if u looking at 30F28marco because of the marco, get SP90!

if u looking at 30F28marco because of the range, of coz 1750 can fill in that range.

Poadster: u got it all wrong, raynox is not used like that, it is adding a macro zoom to it, not macro focus into it. unlike SP90 where it focus of distance of infinity down to 1cm. raynox still rely on the focusing gear limit, which is ur MFT to infinity.

the proper way to use it on 55-200 is to set ur kitlens to infinity, and manual move ur body in and out of the suject to get the focus u wan. and u may need to shoot 5-10 pic to get 1 the one u like.

This post has been edited by ieR: Oct 14 2009, 01:46 AM

SP90 cost around Rm1.6k only
maybe can go even lower

2nd hand is much lower... some hit 1.3k @.@

lol..thats how i used to do it..but nowadays i hardly use my raynox....haha..anyway..i cant do wireless flash..and im lazy to do "alien gun"...so kinda hard to use my f58 on it >.<


@countdracula
i bought 500++SGD..im not sure the price now tho...if u like macro..get this lens..u wont regret..if u love the aperture + range..well..try what bro ieR suggested..

This post has been edited by achew: Oct 14 2009, 01:50 AM

1.3k vs 999, not much different but 999 is juz a rrp n it will be lower at street price. so raynox or 30F2.8 plus a VG would be my next collection n not discounting the temptation of A550 !!!

if u trying to shoot bug..30mm might b a lil bit too wide..even u manage to go very very very very close to the bugs..it stil wont look as stunning as those 90mm 100mm 180mm blablabla..but for portrait..flower..etc..i guess its fine..

So happy that there are still ppl appreciate the A100 Love the camera... I omost letting go of it...till i decided to keep it myself. Wonder will this camera last me for another 10 years.. If i din use it long time, will it bcome malfunction?? like car din warm up


Thanks Amadeo to oways keep track of Alpha users list & the nice user bars.

I believe i set it to infinity (MF then turn the ring clockwise all the way?? also how to set infinity using AF??), and i walked in and out of the subject.... all i get is blur.... hahahah

The glass is fine, i uses it to see lines on my palm, so its me thats getting the technique wrong.... will try yr method again tomorrow... now damn sleepy...

Thnx for the advice...

i hv think bout it of wat i wan to shoot. not really into bug though i hv seen some very nice bug shots here. will venture into flowers n some tiny things for attention. something is in my mind right now n will decide probably after the basic workshop next month. thanks everyone for guiding, good nite

This post has been edited by countdracula: Oct 14 2009, 02:13 AM

hahaha.. aiseh, must also put zeiss logo on A700 lah.. then got class mah..

fuyyoh.. u got A800! (A100+A700) hahaha...

it sure will come handy if can combine n bcome powerfull fullframe! & When need 2 bodies for shooting wedding etc.. can separate!! too much transformers...

I just took out out my A100 to play play while charging my A700 battery just now... & suddenly i feel so weird to hold my A100 again..especially d front scroll...it feel.. small n hard to scroll.. Must use it once a while if not scare later donno how to use it anymore...



I got a question... When i look into my A100 viewfinder...I saw a few blackdots in it... when i move my eye away a bit from d viewfinder i can see a line (like smkind of stain) on the viewfinder..

it is not dust on the sensor as it doesnt appear on my photo... Check d mirror n it look clean too... Clean the outer glass of the viewfinder oso is clean.. Not sure wat was it & where is the stain stick to... Could it be Fungus growing inside the camera?

im new to DSLRs so i wanna ask a few things if its okay.

1) what are filters for? and how do i choose a filter? (like 52mm,55mm.etc)

2) is a dry box/cabinet necessary?

Hey guys...good morning! I just wanna ask some opinion here....wat would be the best way (angle, pose, lighting) to take a close-up shot of a model's eye? have anyone take such shots be4? if you have, can post sum samples here ah? another one is, where cn get the cheapest tammy 17-50?

Acecombat is using it for PC hardware review pictures. Not to shoot bugs in macro where we need to see every single bulu. A close up filter shud be enuf n save lotsa $ too.

how about the SP60 that does F2.0?

Poadster: The more the diopter rating of a closeup lens, the nearer the maximum focusing distance will be.

A +4 closeup, for example, makes a lens focused at infinity, focus at 1000mm/4 diopter or 250mm or 25cm close.

A +10 closeup, for example, makes a lens focused at infinity, focus at 1000mm/10 diopter or 100mm or 10cm close.

I don't know what the Raynox diopter ratings are.

Thus, a +10 will give better magnification since you can get closer to the subject... but you're limited in the sense that you cannot get further from the subject, either. I would suggest you use the 55-200mm focused at infinity since that will give you the most working distance to the subject.

ieR: Consider the price of a full-frame 50mm F2.8 Macro, then, which is pointless on APS-C because it doesn't give you a great angle nor a handy working distance.

Minimum Focus Distances
Sigma 105mm F2.8 Macro = 31cm
Minolta/Sony 100mm F2.8 Macro = 35cm
Tamron 90mm F2.8 Macro = 29cm
Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro = 20cm
Sony 30mm F2.8 DT Macro SAM = 13.9cm

Notice that the Sony 100mm macro is easier to use for insects due to its larger MFD - meaning you can get to 1:1 with more distance between you and insect.

The 30mm is better for APS-C because of the normal angle of view which lets you take food details easily. The 13.9cm MFD means you can almost touch the subject. It's a normal angle of view lens which also has no limits on how close you can focus. It does exactly what the 50mm macro on full-frame does.

Anyway, a shorter focal length macro is easier to use for closeups because:

1) you get a lot more of the background
2) you don't need to stop down the aperture so much
3) you may not need to use flash due to 2)
4) it is easier to use as a multi-purpose focal length prime (90mm becomes a telephoto/portrait only lens)

countdracula: Ah yes, someone who gets it! You will enjoy the 30mm macro I'm sure of it.

achew: A 50mm Macro (on the A850) would do better for your figurine closeups because you can include the background. Imagine you built a diorama but the background is all too magnified due to the 90mm's focal length!

haha depends on each person..i don use live view...i prefer looking through OVF..so im craving for bigger view finder. A bit regret didnt get d300/a700 in the 1st place..

from ur description, the most possible thing is........ fungus

bro, on point 2) that u pointed out, i somewhat understand it and i think i can visualized it when taking pictures too, but what is the theory behind it?

alpha users are lucky to have sp90 + SSS leh.....sp90 is one of the best macro lenses around...other brands have to live without SSS (some might say why need SSS? okok, but i dont mind having extras and i love extras hahah)

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Added on October 14, 2009, 10:55 amsame here, i prefer looking through VF because it feels more confortable than holding a big chunk using live view...but live view comes in handy sometimes when i wana see how a pic look (for composition) and WB (though i use a white balance cap ahah)........sony LV is 1 step ahead of everyone .....

This post has been edited by Sp00kY: Oct 14 2009, 10:55 AM

@albnok
DCR-250 is 8-diopter