M4/3 macro lens recommendations please

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Micro-four-thirds

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Hi, I’m new here but have been a long time lurker for a few months now.
I am after some advice please as I am interested in getting into macro photography in the garden and on my walks however I currently only have a Panasonic 14-140 m4/3 lens on my Olympus omd em10 camera.
Could you recommend a decent macro lens to get me started please.
Many thanks.
 
I use an Olympus 60mm macro lens and I am very happy with it.
 
Thanks for the reply, can I what the f. No. Is on that one? I have been looking at some around f3.5 but can’t decide how low to go. I do like the nice smoothed out background shown on a lot of the macro images shown on here etc.
 
I have the Olympus 30mm f3.5 macro. It's great for flowers, but not so good for bugs and insects as you need to get quite close. The 60mm is better for those.
 
Ok, would you recommend the 60mm or go to 100mm. I would prefer insect photography compared to flowers etc.
 
Macro and close up is usually or at least often manual focus as AF will focus on something but it may not be what you want it to focus on. So, I'd think about a film era manual focus macro to be used via a cheap dumb adapter.

I have a Minolta mount Sigma 50mm f2.8 which is 1:1. Something like this might be found for about £60+ and dumb adapters start at about £10.
 
That sounds interesting. I do also have an old cannon 400d with a couple of prime lenses. 35mm and 50mm. Would I be better using the cannon compared the the Olympus m4/3? I have to admit with general photography I prefer the quality of the images from the Olympus.
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
That sounds interesting. I do also have an old cannon 400d with a couple of prime lenses. 35mm and 50mm. Would I be better using the cannon compared the the Olympus m4/3? I have to admit with general photography I prefer the quality of the images from the Olympus.
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Well there you go then. If the Oly gives better pictures use that. Plus with the Oly you'll be able to call up the magnified view and focus very accurately.

I wouldn't really recommend the Canon DSLR and lenses for close up or macro as the lenses are a bit short and wont have particularly short close focus distances. Personally I'd use the Oly as 50 or 60mm on that equate to 100 / 120mm in full frame terms whilst the Canon 35 and 50 equate to 56 / 80mm so you're getting a longer lens with a MFT or other 50 or 60mm macro and you'll be able to focus closer for greater magnification.

Other things to consider are working distance and perspective. If you're taking pictures of things that are likely to run or fly away if you get too close the further away you are the better and a 100mm macro may be a good choice. These longer lenses also give you a different and possibly more attractive perspective.
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
Thanks for the reply, can I what the f. No. Is on that one? I have been looking at some around f3.5 but can’t decide how low to go. I do like the nice smoothed out background shown on a lot of the macro images shown on here etc.
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A lot of macro lenses are f2.8 but I don't know how necessary a wide aperture is as when you're doing close up / macro you'll very often be stopping down as you may be fighting for depth. Depending upon the composition and scene a smooth bokeh background may be yours at f5.6 or f8.
 
I've been thinking about trying some macro too. However, I have no experience, so I've started out by buying some Meike extension tubes - which I received about a week ago.

I'm finding it a great way to learn about macro photography (lighting, focus stacking, subjects etc.).

I'm still not sure what I will do in the long term, but I'll be able to make a much more informed decision if I decide to buy a "proper" macro lens.
The results with the tubes are much better than I had expected - so far.
 
I have a Pergear 60mm f2.8 macro , purely MF but I don’t find that a problem with focus peaking and it’s a 2:1 true macro to ..not yet given it the use it deserves. The main benefit is it’s internal focussing to
 
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The Laowa 50mm f2.8 is my choice.
 
Try this thread
 
I bought some FOTGA extension rings for my M43 camera - they have electronic contacts so focus and aperture work though as above you'll probably want to manual focus.
I found they worked better with some lenses than others, the advantage being you can try different focal lengths if you have the lenses.
Mainly I paid a small amount to discover I don't have the patience required or the subject interest - so money well spent over a more expensive lens - YMMV

Here's what I shot
flic.kr

FOTGA Micro 4/3rd extension rings

Pictures taken with FOTGA extension tubes
flic.kr flic.kr

Here's a link to what appear to be the same product but I didn't buy from here originally.
 
AMcUK said:
I bought some FOTGA extension rings for my M43 camera - they have electronic contacts so focus and aperture work though as above you'll probably want to manual focus.
I found they worked better with some lenses than others, the advantage being you can try different focal lengths if you have the lenses.
Mainly I paid a small amount to discover I don't have the patience required or the subject interest - so money well spent over a more expensive lens - YMMV

Here's what I shot
flic.kr

FOTGA Micro 4/3rd extension rings

Pictures taken with FOTGA extension tubes
flic.kr flic.kr

Here's a link to what appear to be the same product but I didn't buy from here originally.
Click to expand...

Ditto. I got good results with extension tubes and the 45mm f1.8 m4/3 lens - which lasted me until I got bored of macro stuff.
 
AMcUK said:
I bought some FOTGA extension rings for my M43 camera - they have electronic contacts so focus and aperture work though as above you'll probably want to manual focus.
I found they worked better with some lenses than others, the advantage being you can try different focal lengths if you have the lenses.
Mainly I paid a small amount to discover I don't have the patience required or the subject interest - so money well spent over a more expensive lens - YMMV

Here's what I shot
flic.kr

FOTGA Micro 4/3rd extension rings

Pictures taken with FOTGA extension tubes
flic.kr flic.kr

Here's a link to what appear to be the same product but I didn't buy from here originally.
Click to expand...
Hi, thanks, I like the detail in the photos.
Could you explain how these extensions work? I’ve only got a 14-140mm Panasonic lens in m4/3. Would that be suitable for insects with the extensions.
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
Could you explain how these extensions work?
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You fit them between the camera and the lens and they physically move the lens away from the sensor.
Good tubes have electronic contacts so the lens can still focus and change aperture - without these your electronic lenses will be mostly useless.
There are some limits on how close or far away you can focus - IIRC you lose the infinity focus but I haven't used mine for a long time.

Looking at this one I was shooting with the Olympus 40-150 F4.0-5.6 R at 58mm
As you can see the depth of focus is very limited.
The spider was in the bath so didn't have anywhere to go but it wasn't spooked enough to move.


Spider - FOTGA extension tube test I by AMc UK, on Flickr

No spiders were harmed in the making of this photograph.
 
Another option which I like is close focus filters, these screw onto the end of your lens and allow you to focus closely and often come in a set of three or four. I prefer them to tubes as when out and about you can fit them for one shot and take them off for the next without removing the lens to mount tubes.
 
woof woof said:
Another option which I like is close focus filters, these screw onto the end of your lens and allow you to focus closely and often come in a set of three or four. I prefer them to tubes as when out and about you can fit them for one shot and take them off for the next without removing the lens to mount tubes.
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Would I be right in thinking this would be like taking a photo through a magnifying glass or to that effect?
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
Would I be right in thinking this would be like taking a photo through a magnifying glass or to that effect?
Click to expand...
Sort of but magnifying glasses are usually a much shorter focal length and cheap ones distort a lot.
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
Would I be right in thinking this would be like taking a photo through a magnifying glass or to that effect?
Click to expand...
sphexx said:
Sort of but magnifying glasses are usually a much shorter focal length and cheap ones distort a lot.
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Yes, they are basically just magnifying glasses which come in strengths like No.1, No.4 etc. You can use them individually or stack them.

I don't see any real issues with my Kood ones at all and they were relatively cheap. I think they were £28 for the set but that was something between 10 and 20 years ago. The main issue could be distortion in the corners but the depth of field when using these things is so thin that I wouldn't expect the corners to be sharp. Go for a branded one or set, and by branded I mean a name you've heard of, and they should be reasonable.

They could be worth reading up on and as I said, they avoid lens changes and the time and lens and tube removal and mounting and removing again when out and about. I've used mine a lot, I often take my No.4 out with me when going out for a walk. They're not as good as a macro lens, but at the price I wouldn't expect the to be and with a macro lens you're limited to f2.8 whereas if you're using for example a f1.4 lens you've got f1.4 available with the filter off or on.

Anyway, it's just another option to think about.
 
Micro-four-thirds said:
Hi, thanks for the advice. Would this be ideal for insects etc? Or mainly just plants non moving objects?
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When/if you start photographing plants you’ll find they move rather a lot and more than insects in some situations — insects on plants, double trouble!
 
sphexx said:
When/if you start photographing plants you’ll find they move rather a lot and more than insects in some situations — insects on plants, double trouble!
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Good point lol. I often walk down the garden and find ladybirds etc on the plants and think that would make a great photo. Hence the interest in starting macro. Plus I can get more use out of the camera instead of standard landscape/bird photos.
 
Fuji Dave said:
Try and have a look at both the Raynox250 and Raynox150, they just clip onto the end of the camera lens even though they are a learning curve they can be fun.
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Thanks, will have a look. I have been looking at these this afternoon. I just need to check my lens size.

Hoya 1293 77 mm HMC Close-Up Filter Set - Black​

 
Personally, I consider cheap close-up filters to be the same as any other cheap filters. If you want something that gets close to matching your lenses then you need an achromatic lens which has two or three elements. Mitsumi make a large range of different sizes in two strengths and the Raynox DCR150 and DCR250 are very popular as they're reasonably priced and clip onto a wide range of lens filter threads although the 250 especially is not for beginners.

Also, close-up lenses/filters work better on longer focal length lenses while extension tubes work better on shorter lenses. I can bore you with the maths if you really want....
 
Snapsh0t said:
Personally, I consider cheap close-up filters to be the same as any other cheap filters. If you want something that gets close to matching your lenses then you need an achromatic lens which has two or three elements. Mitsumi make a large range of different sizes in two strengths and the Raynox DCR150 and DCR250 are very popular as they're reasonably priced and clip onto a wide range of lens filter threads although the 250 especially is not for beginners.

Also, close-up lenses/filters work better on longer focal length lenses while extension tubes work better on shorter lenses. I can bore you with the maths if you really want....
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Lol thanks. I have got a Panasonic 14-140mm lens at present.
 
In that case I suggest the Raynox DCR-150, some reading about technique for macro photography and practice, practice then more practice.
 
woof woof said:
I have a MFT cameras and a 45-150mm so just out of interest I'll try a close up filter on it later.
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The 45-150 is very light and compact, and you can use the 52mm or 58 with an adaptor (which I prefer to do)for the close up lens, it is very nice to use like that.
The close up lenses do obviously have some distortion, but I haven't found any bugs sitting on graph paper, so haven't noticed it in use.

With no mirror in front of the sensor, I prefer them to extension tubes, less risk of dust getting in.
 
Sangoma said:
The 45-150 is very light and compact, and you can use the 52mm or 58 with an adaptor (which I prefer to do)for the close up lens, it is very nice to use like that.
The close up lenses do obviously have some distortion, but I haven't found any bugs sitting on graph paper, so haven't noticed it in use.

With no mirror in front of the sensor, I prefer them to extension tubes, less risk of dust getting in.
Click to expand...

What I'm concerned about is the working distance as on FF with 85 and 135mm lenses close up filters are difficult to use hand held as the depth of the working distance is narrow. On FF I mostly use these with 35 and 50mm lenses but have also used them with 24 and 28mm lenses,
 
I see where your coming from, I do also have an old cannon 400d with various lenses from 28mm 50mm up to 75-300mm. But I am not keen on the picture quality with that camera compared to the Olympus omd m5.
 
woof woof said:
What I'm concerned about is the working distance as on FF with 85 and 135mm lenses close up filters are difficult to use hand held as the depth of the working distance is narrow. On FF I mostly use these with 35 and 50mm lenses but have also used them with 24 and 28mm lenses,
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Yes, it is harder, but this was handheld, and although nothing fantastic, is OK for me, and it is an inexpensive way to start.
I have "electronic" extension rings, but don't use them.

P1000828.jpg
 
Just to confuse you even further, try a thin extension tube behind your Panasonic 14-140mm. I'll give you very good close-ups and a very-very decent working distance at the longer end.
 
Dave in Wales said:
Just to confuse you even further, try a thin extension tube behind your Panasonic 14-140mm. I'll give you very good close-ups and a very-very decent working distance at the longer end.
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Yes, tried that, and the camera will focus between about 10" and 4'
With a +1 on the front, it is roughly the same
Without anything the lens will focus down to about 14"
A +2 takes it down to about 8" and a +4 down to about 6"

All at 140 mm on a Mk11 14-140 lens

However, take the lens down to about 22mm or less, and with the +1 on, it will still focus to infinity

And it is quicker to remove or change the lens on the front :)

For me the lens is a more convenient solution, and I find it very hard to see the difference in quality, except on the very edges of the frame.

All depends on the individual requirements I guess.
 
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