This article on high magnification macro photography is written by Junaed Rahman (website | flickr):
Quite sometime ago I wrote an article on macro photography, which explained how to modify a regular short zoom lens for macro photography. This time I’ll explain how do I achieve high magnification. For most of my close-up work I use AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D lens. To me the benefits of using a 60mm instead of 105mm macro lens are:
I have to make a separate post on this topic because I am still receiving questions from readers: the Nikon D810a is not recommended for general photography. From the press release:
“The Nikon D810A is engineered exclusively to meet the unique demands of professional and hobbyist astrophotographers.”
“While not recommended for general photography, the D810A is an excellent option for photographing the universe with either NIKKOR lenses or third-party adaptors for telescopes.”
The D810a would likely give normal day-time exposures (including sunset/sunrise) a red cast because of the modified IR-cut filter. This was also confirmed by a reader who asked Nikon support:
After the “silent recall” for the reflection/flare issue, the Nikon D750 is back in stock again at B&H (body only and lens kit available, both with some freebies). The new shipments should already have the fix applied to the camera.
Uopdate: Adorama and Amazon already also update their in stock status.
The price of the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens is $849 and is currently available for pre-order at B&H and Adorama.
Shipping will start on March 20th, 2015.
Additional information on the lens, including MTF charts and detailed specifications, can be found on here.
Quick price check: the Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 costs $2,000, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art is $950, the 35mm f/1.4 Art is $900.
In addition to the 24mm f/1.4 Art lens, today Sigma also announced the price of their 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens (Contemporary version): $1,089.00. Adorama and B&H are currently taking pre-orders. Shipping should start on March 20th, 2015.
The Contemporary model of this lens is lighter, cheaper and with a slightly simplified lens design compared to the Sport model that is almost twice as expensive:
If you are following PhotoRumors, this should not be a surprise to you: Tokina just officially released their AT-X 24-70mm f/2.8 PRO FX lens DSLR cameras (Aspherical, IF, full frame). The new lens is already listed at B&H, but there is still no price or shipping date. Here are the specifications:
Nikon Japan announced a new lens-only rebate program that will start on February 19th and will be valid till May 10, 2015. The current Nikon rebates in the US were extended till February 14th – the new lens-only rebates could be announced on February 15th. I assume the same lens selection will be offered in the US, but hopefully the rebates will be bigger. Here is the full list (¥1,000=$8):
