A few weeks ago I had to send my 90mm macro lens in for repair and decided in the meantime to experiment with extension tubes. When my macro finally came back last Wednesday I immediately tested it and found it to still have one of the defects I originally sent it in for so I ended up having to send it back. Realizing it could potentially be another couple of weeks without a real macro lens, I decided to invest in a backup but wanted a different focal length to have a lens I would still want to keep and use from time to time after my 90mm came back. I decided on the 50mm (Sony) lens based on reviews of its sharpness and knowing a 50mm could have a lot of other uses. I did not really expect to fall in love with the lens but once I nailed my first dragonfly shot with it I was totally hooked!
This is definitely a sharp lens as you’ll see in the extreme closeups, but what most blew me away with this lens was the difference the focal length made in exaggerating the features closest to the lens. The drawbacks to this lens are slower focusing and you have to get about twice as close to the subject for a 1:1 shot which required a lot more patience and persistence but when I did get the shot, man what a cool look! I’ve been using the heck out of this lens while waiting on my 90mm and will continue keeping it in the mix afterward for wider angle shots. First up is this female Eastern Pondhawk portrait, a stunning emerald green beauty that I’ve wanted to capture for quite some time..!
