DFA 100 WR Macro Handson Review

[detritus]

alamak, shooting macro also talk bokeh

a few beefs here. the bug & leave seems fake. the lighting is harsh and the flash too strong. you should get a new diffuser and NOT a new lens. shooting at lower flash power will help

joke aside, unless you are shooting potraits, bokeh is immaterial. the lack of an aperture ring in the DFA100 WR basically a deal-killer for me here. no hard feeling.

There is a lot to speak on this image, on the subject(bugs) on the exposure, flash etc than on aperture blades Personally, I like the old school with the aperture ring control manually on the outside _Manual Mode Just a personal choice.

marcus

no prob. i do appreciate the feedback. anyway, the pic is supposed to be a negative demo to illustrate the effect of not having rounded aperture blades.

this whole batch of pix was messed up cos i was experimenting with an AF360 for the first time... no diffuser but tried tissue paper... effect was still too harsh. objectively, first step is to get a sto-fen diffuser just haven't gotten ard to it yet.

the aperture ring is impt to me too. i'm also thinking of experimenting with ext tubes. but i'm just greedy and wishing that i have everything in one lens :bsmilie:

Why so worked up on bokeh for macro?
Use ring flash to get this.

Or use Sigma 180 to have this.

bro... are u trying to poison me :sweat:

actually, i'm putting aside funds in case i manage to come across something else... the A*200mm macro :lovegrin:

Marcus, would love to have a look at your copy at the next outing if have chance

 

[flowerpot]

tamron also 9 blade mah... :bsmilie:

no leh, i never think of the WR... i play abit during the Zoo outing i know i dun want liao... cannot hold my close up filter...

 

[darrrrrrrrrr]

no prob. i do appreciate the feedback. anyway, the pic is supposed to be a negative demo to illustrate the effect of not having rounded aperture blades.

this whole batch of pix was messed up cos i was experimenting with an AF360 for the first time... no diffuser but tried tissue paper... effect was still too harsh. objectively, first step is to get a sto-fen diffuser just haven't gotten ard to it yet.

the aperture ring is impt to me too. i'm also thinking of experimenting with ext tubes. but i'm just greedy and wishing that i have everything in one lens :bsmilie:

For macro, round aperture blades isn't so important, the choice of background is far more important. If you can place the subject against a very distant background the background will be clean and smooth for sure, even with a normal aperture blade lens. If the subject is against a close background like leaves or the soil, the background will look very ugly regardless of what lens you use.

Anyway, the Sto-fen will probably do nothing but rob you of your flash power since it normally works (indoors) on the basis of sending light towards the ceiling, walls and forwards. You might want to try a diffuser that actually increases the size of the light source instead, such as one of the Lumiquests, Lightsphere, Lambency, or a big bounce card.

 

[detritus]

For macro, round aperture blades isn't so important, the choice of background is far more important. If you can place the subject against a very distant background the background will be clean and smooth for sure, even with a normal aperture blade lens. If the subject is against a close background like leaves or the soil, the background will look very ugly regardless of what lens you use.

Anyway, the Sto-fen will probably do nothing but rob you of your flash power since it normally works (indoors) on the basis of sending light towards the ceiling, walls and forwards. You might want to try a diffuser that actually increases the size of the light source instead, such as one of the Lumiquests, Lightsphere, Lambency, or a big bounce card.

thanks for the advise! it cured my LBA for the 100mm WR!

 

[fengwei]

thanks for the advise! it cured my LBA for the 100mm WR!

Hey, don't leave so fast leh.

You know 100WR not just have a round aperture, but also some other cool factors: better built and looking, smooth MF and quick shift, SP coating ...

So you still don't want one? :devil:

 

[detritus]

Hey, don't leave so fast leh.

You know 100WR not just have a round aperture, but also some other cool factors: better built and looking, smooth MF and quick shift, SP coating ...

So you still don't want one? :devil:

bro, dun liddat leh... pocket hole burn big big one leh... :sweat:

i do "want" one... but i don't "need" one and even if i buy, i'll still need to keep my old 100mm macro cos i need the aperture ring to use with manual tubes... i really cannot find PK-A tubes for K-mount.

so tell u what... feed my poison :bsmilie: let me know if any shop got lobang for PK-A tubes. no need AF... got contact point to set aperture from the body can already :lovegrin:

that will really help me to decide to get the 100mm WR.

and yes, i have explored the other option of gutting an old PK-A teleconverter... dun really wanna do that lah...

 

[fengwei]

bro, dun liddat leh... pocket hole burn big big one leh... :sweat:

i do "want" one... but i don't "need" one and even if i buy, i'll still need to keep my old 100mm macro cos i need the aperture ring to use with manual tubes... i really cannot find PK-A tubes for K-mount.

so tell u what... feed my poison :bsmilie: let me know if any shop got lobang for PK-A tubes. no need AF... got contact point to set aperture from the body can already :lovegrin:

that will really help me to decide to get the 100mm WR.

and yes, i have explored the other option of gutting an old PK-A teleconverter... dun really wanna do that lah...

Wow! Suddenly so many guys like to use extension tube along w/ macro lenses to make super macros. Let's ask Pentax to make a PK/A version

 

[otc]

actually, i'm putting aside funds in case i manage to come across something else... the A*200mm macro.

Marcus, would love to have a look at your copy at the next outing if have chance [/QUOTE]

Can-lah, no issue. A200 f4 quite easily available. FA series is very rare.

Wow! Suddenly so many guys like to use extension tube along w/ macro lenses to make super macros. Let's ask Pentax to make a PK/A version

I actuallyt drop an email to kenko (THK ) to produce some PKA tubes for pentax mount. Not sure if they take heed. Maybe too small a market, that's why they are not producing it.

Fengwei, you posioned a lot of pentaxians with your round aperture blades that cost 300 dollars more :bigeyes::bsmilie: When I took the macro shots, I prefer a clean BG than round or hexagonal blades shown.

marcus

 

[Supersimon27]

actually, i'm putting aside funds in case i manage to come across something else... the A*200mm macro.

Marcus, would love to have a look at your copy at the next outing if have chance

Can-lah, no issue. A200 f4 quite easily available. FA series is very rare.



I actuallyt drop an email to kenko (THK ) to produce some PKA tubes for pentax mount. Not sure if they take heed. Maybe too small a market, that's why they are not producing it.

Fengwei, you posioned a lot of pentaxians with your round aperture blades that cost 300 dollars more :bigeyes::bsmilie: When I took the macro shots, I prefer a clean BG than round or hexagonal blades shown.

marcus[/QUOTE]


Maybe we should all sign on the letter and send to Kenko to let them know how Big the penatx committee had grow . ha

 

[tabako]

You can also use teleconverter on macro lens, it will increase the magnification by the teleconverter multiplication factor, and focusing distance remain the same, however light loss will occur just like telephoto lens. So aperture will increase by 1 stop or 2 stop depends on 1.4/5x, 2x.

 

[otc]

You can also use teleconverter on macro lens, it will increase the magnification by the teleconverter multiplication factor, and focusing distance remain the same, however light loss will occur just like telephoto lens. So aperture will increase by 1 stop or 2 stop depends on 1.4/5x, 2x.

Yes, I have tot of this idea especially with a PKA teleconverter, remove the glass and you have additional magnification. someone else mentioned before too . cost on PKA converter? and how many to stack together and ended maybe more than the cost of kenko pka tube.

Another way of getting magnification is mounting another 24mm or 28mm infront of your macro 100 mm lens with a step down ring. I have not try this though. Can someone try and post the results.

marcus

 

[fengwei]

Fengwei, you posioned a lot of pentaxians with your round aperture blades that cost 300 dollars more :bigeyes::bsmilie: When I took the macro shots, I prefer a clean BG than round or hexagonal blades shown.

marcus

You know the 100WR isn't just a macro lens, right? It can take great portraits w/ nice smooth background too

Another way of getting magnification is mounting another 24mm or 28mm infront of your macro 100 mm lens with a step down ring. I have not try this though. Can someone try and post the results.

marcus

I do have both 100 and a cheapy-no-body-want 28mm lens, might just give it a try and see how.

 

[Brianskivvy]

I do have both 100 and a cheapy-no-body-want 28mm lens, might just give it a try and see how.

Hehe mind to share what cheapy-no-body-want 28mm lens you have? I might be the "no-body" leh ;p

 

[fengwei]

Hehe mind to share what cheapy-no-body-want 28mm lens you have? I might be the "no-body" leh ;p

How about lemme try the stack-reverse thing first? Then I'll show you what I got here

 

[Brianskivvy]

How about lemme try the stack-reverse thing first? Then I'll show you what I got here

Haha of course!

 

[detritus]

Yes, I have tot of this idea especially with a PKA teleconverter, remove the glass and you have additional magnification. someone else mentioned before too . cost on PKA converter? and how many to stack together and ended maybe more than the cost of kenko pka tube.

Another way of getting magnification is mounting another 24mm or 28mm infront of your macro 100 mm lens with a step down ring. I have not try this though. Can someone try and post the results.

marcus

working on it... but want to try one thing at a time so i can assess what is the best approach. tubes first.

this is one area that C users have an advantage over other brands. they have the one-of-a-kind MP-E 65mm that can do up to 5x magnification :bigeyes: every other brand i've researched seems to offer only 1:1, which is quite obvious as anything bigger wouldn't have much mass market application except for dentists, macro nuts ;p

 

[fengwei]

So you think 1:1 still isn't good enough for you?

 

[detritus]

So you think 1:1 still isn't good enough for you?

u were supposed to impart your skills that day at bukit batok nature park lor... blame the lousy weather.

 

[evolutioner]

So you think 1:1 still isn't good enough for you?

this is cropped 1:1?

 

[fengwei]

this is cropped 1:1?

Yup, thanks to our K7's 14.6mp sensor Look at the DOF, it's already very thin after cropping. If it's shot at full size like this, you need to stop down the lens to F22 to get this kind of DOF.

1:1 macro is already not too easy. I tried macro lens stack w/ ext tube, to be honest, it's not so much fun w/ that kind of shallow DOF, you are gonna sweat a lot to get some keepers