My eye has fallen on a macro lens as the second attachment to my APS-C digital camera. Knowing the seductions of “gear acquisition syndrome” (G.A.S.) that some camera enthusiasts talk about, I ruminated off and on for weeks before rationalizing the hunt for the 30mm macro lens (SEL30m35). Relatively speaking it is physically and financially light-weight. Pricier glass might give better results, but to an amateur or enthusiast, this Sony e-mount lens design from 2011 makes sense. The goal of this article is to describe the growth of my working relationship with the lens, from twinkle in my eye, through the “teen-age crush” first days, until finally reaching the comfortable familiarity of a long-lived relationship.
Taking this longitudinal view, I begin with thoughts of an “expectant owner,” who is looking forward to the new life that comes with seeing through a macro lens. The next part will be the “infatuation stage” of actually getting to know the lens and looking with fresh eyes on opportunities to take pictures in nearby environments. The concluding section will come after the honeymoon period has passed and the lens takes its place in the toolbox of ordinary gear to use from season to season.
By way of history about how I got to this point in choosing a second lens, I started with the body, a Sony ILCE-5000 (alpha-5000), from E-bay and decided on the wide-angle 20mm (SEL20f28) lens for the default, always-on objective, rather than to seek out the normal kit lens that the camera is sold with new (pz1650, Power-zoom 16mm-50mm). While the camera has a “macro mode” for closer than usual pictures, it is not a true macro lens that would be able to record “life size” (1:1) pictures. Attributes of dedicated macro lenses usually include flat plane of focus (versus slightly curved focus image on other lenses), minimized color aberration (chromatic aberration), and most of all the ability to record very close focus. So the rationale to buy this one (not the macro 50mm or the macro 90mm) included these attributes as improvements on the trusty always-on 20mm lens. But the 30mm macro also has a slightly narrower (less wide-angle) field of view and would be a welcome alternative to use sometimes, even for scenes that are not close up. After all, the macro lens can focus from close details all the way to the horizon (infinity). Neither the 20mm nor the 30mm lens has a built-in gyroscope to create Optical Stabilization at low shutter speeds. So that functionality did not contribute to the decision to buy this lens.
What will be the first picture to try on the new lens, I wonder. Contrasting a set of 5 or 10 shots on the 20mm to this macro 30mm will be an empirical way to see how closely they match each other, or rather, stand apart from each other. While waiting for the right lens to surface at the online auction bay, I whet my appetite and start to get to know the lens by looking online at flickr.com for images taken on this lens; by reading the dpreview.com review for this lens and seeing the sample pictures; and by glancing at the owner’s manual for the lens. Thinking more widely about the tools and traditions of macro photography more generally, not limited to this one product, I turned to the ebooks at Amazon to see chapter headings and issues spotlighted by authors; I read the Wikipedia entry and some of its links for “macro photography”; and trawled the Internet for a few websites using this search string: macro photography “tips and tricks.”
When taking pictures other than very close up, the lens is like any other, except that its maximum aperture of f3.5 is relatively “slow” compared to 2.0 or 1.8, for example. Like most lenses, it is the middle range of apertures (f8, plus and minus) that often gives the best overall result. This one at widest opening, though, tends to dim the edges of the frame sometimes (vignetting). As for macro tips and tricks, though, for someone not familiar with close up work, there are several things to learn. When making such magnified images, everything that contributes to the composition process also is magnified: small adjustments to exposure, point of focus, framing, shutter speed, and so on show up amplified because of the miniature scale of things. A subject just 1 cm from the front of the lens can easily move out of focus just by the motion of taking a breath. So a tripod or focusing rail accessory is suggested by some macro experts. Squeezing enough light into the small space between lens and subject could be a problem, too. So learning to see possible compositions on this small scale takes practice to form habits of close scrutiny, deliberate decisions, and very careful focus before recording the picture. These considerations are true for taking pictures of common subjects (flowers, insects, coins, stamps, currency), but also for extreme close-ups when composing a miniature still life, abstract, documentary (still or video), or even a panorama formed out of 2 or 3 frames. One writer sums up the macro vision as specially suited to revealing structure, substance/texture, and shapes.
Potential subjects to look at up close, or foregrounded in wider context, are limited only by visual experience of spotting opportunities, and by the location’s own native subjects: shoreline, forest, backyard, countertop, museum/gallery, discarded junk. All in all, I will be eager to try the new lens in non-macro settings of high contrast (and the HDR feature of the camera body), of low dynamic range, twilight and full-darkness, color-filled and dull scenes, close up and landscape; all this to compare to the performance of the earlier 20mm (non-macro) lens. But then, of course, the main function of a macro lens is making sharp close-up pictures.
I will be eager to exhaust the range of potential subjects, both natural and man-made, either at closest range (1:1 size) or something less extreme, but still nearer than an ordinary lens can record. Only by tiring of the universe of possible subjects will the dreamy “new toy” glow give way to a more mature relationship with the lens: knowing when it really is the right tool for a particular composition, not reaching for it because it my newest acquisition. Hopefully, some of the same things that always have attracted my eye to a scene or subject will then stand out, whether up-close or in the non-macro environment: the composition’s geometry and lines, the play of light, and the way one’s eye is led into the frame. [This first phase dates to August 31]
[This second phase dates to September 15–20]
With the macro lens attached and plenty of afternoon sun to test some of the characteristics of the lens, I set off for my backyard, where a variety of plants and standpoints relative to the sun presented themselves for me to explore. I shot long, medium, close, and extreme close-up pictures at f8 (near the middle of the aperture scale f3.5 to f22) and at both extremes (wide open for blurred background and closed to the smallest aperture for maximum depth of field). I also made a 2-frame overlapping sequence to be stitched into panorama on the PC later. I shot for backlighting, side-lighting, and front lighting of the leaves and flowers to compare the shadow detail and dynamic range. I also recorded a plant pot medium close-up and from a 10-foot distance to examine the detail for the image file at full (100% actual size) magnification.
In all instances the results were visually pleasing: faithful colors, precise detail, good dynamic range, accurate panorama stitching. The form factor of the lens barrel sticks out twice as far as the 20mm pancake-design, wide-angle lens, sel20f28, but the weight is about the same. Lessons learned: <1> unless the goal is for blurred abstraction, it is best to prefer maximum depth of field (f22 or f16, if possible). <2> Use caution to confirm that the shutter speed is fast enough to avoid blur from bobbing subject and from photographer’s own motion. < 3> Be alert to background color, size, and shape, ideally to contrast the subject at hand, showing off its detail rather than distracting the viewer. <4> Focus with body movement by setting lens to its closest position and then using your body to edge nearer to the subject until the image comes into sharp focus.
The following night around the time when twilight was giving way to night and the streetlights were making pools of light on the dark streets, I set off again to test the macro lens, but this time with tripod to allow long exposures. The results were equally crisp and faithful as were the earlier test shots in broad daylight. So now I was feeling some degree of trust in the reliable results from this lens in normal scenes, as well as the 1:1 magnification that it was built for, and every distance in-between.
Compared to a zoom lens that offers a variety of lens magnifications (focal lengths), this 30mm fixed focal length lens probably produces sharper image details at the center and at the edges of the frame. Compared to the 20mm lens that I started with, ideally suited to small groups of people 10–20 feet from the lens and wide enough to include a little of the group’s surroundings, this 30mm macro lens is a narrower field of view, showing maybe 1/2 or 2/3 of the scene in comparison to the 20mm lens. Psychologically, seeing the landscape through the eyes of this new lens mentally produces a kind of “bi-focal” effect: extreme close-ups are possible in the shooting environment, but so are the ‘big picture’, general photographs.
There are a few overall impressions that remain after the “honeymoon period” with the novel macro lens begins to fade. The first impression is that the image quality is satisfying. Maybe more money would allow even more clarity and color correction; maybe with a bigger aperture or more ED lens elements built-in. But for nearly all purposes this lens should be a good one to use day-in and day-out. The second impression is that so much of the small scale subjects, structures, and textures goes overlooked. But by getting used to seeing extreme close-ups as a rich source to examine, suddenly there are many more potential pictures in the world to capture and share. The third impression is that the focal length (equivalent to 45mm ‘normal’ lens on a full-frame SLR or dSLR) is easy to get used to; it is much like ordinary human visual experience, but of course it does not create the 180 degree peripheral vision most people enjoy. As a result of this lens focal length, it is easy to look at possible subjects and intuitively understand the frame lines and overall organization of the foreground and background, even without lifting the viewfinder.
[This last phase dates to October 5 and beyond]
After getting used to the larger bulk (by volume, not by weight) of the lens compared to the pancake-design of the wider 20mm lens (SEL20f28), it now feels comfortable walking around with the macro lens for most purposes, only changing to the more compact 20mm lens when form-factor or wider view or bigger aperture (f2.8 instead of the macro f3.5) is required. Although the macro works best, like most optics, when selecting middle range apertures (f6.3 to f11, for example), even at its widest setting the image is well defined and tack-sharp. No longer is my attention preoccupied with finding close-up subjects, the special strength of macro lenses. Knowing that the photos in bright light or in darkness (with tripod) will be pleasingly sharp, this new lens is quickly becoming an everyday part of photowalking, copy-photography of documents and artifacts, and snapshots for personal or professional uses.
Looking back at these phases of incorporating a new lens and way of engaging the visual world, the general progression began with the detached interest of a distant observer, thinking about whether such an acquisition would be a core part of daily picture-taking, or would be relegated only for specialized uses after the novelty faded away. Once the decision to buy went ahead and the 30mm (macro) lens arrived, then the first step was to put it through some paces to discover how similar or different it was to the 20mm compact lens, and to learn by experience exactly how close the 1:1 scale of reproduction really is, along with the difficulty of maintaining steady distance (plane of focus) and getting abundant enough light to use the smallest apertures at f16 or f22.
The last phase in this relationship with the lens seems to be about “normalizing” equipment so that its relatively “slow” (f3.5) and bulky form-factor comes to feel comfortable and unremarkable; a given or normal condition that is what picture-taking now becomes. Of course, knowing that the optics allow extreme close-ups as a kind of superpower is a bonus. But even without that macro dimension, the lens produces fine pictures in the perspective of unaided, usual or normal human proportions (the equivalent on a 35mm film camera of a 45 to 65mm lens). Seeing the world anew with this lens is a fine thing.
