Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

A long time ago I was into macro phtography with a Pentax Spotmatic and a set of extension tubes and a bellows unit, and a 50mm lens. I loved taking photos of those tiny alpine flowers in Interior Alaska. But those days are long gone and now I have a Sony A6300 and am wondering what would be a good macro lens, what length--30m, 60mm, 90mm, etc., and brand with native e-mount other than Sony. Thanks in advance.

Logan1949

The sharpest lens available for Sony e-mount is the FE 2.8/90mm Macro G OSS lens. This lens is sharper than all of Sony's Master Class (GM) lenses. I have had one for over a year for my A7Rm2, and I love it. It may be somewhat long in equivalent millimeters for the A6300 sensor, but you will not be disappointed with its sharpness. The only trouble I have with it is the shallow depth of focus in macro mode (select .5m-.28m) while trying to get a close up of a flower. It will still focus at less than 1 foot when not in macro mode (select Full), so sometimes I back up a few feet and use f/11 (up to f/22) for a better depth of focus. It is over 5.5 inches long with a lens cap, or over 7 inches long with the lens hood attached; it will probably weigh more than the A6300 body, but it is lighter than any (?) of the GM lenses.

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A-PeeR Loc: Houston, Texas

I agree, best lens for Sony cameras is the FE 90mm f/2.8. I paired one with an a7 and achieved outstanding results. On a crop sensor you’ll have the equivalent of a 135mm FOV but minimum focusing distance will be the same ~6”. AF worked surprisingly well on my a7 even closeup as long as the light was good and subject had decent contrast. I imagine the a6300 would perform equally well if not better.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Thanks for the replies. I didn't realize there was a 90mm macro for E-mount. There is a 30mm, but that puts you awfully close to the subject, which is fine for things like tiny flowers, but not good for insects and such. I'll check out this 90mm lens. Again, thanks.

napabob Loc: Napa CA

same setup I had as a lad, much prefer not paying film development costs now with digital, unable to help on your query other then I would go with the 90 as well

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

I still have all those slides from that summer. The trouble is, now I'm 72 and you won't likely find me tromping up and down those mountains any time lately. There is a decent botanical garden in Anchorage, though.

Don, the 2nd son Loc: Crowded Florida

I can't afford the SONY 90mm. I have great results with a Minolta 100mm f/2.8 macro & LA-EA1 mount adapter. Focus magnifier makes a huge difference over more conventional methods. Manual focusing is preferred anyway for minute accuracy. Aperture link via LA-EA adapters also invaluable thus my FD 200mm F/4 doesn't get used so much at all.

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

All macros will have a shallow depth of field. I have not heard of a particular brand having more or less dof at a given setting. You can add dof by using a smaller aperture, but the smaller apertures start to show a softening effect called image diffraction. f11-f16 give acceptable dof, with the larger apertures for larger objects, and the smaller apertures for very small objects. You can try to push it to even smaller apertures. No harm in trying.
Of course there is always image stacking to greatly increase dof and also image sharpness. But that technique gets technical.

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

The Sony FE 2.8/90mm Macro G OSS lens is a great lens. It is sharp with great bokeh. You will never need another macro lens. With extention tubes you can get closer to the subject.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

It looks like I'll need to start saving up for the Sony 90mm macro.