OLY M.Zuiko ED 30mm f3.5 Macro Lens vs. the OLY 60mm f/2.8 Macro Lens

[BoltSnap]

If it is a real macro site, I prefer the 60. The 30 is for larger stuff. It is too hard to get close enough with the 30 to get good magnification and still get some light on the subject. It is sharp and focuses fast, which is nice. And cheap, which is nice.

I think I got it, thank you. For me , the 60mm is sometimes "too much magnification" for some animals so the 30mm appears to be the lens for these animals. Thank you!!

 

[Ardy]

True, when you consider the 60 is actually a 120mm in 35mm form it is built to be an excellent macro lens but 120mm won't do you a lot of good for anything medium or large, the exception is crystal clear water! How often do we dive in that?

 

[d^2b]

I've noticed I use my 12-50 at 25-30mm fairly often, so I'm hoping my newly purchased 30mm macro will work for a variety of fish portraits / moderate macro. The 12-50 image quality is probably not the limiting factor for me, but I'm hoping for faster focusing. I guess I'll see if/when I get back in the water. So far I've been testing it out by shooting one handed with a 70 lb dog on a leash in the other hand to simulate underwater shooting conditions

 

[Germie]

I have the 30mm, the Panasonic 45mm and the Oly 60mm. I use under water most times the 45mm and sometimes the 30mm. I have tried the 60mm, but that is shunting too much.

 

[tursiops]

I have the 30mm, the Panasonic 45mm and the Oly 60mm. I use under water most times the 45mm and sometimes the 30mm. I have tried the 60mm, but that is shunting too much.

I really like the 60mm in places like Lembeh and Anilao where the subjects are really small and the water is really clear. Otherwise the 30mm is what I put on.
In places like BHB the subject can be really small, but not all of the good subjects are small, and sometimes the water clarity is less than ideal...so 30mm it is.

 

[Ardy]

I took the 60mm into the garden yesterday to try to shoot some insects, nothing there in winter and can't get out of the country! I realised just how tough it is to focus the 60mm, needed a tripod or at least the mono to get a decent shot. Reminded me of another reason I use the 30mm unless it's a very small macro dive which I like to do as soon as I get my freedom.
BTW had a thought about a possible Bali 'bubble' opening to the vaccinated, as my rental runs out near Christmas and my new house won't be finished, I might bugger off to Bali and rent a villa for a couple of months to make up for the 18 months I've been locked up in Australia. Only saying to piss you all off......

 

[Wisnu]

Never try the 30mm but I do like and enjoy the 60mm; both underwater and topside. Sometime I even add strong diopter (Aquko IV - 2.5x) for very small object.
All pics below taken with 60mm.

Donut Doto Sp. by Wisnu Purwanto, on Flickr

Zanzibar whip coral shrimp by Wisnu Purwanto, on Flickr

still okay for this relatively big moray eel; taken at same dive

Moray eel and cleaner shrimp 1 by Wisnu Purwanto, on Flickr

And for the top site -
the jumping spider is around 5 mm

Jumping Spider-8130169.jpg by Wisnu Purwanto, on Flickr

Domestic Fly @ Home - katameya Heights by Wisnu Purwanto, on Flickr

 

[Wisnu]

I took the 60mm into the garden yesterday to try to shoot some insects, nothing there in winter and can't get out of the country! I realised just how tough it is to focus the 60mm, needed a tripod or at least the mono to get a decent shot. Reminded me of another reason I use the 30mm unless it's a very small macro dive which I like to do as soon as I get my freedom.
BTW had a thought about a possible Bali 'bubble' opening to the vaccinated, as my rental runs out near Christmas and my new house won't be finished, I might bugger off to Bali and rent a villa for a couple of months to make up for the 18 months I've been locked up in Australia. Only saying to piss you all off......

I'll visit Bali mid / end of October 2021 for two weeks; rent a car to visit and dive Secret Bay, menjangan, Pemuteran, PJ. Kubu, Tulamben, Seraya, Amed, and Padang Bai. If time permit, Nusa Penida.

 

[Ardy]

Never try the 30mm but I do like and enjoy the 60mm; both underwater and topside. Sometime I even add strong diopter (Aquko IV - 2.5x) for very small object.
All pics below taken with 60mm.

View attachment 677512Donut Doto Sp. by Wisnu Purwanto, on Flickr

View attachment 677513Zanzibar whip coral shrimp by Wisnu Purwanto, on Flickr

still okay for this relatively big moray eel; taken at same dive

View attachment 677514Moray eel and cleaner shrimp 1 by Wisnu Purwanto, on Flickr

And for the top site -
the jumping spider is around 5 mm

View attachment 677515Jumping Spider-8130169.jpg by Wisnu Purwanto, on Flickr

View attachment 677516Domestic Fly @ Home - katameya Heights by Wisnu Purwanto, on Flickr

Wisnu great to hear from you, haven't heard from you in a while. Have you been diving all the time through Covid and how are things in your part of the world?
We are locked down and the poor buggers in Victoria have been locked up for 200 days and the Vic government has just introduced a curfew from 9 pm to 5 am, must be like living in a war zone down there. NSW is not a lot better.
Great shots as always, assume the moray was at Seraya Secrets?
Hope you and your family are well.

 

[Wisnu]

Wisnu great to hear from you, haven't heard from you in a while. Have you been diving all the time through Covid and how are things in your part of the world?
We are locked down and the poor buggers in Victoria have been locked up for 200 days and the Vic government has just introduced a curfew from 9 pm to 5 am, must be like living in a war zone down there. NSW is not a lot better.
Great shots as always, assume the moray was at Seraya Secrets?
Hope you and your family are well.

We move to Nigeria early of this year, and my IP address was banned by Scubaboard. Just recently I can access SB from my Desktop PC but not my mobile.
Despite the pandemic, we made some trips including a dive trip.
Our last dive trip was in August 2020 - red sea liveboard; then end of September, visited northeast Turkey to climb the second and the highest mountain in Turkey (got second degree frostbite) and the last trip was visiting daughter graduation in USA in May 2021 - really enjoyed Sedona, grand canyon and yellowstone - here mostly used the 75 - 300 mm.
So, not too bad.

yes, the moray eel was at Seraya, close to the harlequin shrimps. Hopefully they are still there when we visit Bali in less than 2 months from now.