[shoplink 34680 ebay]
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This is a short Guest Post written by Chris from Luxembourg:
I didn’t see a lot of example of use of this [shoplink 34680 ebay]cheap apsc macro lens from Venus[/shoplink] with an A7R. Optically, it gives over the apsc area better results than a Nikon 105 macro with the A7r. But it is totally soft and full of vignetting in the corners if you use it in FF mode. Sharpess is quite amazing even at F16 as you can see on my pic. Build quality is correct but the ring is not smooth. Not a problem in normal use, thanks to focus peaking but focus stacking is nearly impossible as you will move the setup easily. Aperture ring is not very smooth too and you don’t really know where you are between F11 and F16…
The nikon adaptor is very cheap but does the work. Anyway a good solution if u cant afford the Sony macro or can’t wait until July just because of the outstanding sharpness and overall render.
Definitely worth the price.
There is a lot of PP on these pic but well, no good pp without good source, isn’t it? Click to enlarge the images:
You can buy the lens for $379 from [shoplink 34680 ebay]eBay Hong Kong sellers (Click here)[/shoplink].
9 Responses
USD $379 sounds crazy for a manual focus lens. Although it provides 2:1 magnification that seems over price comparing with the Nikon 60mm Macro (AF-D). In fact, the lens is selling for USD $250 in China, its origin.
I had one of these on order for several months, but finally cancelled when I got tired of waiting and “just one more week” promises from Hong Kong. I’m curious to see 2:1 macro performance, because there’s no other reason anybody should buy this lens. Seems to me to be a basic macro with a built-in extension tube. They claim full-frame coverage in Macro, but I’d like to see examples to judge the vignetting and off-center softening. Seems like this review didn’t really use the lens for its intended purpose.
I also own one of these lenses. I use it with an a7s and a a5000 as well as sometimes with an a850; but with the latter one it’s quite hard to set the focus right because there is no focus peaking. There is some hefty vignetting when beeing used in the infinity position of the focus, but that’s what they say. In macro, everything is fine.
If here is some demand I can post some pictures (with RAW files) taken with the a7s so you guys can judge on your own. I am pretty satisfied with that lens, price is ok, build quality is great too…. just a massive piece of metal, no plastics at all (even no rubber at the focus or aperture ring) and comes with bag and protective filter (cheap one; but no Zeiss or Canon L or Sony G provide a protective filter, not even a cheap one…)
Volna-9 (50mm f/2,8) is a M42 lens, cost ~$100 and can be mounted even on A-mount. It is full frame one, very sharp, can shoot 1:2 macro “as is” and much greater with cheap macro-rings. Thanks to special construction of diaphragm, at f/8 highlights are pretty circular. And it also have grayish colors, just like this Venus.
Why am I writing this? Because the bad color reproduction is the eternal companion of cheap third-party macro lens…
Bought Vivitar 70-210mm f3.5 series1 lens few days ago. For about $15. Wonderful 1:2 macro, or half-macro whatever. No color or sharpness issues, except maybe slightly colder colors.
Chris,
Have you tried using the lens with a macro focusing rail? I got a couple on eBay for $10 many years ago and they do the job just fine. I am guessing that if the focusing ring is not reliable you could tape it fixed, then use the dials in the macro focusing rail to micro focus your stacks.
As for the lens itself $379 is too rich for that kind of construction quality and optics when the SEL30M35 is under $300 and is so damn nice, I love mine to death (first on the NEX-C3, then NEX-7 and now ILCE-6000).
Now that’s something that really looks like a CCTV lens, including that comment on the focus ring smoothness.
If i had $1800 for a manual focus Makro Planar 100/2, i wouldnt hesitate to buy it a second. And yes, it`s only 1:2 macro. But this halfass solutions are the worst… Many nice old manual macros for much less money and similar IQ.
any idea to put a 150mm macro lens on a7’s? How perform sigma 150mm? which one take ? Don’t care about autofocus for macro. thx!