Question Thoughts on starting with/only using a 90mm 2.8 macro lens

[jbandre]

Hello, I'm putting together my first (serious) underwater rig and have settled on the a6500/nauticam housing mostly because I have the body and kit lens already and have found a good deal on a used housing.

My question: Most things I've read seem to indicate the 16-50mm kit lens as the main, primary lens, or at least the first port/lens to get. I'm wondering what people with more experience think about getting the 90mm 2.8 macro port/lens and using that as the first port/lens I get. I'm planning a trip in July and want to just take one lens for my first trip learning to shoot.

My interest (I think) is in macro shooting and the 90mm macro seems like the best of all worlds in that I can take great macro, good smaller fish shots from a reasonable distance, and the occasional picture of my fellow divers or a coral that looks cool. I don't really plan to shoot wide angle or big animals. I have fun with my ActionPro 5 for those and am planning on having only one strobes and am not investing in double powerful lights for this trip at least.

 

[Barmaglot]

90mm is a great macro/supermacro lens, but the AoV on an APS-C body is going to be quite narrow. For example, this rabbitfish (~30cm) was shot from about 3 meters away:

So, forget about shooting divers with it. At best you'll get a headshot.

Also, I haven't used it, but the new Tamron 90mm macro is said to have considerably better AF performance than the old Sony 90mm. Having used the Sony 90mm on an A6300 for about five years, autofocus was my main gripe with it.

 

[jbandre]

90mm is a great macro/supermacro lens, but the AoV on an APS-C body is going to be quite narrow. For example, this rabbitfish (~30cm) was shot from about 3 meters away:

View attachment 895745

So, forget about shooting divers with it. At best you'll get a headshot.

Also, I haven't used it, but the new Tamron 90mm macro is said to have considerably better AF performance than the old Sony 90mm. Having used the Sony 90mm on an A6300 for about five years, autofocus was my main gripe with it.

Thanks a ton for the input and example - super helpful. Good point on the apsc sensor...wonder if the 50mm macro might be a better option for a apsc...haven't looked at what ports are out there for it. I already see the day when I'm going to want to have a Full Frame rig :S...agonized a bit over it when I started down this road

 

[scrane]

Are you an experienced above water photographer? The limited DOF due to the long focal length combined with close working distance might prove frustrating. You might have problems locating and keeping your subject in the frame. Shots of larger subjects will require longer working distances, meaning more water you have to shoot through and flash falloff.
The 16-50 will give you an equivalent focal length of 70mm, which is a short telephoto, but with a longer minimum focus distance. It will be more versatile for general UW photos and give you a higher hit rate.
If you are new to UW photography I think you'd find shooting with the zoom more enjoyable and satisfying. Actually, if I were you I'd pick up this package for less than the 90mm alone.

For Sale Thread 'Olympus TG-6 and PT-059 Underwater Housing - $400'

Apr 4, 2025

This is a lightly used black Olympus TG-6 and PT-059 Underwater Housing. I bought this package new for $799 and only used it on about 20 dives. I just use my GoPro for dive videos now and this sits around in a drawer. Includes a 16GB microSD card. $400 obo. Free shipping to CONUS.

• horn34
• Replies: 2
• Forum: Classifieds: Photography

 

[hilljo88]

So your choices of macro lenses are:

Sony 50 f2.8
Sony 90 f2.8
Tamron 90 f2.8
Canon 60 f2.8 macro w/metabones adapter

These are all sharp lenses. The Sony 90 was most likely used for the vast majority of macro images you have seen which were taken on a Sony body. It is always compared favorably to the Canon 100 and Nikon 105 macro lenses. The only complaint is that it can "hunt" for focus. This can be minimized to some extent by using a bright focus light and by using the switch on the lens body to restrict the focus range. Focus hunting also seems to be somewhat less of an issue on newer Sony bodies with the latest AF system. The Sony 90 was first introduced in 2015, so you should be able to find a good used copy at an attractive price. (I own this lens and have been very happy with it.)

The Sony 50 macro reportedly has even more difficulty with hunting for focus and might be more frustrating to use than the others.

The Tamron 90 is new on the scene, and is getting good reviews.

The Canon 60 is razor sharp and used copies are easy to find.

Your post says you have found a used housing. You will also need a port on the housing that accommodates whatever lens you choose.

 

[ZephyrNYC]

90mm is a great macro/supermacro lens, but the AoV on an APS-C body is going to be quite narrow. For example, this rabbitfish (~30cm) was shot from about 3 meters away:

View attachment 895745

So, forget about shooting divers with it. At best you'll get a headshot.

Also, I haven't used it, but the new Tamron 90mm macro is said to have considerably better AF performance than the old Sony 90mm. Having used the Sony 90mm on an A6300 for about five years, autofocus was my main gripe with it.

Nice pic, looks close

 

[hilljo88]

Sony 90 on full frame body. Hamlet was 2-3 feet away

 

[Barmaglot]

Sony 50 f2.8
Sony 90 f2.8
Tamron 90 f2.8
Canon 60 f2.8 macro w/metabones adapter

Point of note: there are two 50mm Sony macro lenses, the Sony-Zeiss 50mm Touit for APS-C cameras and the Sony 50mm for full frame. The latter extends for focusing and has a reputation of being slow and noisy. The former has internal focus but I've seen claims that it is limited to CDAF and then only in the middle of the frame. Can't comment personally as I don't have any experience with either.

The Canon 60mm I've found to be much faster than Sony 90mm (on A6300 body) but also more prone to hunting unless given a lot of light to focus.

There is also a Sony 30mm macro for APS-C, which I have tried, but found that it needs to get too close for typical macro subjects.