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Help choosing a lens for Sony a6000 and new to macro Tokina?
Sep 17, 2020 11:43:45   #
dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO
 
I wondered if you could give me a little advice about macro and lenses for a Sony a6000 e-mount. I'm a novice and just an enthusiast.
I shoot a Sony a6000 aps-c and only had kit lenses. Recently I bought a Tokina 100mm Firin Macro F2.8 FE from Adorama. $499 included some extras, including a set of filters. Now I see the Samyang 100mm f2.8 macro for $499. It has more "gauges" on the barrel but I don't know what they are for yet! It is a manual while the Tokina has AF as well. Tokina got good reviews, I thought. Samyang is slightly heavier. Both have working distance of 4.5". I understand I will need to use a tripod and will likely do mostly MF. Lots to learn! I do not anticipate moving to full-frame but might eventually upgrade to a Sony a6500 or something like that.

https://tokinausa.com/product/firin-100mm-macro/
https://www.samyanglens.com/en/product/product-view.php?seq=331

I'd like to do macro--mostly flowers, not bugs. The Tokina reviews say it is also good for portraits and astro!? I have so much to learn, and can't spend double for a Sony FE 90mm f2.8. I took up photography about 6 years ago and am essentially self-taught with meetups, online, and my Photo Club help! (I also bought a Samyang 12mm ultra-wide F2.0 as I do lots of landscapes.)
Do you think I am on the right track with the Tokina? Or should I return it for the Samyang? Other suggestions?

Thanks! Diane Falconer Littleton, CO

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Sep 17, 2020 12:34:43   #
Gabyto
 
The lens you already got is really good. You should try it first ,and if you are not happy return it for the other lens. Adorama is pretty flexible. I personally like the Tokina more than the other brand.

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Sep 17, 2020 12:52:35   #
Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI
 
I think the rule of thumb about comparing macro lenses of a given focal length is that they are all really really good. Finding a difference in image quality requires super close inspection of pictures, well beyond what people normally do, and personally I don't think the differences would be noticed without micro-inspection. Others may disagree.
I would vote for the lens you have (the Tokina) simply b/c you have it, and it has EF which is convenient. You can switch to MF when desired.
A consideration is the number of aperture blades and whether they are rounded. Those factors effect the quality of the bokeh. I don't know about that factor for these lenses.
You don't really need a tripod. There are pros and cons to using one, but you don't need one unless there is some other factor like wanting to try focus stacking.

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Sep 17, 2020 13:09:44   #
dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO
 
Thanks so very much! I really appreciate your comments.

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Sep 17, 2020 13:10:17   #
dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO
 
Gabyto wrote:
The lens you already got is really good. You should try it first ,and if you are not happy return it for the other lens. Adorama is pretty flexible. I personally like the Tokina more than the other brand.


Thanks a lot! I needed this support! Grateful.

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Sep 17, 2020 13:11:11   #
dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO
 
[quote=Mark Sturtevant]I think the rule of thumb about comparing macro lenses of a given focal length is that they are all really really good. Finding a difference in image quality requires super close inspection of pictures, well beyond what people normally do, and personally I don't think the differences would be noticed without micro-inspection. Others may disagree.
I would vote for the lens you have (the Tokina) simply b/c you have it, and it has EF which is convenient. You can switch to MF when desired.
A consideration is the number of aperture blades and whether they are rounded. Those factors effect the quality of the bokeh. I don't know about that factor for these lenses.
You don't really need a tripod. There are pros and cons to using one, but you don't need one unless there is some other factor like wanting to try focus stacking.[/CO

Thanks so very much! I really appreciate your comments.

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Sep 17, 2020 16:28:58   #
JRiepe Loc: Southern Illinois
 
In my opinion any good quality sharp lens is fine for flower shots. Doesn't need to be a macro unless you want to bring out fine detail in a section of the flower. As far as the Tokina I haven't had any experience with it but believe all I've read that it is a very sharp lens.

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Sep 17, 2020 16:37:07   #
dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO
 
JRiepe wrote:
In my opinion any good quality sharp lens is fine for flower shots. Doesn't need to be a macro unless you want to bring out fine detail in a section of the flower. As far as the Tokina I haven't had any experience with it but believe all I've read that it is a very sharp lens.


Thanks! I do pretty well with my 55-210 kit lens but wanted to see what a ‘real’ macro could do. Thanks for your input.

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Sep 18, 2020 14:07:57   #
sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri
 
I'm more of a macro/micro "Tabletop Studio" now with staged subjects although when I venture into the field for sessions with live subjects and wildflowers I find that being able to hold pinpoint focus to be the most important feature to me. I shoot dozens and dozens of them in manually mostly because the lenses will not autofocus on my camera only to find that I got a few that are sharp where I wanted the focus to be.

I believe that for someone who wants more sharp hits that a macro lens that is autofocus compatible with the camera would be the most enjoyable paring for a macro enthusiast.

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Sep 18, 2020 14:41:46   #
Don, the 2nd son Loc: Crowded Florida
 
Gabyto wrote:
The lens you already got is really good. You should try it first ,and if you are not happy return it for the other lens. Adorama is pretty flexible. I personally like the Tokina more than the other brand.



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Sep 18, 2020 15:41:29   #
dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO
 
sippyjug104 wrote:
I'm more of a macro/micro "Tabletop Studio" now with staged subjects although when I venture into the field for sessions with live subjects and wildflowers I find that being able to hold pinpoint focus to be the most important feature to me. I shoot dozens and dozens of them in manually mostly because the lenses will not autofocus on my camera only to find that I got a few that are sharp where I wanted the focus to be.

I believe that for someone who wants more sharp hits that a macro lens that is autofocus compatible with the camera would be the most enjoyable paring for a macro enthusiast.
I'm more of a macro/micro "Tabletop Studio&qu... (show quote)

Thanks! I think I’ll enjoy it.

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