Macro / Micro Lenses……

Through the years I have, always, really enjoyed doing close-up work.  During the Great American Photography Weekend days I had the wonderful opportunity work with and learn from some of the greats in close-up work; John Shaw, Larry West and Cliff Zenor.  Later I learned more from Mike Moats, Jack Graham, Charles Needles, the late, great, Nancy Rotenberg and many others.  I have always owned a number of Macro/Micro lenses and when I switched to the Fuji X-System that was one of my disappointments, they only had one, the 60mm Macro.  It is a tack sharp lens of the 90mm equiv. focal length so it has been enough to get by with some other tricks of the trade, to be discussed soon!

My favorite Macro lens of all time was the legendary Nikkor 200mm f 4 AF lens.  When Fuji announced they were going to make a 120mm f 2.8 Macro my prayers were answered!  I’ve learned that Fuji will not put out a so so lens, so I knew this new lens was going be the long Macro I needed and wanted desperately.  Then the announcement came that the Macro would be an 80mm not a 120mm! I was seriously bummed!!!  I will wait and see how the 80mm f 2.8 pans out in 2017, but in the meantime I have to find a work around.  Let me explain.

Macro lenses (or as Nikon calls them Micro lenses) generally have been made in three focal length ranges;  50mm -60mm, 100mm – 105mm, and the longer versions 150mm – 200mm.  They all do the same thing but the longer the focal length the more working distance you have from the front of the lens to the subject.  For many subject this is not a big deal, for insects, amphibians and reptiles (especially poisonous ones!!!), it is a big deal!

Since, for the moment, Fuji is not addressing the long version of a macro lens, I have gone to work finding an alternative. I had a Nikon 200mm Micro, but sadly sold it on the news that the 120mm was coming form Fuji.  I’m looking for a used 200mm IF-ED the AI-S  manual focus version, that might work for the Fuji.  I also have played around with the Canon 500D Diopter (and exceptional diopter) on both the 50-140 and 100-200.  That along with the Fuji automatic extension tubes, work very well with them!

The image below was made with the 100-400 and the Canon 500D Diopter!  The working distance was 19 inches, quite good!

I wanted another option and I think I may have it!  I love the 90mm f 2 lens, it is arguably the sharpest lens Fuji makes.  It already focuses very close, but with the Nikon  (long discontinued) 5T and 6 T diopters it can get you very close indeed!  Below are some of my experiments with combinations of the 90mm and various other close-up devices, this is by no means exhaustive, as you can combine, extension tubes, diopters and teleconverters to get much closer.  Starting with the razor sharp 90mm the combinations and effects are almost endless!

….and if you want to really get close…..

So the bottom line is I’m still every so slightly upset with Fuji for not making the 120mm, but I can’t stay mad too long since they did give us the 90mm, 50-140 and the 100-400, and the X PRO 2 and X-T2, o.k. all is forgiven!  …. but please think about a long Macro……. someday!  Anybody got a mint condition Nikkor 200mm Micro f 4 IF-ED mnaual focus, give me a call!!!!

Blessings,

the pilgrim