One to One: Five Full-Frame Macro Lenses
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In this table, you can compare the specifications of the full-frame macro lenses included in the review. In the full lens catalog you can choose a model by setting the basic search parameters. And our advice on choosing lenses will help you make a choice if you don’t know where to start.
 Effective stabilizer, fast and quiet autofocus, dust and water protection, internal focus, minimum spurious effects , price Slow autofocus in macro mode Price from 12 992 up to 13 499 ₴
| Tamron 90mm f/2.8 VC USD Di Macro Price from 12 992 up to 13 499 ₴ → The macro lens from Tamron is one of the most affordable options among their kind. But this does not mean that it is inferior to the original glasses from alpha brands — in many ways it is on a par with them, and in some ways even better. The lens has a whole galaxy of bright features in its arsenal: dust and moisture resistant, effective image stabilization, internal focus, 9-blade aperture, fast and silent autofocus. But let's get things straight. Structurally 90mm objective consists of 14 elements in 11 groups. In addition to a complex lens system, it was possible to place an effective image stabilizer in the body, which can compensate up to 4 exposure steps. When shooting at the smallest possible focus distance, it will be useful for achieving a shallow depth of field (covering up to f / 8-f / 16) without compromising quality, i.e. without exaggerating the ISO values. And there was also a place in the body for a fast and quiet drive of the autofocus system. It can work in three modes: normal, from 50 cm to infinity (the fastest focus for shooting everyday scenes) and from 30 cm to 50 cm (true macro with slow autofocus). A separate analogue switch is provided to switch between modes. When focus, all elements move inside the lens, which is why it lacks the so-called trunk. The sharpness of the lens across the entire field of the frame was rated "Excellent" at aperture values from f / 5.6 to f /8 (test data taken from photozone.de). In the centre of the frame, sharpness is very high even at the widest aperture (f / 2.8). At the same time, parasitic effects such as vignetting or chromatic aberrations practically do not appear. Tamron managed to make a really top-end lens with a very competitive price tag. And in February 2016, her successor saw the light in the face of Tamron 90mm f/2.8 VC USD Di Macro New which received a completely redesigned design and redesigned optical design. Given the compatibility of the lens with all major mounts, it becomes a very attractive option to purchase. |
 Excellent sharpness, high detail, fast autofocus, spectacular bokeh, good backlight tolerance, effective stabilizer , dust and moisture resistant, internal focus Maximum aperture versus focus distance, weight | Nikon 105mm f/2.8G VR AF-S IF-ED Micro-Nikkor The gold rim around the front lens of the 105mm prime indicates it is Nikon. The lens features excellent sharpness and brilliant colour reproduction. He also draws beautiful and soft bokeh, which can only be compared with the legendary Nikon 105mm f/2.0D AF DC-Nikkor with a defocus ring. Those. The scope of the macro lens is not limited to macro and in the portrait genre, it also feels like a fish in water. The lens has one important feature: the maximum aperture of f / 2.8 is available only when focus at infinity, and when you change the focus distance, its value decreases. For example, at the smallest possible distance (31.4 cm), the maximum aperture value will be equivalent to f / 4.8, the minimum — f / 57. Since the lens is in the top segment, it was not deprived of a fast and tenacious autofocus drive, as well as an image stabilizer. In macro mode, the latter allows you to win 1-2 stops of exposure, while when focus on infinity — all 4. However, this stub efficiency is inherent in most macro lenses a>. Some lenses of the lens are coated with a nanocrystalline anti-reflection coating, which helps to combat glare and glare. Focus takes place without moving the "trunk", so if the subject is an insect, it will not be afraid of moving parts of the lens during focus. Nikon AF-S Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 G IF-ED VR Micro allows you to get a juicy and clean picture with the right colour reproduction and gorgeous bokeh. Well, if the level of sharpness is extremely important to you, this lens has practically no equal either among representatives of the native optics fleet or among third-party brands. Help. The defocus ring allows you to control the degree of spherical aberrations on foreground and background of the image. In simple words, it allows you to adjust the degree of bokeh — from the least soft to the most pronounced. |
 Excellent sharpness and colour reproduction, tolerates backlight well, effective stabilizer, fast and quiet autofocus, dust — and water protection, internal focus, high-quality assembly The lens hood is not tight to the lens body Price from 43 738 up to 69 320 ₴
| Canon 100mm f/2.8L EF IS USM Macro Price from 43 738 up to 69 320 ₴ → Lenses with a red border around the front lens make any adherent of the brand salivate Canon. This is how the professional L series is marked, which is distinguished by improved optical performance and excellent build quality. The 100mm f/2.8 macro lens has a plastic body, only the bayonet mount and focus ring are made of metal. Nevertheless, the assembly is really high-quality, which is once again confirmed by the dust and water protection of the lens. As befits macro lenses, the sharpness of the lens is off scale. For shooting portraits at close range, this may even be too much, after all, the main element of the lens is shooting small details in the 1: 1 approximation. To obtain a sufficient level of depth of field without the need to increase ISO values, the lens is equipped with a Hybrid IS image stabilizer, the main feature of which is the ability to compensate for normal cuts, as well as angular movements of the camera. In macro mode, it allows you to win 2-3 stops of exposure without the need to use a tripod. All elements move inside the lens during focus. The front lens also remains fixed, which allows using circular filters with a diameter of 67 mm in tandem with glass. The process of automatic focus takes a matter of fractions of a second — the subject of shooting clings almost instantly and is firmly held in mind. In this case, the focus can always be adjusted manually. The lens tolerates backlight very well. And if it causes some inconvenience, then it is not a sin to use the complete hood, the only drawback of which is a loose fit to the lens body. Phenomena such as chromatic aberration and vignetting are only slightly manifested at the widest aperture and are easily corrected by camera software or in a photo editor. Canon The EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro is virtually flawless and rightfully takes its place in Canon's professional optics niche. Help. DOF (depth of field) — the area of an image in which all objects are sharp, but outside of it are blurred. DOF is directly proportional to the aperture of the lens, its focal length and focus distance. |
 Soft pattern, dust and moisture resistant, tripod pad, no chromatic aberration, internal focus, quality build Inaccurate autofocus in macro mode, no stabilizer, weight | Sigma 150mm f/2.8 AF HSM EX DG APO Macro Atypical for a macro lens, the focal length of 150 mm highlights the representative of the company Sigma among other lenses with a magnification of 1:1. The EX marking indicates that the lens belongs to the professional segment — it boasts high-quality assembly, dust and water protection and a pleasant soft pattern . Numerous reviews on the World Wide Web confirm the high level of the macro lens and put it on a par with the best solutions from a-brands (Canon and Nikon). A quiet and fast ultrasonic focus motor has found refuge on board the lens. The speed of its work directly depends on the minimum focus distance — the larger it is, the faster the automatic focus is carried out. At a minimum distance (38 cm), autofocus can be a little blurry, but there is always the possibility of manual fine-tuning. A tripod platform is located on the bottom of the lens. It allows you to install a 900-gram lens on a tripod or attach an additional light source to it — due to the small depth of field at such a high focal length, you have to cover the aperture to f / 11-f / 16, so it becomes difficult to shoot handheld without additional support or a third-party light source. Moreover, the lens does not have a built-in image stabilization system. The APO symbols in the lens marking indicate the use of low dispersion lenses in the optical scheme, which effectively combat chromatic aberrations. The macro lens is almost unrivaled in terms of sharpness — its level is very high even from the maximum aperture, and drops to the "Good" mark only at f/16. The long focal length is great for shooting various insects. The main advantage in this case is internal focus — the lens is devoid of moving parts and will not frighten off the subject during focus. |
 Excellent ergonomics, high sharpness at all apertures, fast autofocus, gorgeous bokeh, dust and water resistant, virtually no chromatic aberration Price Price from 29 672 up to 44 999 ₴ | Sony 90mm f/2.8 G FE OSS Macro Price from 29 672 up to 44 999 ₴ → By EISA 90mm macrofix by Sony was named the best fixed focal length lens for mirrorless in 2015 The lens really gets high marks in profile tests and from real owners. According to the results of testing the lens by DxOMark, its sharpness received the highest scores at all main apertures. The level of sharpness, as expected, began to drop only from f/11. Construction lens has 15 lenses in 11 groups, two of which are floating. They are moved by a direct drive mechanism, which allows you to achieve high focus accuracy, so important in macro photography. There is a wide sliding focus ring on the lens body, with which you can switch from manual to automatic mode almost instantly. The minimum distance for focus is 28 cm. You can select the focus mode using a three-position lever: full mode completely unties autofocus hands, the “from 28 cm to 50 cm” mode allows you to focus on nearby objects, and “from 50 cm to infinity” — on more distant ones. By the way, thanks to the 9-blade aperture, the lens draws a very colorful bokeh that will effectively emphasize any portrait. Japanese engineers have not forgotten about the image stabilizer, which also fits into the all-protective lens body. It will serve as an excellent addition to the in-camera stabilizer of full-frame mirrorless Sony Alpha A7 II series. The disadvantage of the lens is its cost — no other significant drawbacks have yet been found. The lens will be an excellent solution for macro photography, as well as a faithful companion in the portrait photography genre. |
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