I have read of your close-up lenses and might consider that approach.
Right now, my close-up solution is the Leica-R 60mm/2.8 Macro, which
goes down to 1:2 on its own, and 1:1 with a matched extender. It will
magnify, but it puts me about 12 inches from the insects, which they
often don't agree with. Fuji makes about 3 grades of longer lenses, but
the consumer grades have mixed reviews, and the professional grade is
quite pricey.
So, about once a year I look around, and then usually make do with what
I have. :-\
Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA
On 7/14/2018 6:36 PM, Moose wrote:
On 7/14/2018 6:24 AM, Jim Nichols wrote:
You produce some nice closeups with your long lenses. My objection
to long FL lenses is that most that I have used won't focus close
enough to satisfy my shooting habits. I have looked at what is
available for my Fuji and found mixed reviews. Perhaps I need to
take another look.
I cheat. I use achromatic (i.e., two element) close-up lenses to get
closer focus. The ubiquitous single element C-U lenses are useless -
or worse. Not all achromats work well with all primary lenses. I've
spent a lot of time and a bit of money collecting a motley assortment
and testing to see which work well with which primary lenses.
The other, cheaper, simpler, easier to find, solution is auto
extension tubes. I have had good results with them, but they can be
fussy.
1. The cheap ones I've used have weak springs that allow heavy lenses
to droop slightly.* I'm not sure it makes a difference, but I make
sure to support the lens with my left hand.
2. The cheap ones I've used have simple brass contacts to pass through
the electrical signals. Sometimes, I had to take 'em off and wipe the
contacts to make 'em work.
3. In the old days, most lenses were unit focusing and simply moving
them farther out worked well, sometimes very well. Contemporary lenses
are largely internal focus and, especially zooms, very complex
designs. They don't all take as well to being moved out as one might
hope.
OTOH, the third party ones are cheap, so trying is low risk.
I have gone completely with achromatic C-U lenses, for reasons that
aren't exclusively optical. I do a lot of photography out in the wide
world, without convenient, clean, dust free places to change lenses.
My most used lenses aren't light, small or cheap. Juggling the 100-400
and a tube, with no place to set anything down and a breeze with dust
is NOT fun. With C-U lenses and filters on magnetic filter holders, I
can have a C-U lens out of the pouch on my belt, onto the lens, shoot
and put it back in a few seconds.
Not so important to you, I imagine.
Fuji does make a couple of macro lenses, but they aren't cheap. The
80/2.8 looks like a great lens, with decent working distance and OIS,
but it's over $1,000. One thing to remember about contemporary macro
lenses that use internal focus is that they focus by shortening the
focal length, so working distance at close focus is less than it would
be with a unit focusing lens.
I have the Oly eq., a 60/2.8 macro that goes to 1:1. It's excellent,
but I seldom use it in the field. See above about changing lenses. :-)
Close To Moose
* Maybe it's not just cheap adapters. I just read this in a review of
the 80/2.8 Fuji Macro "Even on a heavy tripod system, the slight dip
from the weight of the lens on my xt2 is a bother when doing a tight
frame. As soon as you release your hold on the lens it dips slightly,
changing the framing."
--
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