Steve Spencer wrote:
Interesting, for me if I am going to carry external lighting, then I am not so worried about the size of the lens I am bringing. To me the kit is already getting fairly big and I switch from my light small kit to my larger higher performance kit, but of course YMMV.
Well i recently picked up a flashpoint mini to pair with the 65mm. So its going to be my lightweight alternative when hiking and shooting handheld especially compared to the 100mm and Godox V860 IMO
Mar 31, 2020 at 01:44 PM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
Rehype wrote:
Well i recently picked up a flashpoint mini to pair with the 65mm. So its going to be my lightweight alternative when hiking and shooting handheld especially compared to the 100mm and Godox V860 IMO
Yeah, but even adding the Godox mini to the 65 f/2.8 APO Macro makes it as heavy as the 100 f/2.8 APO Macro, so if your photography is dependent on bringing artificial light I can see why you would go that way, but if your photography isn't (as mine typically isn't) then you should be able to see why the 100 doesn't seem that bad in size. It is not really bigger than the kit you are carrying.
Steve Spencer wrote:
Interesting. I find this basically never works for me. I hate mixed lighting and my iPhone almost never mixes with the ambient light in almost all my settings, of course YMMV.
That's your problem, your using an I phone Like I originally said I'm not a huge macro guy so I don't shoot alot at all. That's why I was interested in this lens. If I carry one chances are I'd use it more. This one is small enough to not be a big deal. I loved the CV110 but it was just to big and heavy for the amount I would use it. When I do use one and if I need alittle extra light the app I use is soft box. I can adjust the kelvin by just swiping up and down to match the color I want. Pretty easy. If I left the house for a specific macro shot in mind then yes I would bring a small Godox 350 for off camera flash.
Steve Spencer wrote:
Yeah, but even adding the Godox mini to the 65 f/2.8 APO Macro makes it as heavy as the 100 f/2.8 APO Macro, so if your photography is dependent on bringing artificial light I can see why you would go that way, but if your photography isn't (as mine typically isn't) then you should be able to see why the 100 doesn't seem that bad in size. It is not really bigger than the kit you are carrying.
Well I didn't have an issue with the size but rather the weight when shooting handheld for long periods at macro magnifications. The 100mm paired with the V860 weighs 1178g while the godox mini paired with the 65mm weighs 533g
bluloo wrote:
Can you share pics from this combo to the full frame Sony pics thread? I’d love to see them, and I’m sure at least a few others would too.
At any rate, looking forward to hearing about your experience with the combo. Since picking up an A7R4, I’ve thought about a few apsc lenses but never pulled the trigger.
I did break down and reorder the 100 macro again. Maybe second time’s the charm. 😄
I just took this lens out this afternoon. Nothing spectacular especially since it was harsh lighting and a little windy. Some are hand held and some obviously on a tripod. Don't nick pick the images to much, the lens is sharp the operator was not today in some instances. Like the hand held panos, think my shutter speed was to low for amount of wind. Anyway here is a mixture of stuff all on the A7riv in crop mode obviously. It doesn't help that all of these are under 1 MB is size either
nhsonyshooter wrote:
That's your problem, you using an I phone Like I originally said I'm not a huge macro guy so I don't shoot alot at all. That's why I was interested in this lens. If I carry one chances are I'd use it more. This one is small enough to not be a big deal. I loved the CV110 but it was just to big and heavy for the amount I would use it. When I do use one and if I need alittle extra light the app I use is soft box. I can adjust the kelvin by just swiping up and down to match the color I want. Pretty easy. If I left the house for a specific macro shot in mind then yes I would bring a small Godox 350 for off camera flash....Show more →
Then you are way better than I am at guessing the Kelvin of ambient light to avoid mixed lighting. I don't see using the iPhone for external lighting let alone pictures as at all viable for me, but more power to you if it works for you. You can go with a small macro that is full frame and not heavy if size is your big issue. Sony makes a really nice 50mm f/2.8 macro and it weighs just 236g, seems like a pretty compelling option if you want small and you have a FF camera. It is even quite inexpensive.
Rehype wrote:
Well I didn't have an issue with the size but rather the weight when shooting handheld for long periods at macro magnifications. The 100mm paired with the V860 weighs 1178g while the godox mini paired with the 65mm weighs 533g
I think you forgot the batteries in your 65 f/2.8 plus godox mini combination that pushes that combo well north of 600g if you mount the flash on the camera. I basically never mount a flash on my camera, so I can definitely see how if you do that you might want a lighter lens to keep the kit lighter for handholding over a long period. By the same token if you don't use a light source or take the flash off camera, a heavier lens weighs becomes a lot easier to handhold even for pretty long periods of time.
Don’t put it down so much. Its never a bad day for photos. Just gotta find the best type of photos for the weather and the lens.
nhsonyshooter wrote:
I just took this lens out this afternoon. Nothing spectacular especially since it was harsh lighting and a little windy. Some are hand held and some obviously on a tripod. Don't nick pick the images to much, the lens is sharp the operator was not today in some instances. Like the hand held panos, think my shutter speed was to low for amount of wind. Anyway here is a mixture of stuff all on the A7riv in crop mode obviously. It doesn't help that all of these are under 1 MB is size either
Steve Spencer wrote:
I think you forgot the batteries in your 65 f/2.8 plus godox mini combination that pushes that combo well north of 600g if you mount the flash on the camera. I basically never mount a flash on my camera, so I can definitely see how if you do that you might want a lighter lens to keep the kit lighter for handholding over a long period. By the same token if you don't use a light source or take the flash off camera, a heavier lens weighs becomes a lot easier to handhold even for pretty long periods of time. ...Show more →
Your right my mistake. The combos without the battery are actually 1058g for the 100mm and godox V860 while the godox mini with the 65mm is 533g. And to your point without the flash mounted it makes the combo much more wieldy. While I do enjoy using just natural light I usually find myself shooting in less than favorable or changing conditions where a flash is necessary particularly at macro magnifications.
nhsonyshooter wrote:
I just took this lens out this afternoon. Nothing spectacular especially since it was harsh lighting and a little windy. Some are hand held and some obviously on a tripod. Don't nick pick the images to much, the lens is sharp the operator was not today in some instances. Like the hand held panos, think my shutter speed was to low for amount of wind. Anyway here is a mixture of stuff all on the A7riv in crop mode obviously. It doesn't help that all of these are under 1 MB is size either
These are great shots lovely rendering.
Apr 01, 2020 at 09:05 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
Rehype wrote:
Your right my mistake. The combos without the battery are actually 1058g for the 100mm and godox V860 while the godox mini with the 65mm is 533g. And to your point without the flash mounted it makes the combo much more wieldy. While I do enjoy using just natural light I usually find myself shooting in less than favorable or changing conditions where a flash is necessary particularly at macro magnifications.
Yeah, it is clear we have very different shooting styles. I shoot almost all my macro and close ups (1:4 and closer) during golden hour with natural light. This lets me get the light I prefer and prevents me from having to use flash in the vast majority of my shots. With such a setup I can use a bit larger lens (I prefer the Voigtlander 65 and 110 Macros or the Contax 645 120 macro on my Fuji GFX) and handholding is a non-issue although I also like a tripod for a lot of my shots too. I also very much appreciate the extra DR from a full frame (or bigger) sensor (as golden hour light often requires a pretty wide DR). So not surprisingly different styles and different approaches yield different needs. Not a bad thing at all as it would be pretty boring if we all did the same thing. By the way I do like your shots in this thread, so kudos on the results.
Steve Spencer wrote:
Yeah, it is clear we have very different shooting styles. I shoot almost all my macro and close ups (1:4 and closer) during golden hour with natural light. This lets me get the light I prefer and prevents me from having to use flash in the vast majority of my shots. With such a setup I can use a bit larger lens (I prefer the Voigtlander 65 and 110 Macros or the Contax 645 120 macro on my Fuji GFX) and handholding is a non-issue although I also like a tripod for a lot of my shots too. I also very much appreciate the extra DR from a full frame (or bigger) sensor (as golden hour light often requires a pretty wide DR). So not surprisingly different styles and different approaches yield different needs. Not a bad thing at all as it would be pretty boring if we all did the same thing. By the way I do like your shots in this thread, so kudos on the results....Show more →
I appreciate you sharing your style. Would love to see some of your work especially with those lenses as I love their rendering. Thank you for the complement.
The Laowa 65mm came in yesterday and I got a chance to test it a bit. First thoughts the lens is small (in comparison to the 100mm) and really light. I really appreciate the improved focus throw. Anyone that shot with the 100mm would appreciate the difference. The rendering is nearly identical to the 100mm and the sharpness is very comparable. Ive only had a limited time using it but so far im in love.
Just to clarify these were shot on the a7RIV in crop mode along with a godox mini. The second shot was 2:1 magnification.
I'm loving the lens so far but I've run into an odd issue. When I'm between 1.25x and 2x magnification I get odd vignetting almost as if the sensor image circle isn't fully covered. The effect is more pronounced as I stop down and between f8 and f22 the corners are basically black and I would have to crop the image. Has anyone else experienced this with their lens?
That looks like mechanical vignetting when the focus tube is extended. Not that bad considering the magnifications.
Just crop a little in the post.
barnesea22 wrote:
I'm loving the lens so far but I've run into an odd issue. When I'm between 1.25x and 2x magnification I get odd vignetting almost as if the sensor image circle isn't fully covered. The effect is more pronounced as I stop down and between f8 and f22 the corners are basically black and I would have to crop the image. Has anyone else experienced this with their lens?
I've never seen this with any other lens so it seems unusual. When reading the many reviews for this lens I also see no mention of this when I'm sure it would be part of the review. Have any owners of this lens experienced the same thing?
I have just received my Laowa 100mm 2X and Laowa 25mm 2.5-5X macro lenses. The 100mm lens looks really large and long compared to the 25mm one which look like a dwarf in comparison. I guess this drawback is the result of not being a natively designed lens (Sony E-mount). The third lens in the picture is my Laowa 12mm Zero-D lens:
My newly arranged macro setup consisting of two Godox 350s mini flashes, Godox wireless flash controller and Olympus dual arm flash bracket. It works but not without caveats:
The connecting knobs can get loose and arms can start moving around. So I have to tighten them up every once in a while. Objects and barriers in the natural environment sometimes interfere with the flash arms. I have just started exploring this setup. I almost always set up a pre-focusing distance and then move the camera back and forth to have the subject in focus. I admit I still need to practice a lot to improve my success rate which is poor currently. The major difficulty is still as usual non-collaborative models!
I no longer have my Sony 90mm macro lens for direct comparison. I remember the Sony had about 130mm working distance at 1:1 (without the hood). Unfortunately, the 100mm Laowa has only about 93mm working distance (with the UV filter attached) at 1:1 and 70mm at 2:1. So some working distance is being sacrificed for the higher magnification gain. I really don't miss the AF in the macro domain. Here is an ant at 2:1 magnification:
The Sony E-mount version of the lens (which I posted a picture of it above) is like the SLR version with a lens mount adapter attached to it. However, they improved on the aperture blade design. The Canon SLR version of the lens has 9 aperture blades and the Nikon SLR version of the lens has only 7 aperture blades. The Sony version on the other hand has 13 aperture blades and the aperture opening is round which results in improved bokeh. My initial plan was to buy the Canon version and use it on y Sony camera through a lens mount adapter. After learning about the improved aperture blade design, I decided to simply go for the Sony version. It is possible there are some other invisible improvements in the Sony version that are obvious (in the internal design) because the Sony version came later.
Like I originally said I'm not a huge macro guy so I don't shoot alot at all. That's why I was interested in this lens. If I carry one chances are I'd use it more. This one is small enough to not be a big deal. I loved the CV110 but it was just to big and heavy for the amount I would use it. When I do use one and if I need alittle extra light the app I use is soft box. I can adjust the kelvin by just swiping up and down to match the color I want. Pretty easy. If I left the house for a specific macro shot in mind then yes I would bring a small Godox 350 for off camera flash.
