The a99II was my favorite Sony camera strictly for macro, and that was all because of the fully-articulated rear LCD. It made working with low angles and in tight spaces much easier than any version of the flip screens (though the rV's screen comes close to being as useful).
Otherwise, every e-mount camera I've used for macro has been a pleasure. For field macros, I prefer manual focus, and my favorite lenses for the mount are the IRIX 150/2.8 and the Laowa 90/2.8. The IRIX looks big and heavy, but it's reasonably light for the length and speed, is internally focused, so it's as big and as its going to get, comes with a dove-tailed tripod mount, and has a focus tension adjustment/lock. You can get it in an e-mount without electronics, or just order the EF version and put it on an MC-11 for full EXIF and in-camera aperture control. Fantastic resolution, strong color correction, and generally better bokeh than any of the shorter macros, it's a steal for the money.
In my mind, there are three things holding the Laowa 90 from being my default no-brainer recommendation for anyone looking for a field macro; there's no electronics, it can be difficult to focus wide open thanks to the fine focus fall-off and the physically limited rotation on the focus, and its lack of flare resistance can be challenging to frame around. Optically, it's a well corrected beast that loses very little over the sweep of its focus distance. It's a solid chunk of lens, but its flexibility can prove very handy.
Jul 10, 2023 at 05:36 PM
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