@seh Yeah, I am really new to macro photography myself and find it a complete new journey. Actually I love to focus stack not just with the new lens but I do as well struggle with the stacking software in the macro area. I use Helicon Focus therefore but I very often find myself to painstackingly trying to remove halos around my subjects. That's very timeconsuming and I don't succeed always in the way I would like to. Maybe the gurus in here (like Spencer Cox 😉) could someday give us some insight in how they handle stacking successfully?
I have three extention tubes (which is a cheap solution) but I use often only 10 mm tube. Of course that reduces luminousity of the lens but that is not so important with my D850. I know there are extension tubes for Z cameras.Thank You.
I forget to say that ,however, I like a macro lens MICRO NIKKOR 200 mm f/4 which Nikon no longer manufactures.Again however ,tubes with zoomlenses give me more flexibility.Thank You
@andye I mostly try to avoid focus stacking, in large part because there's no good way to deal with motion between shots aside from time-consuming manual fixes in Photoshop. Even with a stationary subject, a lot will go wrong if there's too much gap in focus distance from photo to photo. I still use focus stacking occasionally, but I prefer shooting at extremely narrow apertures like f/22 (despite the added diffraction) to achieve the necessary depth of field for macro photography. That approach requires a well-diffused flash.
As for macro lenses for the Z system, the 105mm MC is a nearly perfect lens, with the one flaw being working distance compared to 150mm or 200mm macro lenses. An under-the-radar alternative would be the Z 70-180mm f/2.8 combined with Nikon's 2x teleconverter, which becomes a 140-360mm f/5.6. At 140mm, you'll get full 1:1 magnification, although that gradually drops to about 1:2.3 magnification at 360mm.
@spencer Thanks for giving us your opinion here. Very much appreciated.
Hi Andy,
The Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S is a fantastic macro lens for the Z system, offering sharpness, great bokeh, and 1:1 magnification, perfect for flowers and small subjects. For closer shots, the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO is a solid alternative, though it lacks autofocus and stabilization. Budget-conscious users can adapt Nikon F-mount 105mm macros with the FTZ adapter. Any of these will help you explore the macro world!
Cheers!
@etherarts Thank for your thoughts. Actually I bought this lens '2 years' ago already and I am very happy with it ;-)