it is responsible for the photograph taken. The exposure can be adjusted via mainly shutter speed and aperture. There are also other variables like ISO (sensor sensitivity) which can affect the exposure.

Under Exposure                      -                   Normal Exposure                      -                  Over Exposure

Tripod: For slow shutters speeds where you cannot hold the camera in your hand a tripod is essential to get sharp pictures. The heavier a tripod is the more stable it is. A tripod is an essential item in macro photography involving static objects.

Professional Tripod                      -                   Light weight Tripod                      -                  Mini Tripod

Storage Media: The last lesson is about the storage media. The camera captures images on the sensor and then stores it on a storage media. Different cameras have different media slots like compact flash (CF), secure digital (SD), microdrive, smart media, memory stick, xd picture card etc.  As a basic rule, estimate the number of photographs you intend to take in a single trip away from home. I would recommend at least 2 GB to hold images.

SD Card                                   –                 CF Card                      -                 Sony Memory Stick

This was a basic photography lesson from my side. Hope it is enough to get you going on your macro photography.

Some free ebooks on Macro Photography by Michael Erlewine

  Small Worlds 2010 Book 1 (click  save target as to download)

  Small Worlds 2010 Book 2  (click  save target as to download)

 Small Worlds 2010 Book -3 (click  save target as to download)

  Small Worlds 2010 Book-4 (click  save target as to download)

  Small Worlds The Green of Daffodils (click  save target as to download)

When you start thinking about the best camera for macro photography, the first choice to come to mind is point and shoot camera. This is the easiest choice for reasons I will explain later.

The main choices for best camera for macro photography are point and shoot camera and single lens reflex camera. Choice of film and digital is there but the easy and practical nowadays is the digital. In film cameras you know the result once the film is developed while in digital you can instantly see the results.

Point & Shoot (P&S) Camera

Point and shoot cameras are the small compact cameras with a retracting lens (zoom lens) and a small flash built in the camera.

P&S have a mode called macro. It is sometimes written as M on the mode dial.  This is the easiest way to use macro. Just dial in the macro mode and start using the macro mode. The camera automatically adjusts everything for macro photography. It cannot get easy than that. It is very good for learning the basics. You can carry it with you all the time and try your hand anytime an opportunity presents itself.

The point and shoot can focus very close to the subject however it will not give you an image of 1:1 meaning life size image in photo. You can get very close to the subject without disturbing / scaring it. You can use the built in flash for macro photography, but as it is on one side of the lens the light might not be the best one.

Single Lens Reflex (SLR) Camera

The SLRs are made to cater from beginner to the professional photographer. SLRs can be customized for your usage for any kind of photography.  The downside is that SLRs are bulky and expensive than point and shoot.

SLR gives you the option to use specialized lenses as per your requirement. You can change lenses to do portraits, sports, macro or landscape photography. You can use a dedicated macro lens like Canon EF 100mm Macro 2.8 Lens or you can use some techniques with a reverse lens / bellows to get macro shots. You can also use dedicated flashes for macro photography or you can make some improvised flash setup at home. The possibilities with SLRs are unlimited for macro photography and you can get the best result for macro photography.

Conclusion

The choice of best camera for macro photography depends upon your requirements and the way you intend to use it.

• If you intend to carry it all the time in your pocket and a decent image is all you want then a point and shoot camera is the best choice.
• If you are looking for professional quality photographs and are not encumbered by a heavy setup comprising of SLR body, lenses and flash then SLR camera is the best choice for you in macro photography.

Canon 100mm Macro

Canon EF 100mm macro f/2.8 is one of the Canon prime lens aimed at photographers who want to venture into macro photography on a budget.  This is a review of this famous lens from canons with regard to macro photography.

Should you buy Canon EF  100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens?

The price of this lens and the features make it the favorite canon macro lens in the market. Its sharpness would ensure that every tiniest detail on your tiny subject would stand out.

Magnification

Canon 100mm macro is a true macro lens giving a magnification of 1:1 (life size) reproduction of subjects, meaning you can capture the exact size of your subject on the camera sensor. The minimum focus distance is 1’ while you get 6” minimum working distance from the end of the lens. You can increase the magnification by 1.19x and 1.39x with 12mm and 25mm extension tubes respectively.

Click here to buy Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro

Optics

This optics in this lens is sharp. At f/2.8 tiny aberrations are hardly observable and by stopping down to f/4.0 the images get incredibly sharp.  However, do not expect this sharpness while holding the camera in your hand. Canon claims that the secondary diaphragm blocks stray light at f/2.8 and increases contrast in backlit situations.

Colors

Colors are amazing and you would find less time using Photoshop to enhance the saturation in your images.  The bokeh is great like it should be all smooth and creamy.

Build Quality

Although Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro is not a L series lens and not build to that quality, it is still solidly well built with metal construction ensuring a long life.  It performs exceptionally well in cold temperatures.

Focusing

The lens uses internal focusing which means the lens length always remains constant and the front element does not extend when you focus the lens. The focus ring is easy to use.  Manual focus is available all the time with override option (even in AF mode) to let you take capture great images before they flee. Whenever you feel like controlling the focus, just grab the ring and there you go.

If you are using automatic focusing, Ultrasonic Motor is quite fast at all distances. In fact, some people rate it much faster than the Canon 180mm macro L lens on autofocus.

Click here to buy Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro

Bokeh

With focal length of 100mm this makes for a great portrait lens. The bokeh as mentioned above is also smooth and creamy making great head shots.

Magnification on Compact Sensor

If you are using Canon 100mm Macro lens on compact sensor, the magnification is 1.6x. This means more working distance in macro and more telephoto effect. However, at 160mm it becomes difficult to handhold the lens and it is better to use a  support like monopod.

Optional Items & Uses

As this is the propriety lens by Canon, you would find it far way better than other 3^rd party macro lenses ensuring complete compatibility in all areas. Tripod collar and lens hood are available as options.

You can use Canon 100mm Macro lens for reproduction of art and advertisements of selling items online. I personally know people who experienced great difference in their sales based on the images taken with this lens.

Negative Points

There is no Image Stabilization (IS) on Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens which is quite a difference from the L series lens in the same category but with this price this is hardly anything to complain about. I have also experienced that AF is sometimes slow in low light, but if you are taking macro pictures you should ideally be using a ring flash. Another weak point I noted is that there is no button for shifting from macro mode to telephoto mode, which can sometimes make the camera go focus hunting.

 Click here to buy Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro

Competition

The main competition in macro category would be Canon 50mm and Canon 180mm. The Canon 50mm has a shorter working distance while 180mm although giving more working distance is much more expensive.  The Canon 100mm 2.8L with IS is tough competition but it is almost twice the cost making it out of reach for beginners and hobbyists.

Actual Customer Reviews

- I am SPOILED by this lens!

- Sharp lens, wear gloves or you’ll cut yourself.,

- Best macro lens for the budget,

- Great Lens for Photographing Art,

- Never ceases to amaze

Recommendation

I would highly recommend Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens for whatever your stage is in macro photography.

Youtube Reviews

 Click here to buy Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro