John Koerner
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Dalantech wrote:
Nope... From your article, emphases at the end of the quote added by me.
If you want to try to pick apart a 14-page, 6700-word piece by citing one example where we disagree, because you could use a 60 mm lens on a baited bee, then be my guest.
But it doesn't disprove a thing. 100% of nature photographers will agree that 60 mm is *not* the ideal macro lens length for most wild, living subjects.
That you can find a few instances, in your home garden, or on your fingertip, where a 60 mm lens works ... means ... what?
Dalantech wrote:
I'm just gonna leave this here...
*image*
Tech Specs: Canon 70D (F11, 1/125, ISO 200) + a Canon EF-S 60mm macro lens with 25mm of extension + a diffused MT-24EX (flash head "A" set as the key and "B" as the fill, both on Kaiser flash shoes). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held.
And I personally would never want to take such an image. It's too bright for my taste, and I am not an ultra-close type macro shooter.
Which brings us back to the point of the article (which you haven't grasped yet), so I will put it under your nose here: "I hope this information has been helpful, maybe even interesting. As mentioned earlier, *your* mileage may vary, *your* photographic interests may be different from mine, so use the factual information that is here and re-interpret it to suit *your* unique photographic needs."
Dalantech wrote:
Edit: Could also add that your assessment of working distance as a whole is off -long focal length macro lenses only make sense if you're using natural light as the primary light source. If you're using a flash then that extra working distance is actually working against you: Harder to get good diffusion due to the apparent light size principle, and longer flash durations when compared to a short focal length lens and a flash that's close to the subject (easier to freeze motion and get sharper images the closer the flash is to the subject). That's why the light source is so important when someone is considering getting into macro......Show more →
No, your interpretation of my article is what's off.
Because, yes, exactly, I *am* a natural light wildlife macro shooter ... that was the only good call you've made, congrats.
I take photos of live, (mostly-)wary subjects, not baited bees on my finger or in my artificial garden.
No way are you going to get right up in the face of most arthropods (esp. butterflies) with a 60mm lens.
Your entire style of photography is predicated on artificial light and control of your environment.
(Which is fine, everyone has their passions, which is as it should be.)
Me? I personally never use flash, as I don't like the light. Shots like this is what I am after, with perfect natural light:
Again, if you actually read the article (from start to finish), it would be a more productive discussion. You would use the factual statistics on the table, and (because *you* like to get ultra-close, hand-hold, and add flash to your photos) *you* would re-shuffle the ratings to fit your unique photographic style ... rather than quibble with me over minutia, and my own photographic style, which only underscores the fact you didn't read the article. (Or didn't comprehend the point.).
Factually-speaking, however, there are some things you need to come to terms with: your little 60 mm macro lens in no way matches the overall usefulness of the Sigma 180 APO out in nature. Doesn't match it (specs-wise), in resolution, bokeh, reach, nor can it capture the same variety of images out in the field. A fast, wary butterfly landing 10 ft away would be missed by you. Can your lens get "some" macro nature shots? Yes. Is a 60 mm macro lens the overall most useful macro lens in nature? Not a chance.
But yes, there are certain subjects (bees distracted by slurping nectar) that will sit still and allow that close of an approach, but (let's be real) most natural subject will not.
Another indisputable fact is a 60mm macro lens will never achieve the isolate background blur that a 180 mm macro will get. Scroll down to the middle of this page for explanation.
Anyway, enough bickering. If you want to keep building strawmen, good sir, be my guest.
Jack
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) and tripod for early morning natural light closeUps...
