Sony A350 Macro lense advice

[BigMcLargeHuge]

I want to buy a macro lense for my sony A350. I want one for extreme close-ups of plants, insects, etc. Anyone have any recommendations on which one I should get? I would like to stay under $400.

 

[JustAnEngineer]

The $680 Sony 100mm f/2.8 macro, $460 Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro or $480 Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro seem like the most obvious choices for true 1:1 macro lenses.

If you want a shorter focal length to also use it as a high-quality prime lens for other photography, the $475 Tamron Di-II 60mm f/2 macro or $500 Sigma 70mm f/2.8 macro might be good choices.

For serious bug-shooting, the best macro lenses are longer, like the $640 Tamron 180mm f/3.5 macro.

None of those is under $400, so perhaps you should consider used 1:1 macro lenses, like this Sigma 105mm f/2.8 or this Minolta 100mm f/2.8.

 

[Overread]

I'd say save another $60 and go for the Tamron 90mm macro*. For insect work it is the shortest lens that most recomend that you start with and whilst its fully possible to do work with insects with shorter lenses it is a harder skill to master. Start of with a 90mm or longer focal length lens if you can.


* also do search around for a better deal - but stick to legitimate websites! B&H, Adorama, Amazon etc.. - don't even try the ultra cheap sites that look too good to be true - and if you are tempted post up in forums asking if anyone else has dealt with them - a few hours spent researching a retailing to ensure they are legit is far better than risking it and losing $400 because they were a scam.

 

[BigMcLargeHuge]

Thaks for the info guys. I guess I'll just have to save a little more and try one near the $500 range. I bought my setup off of Amazon but it came from Crutchfield. So I'll look on Amazon again.