Another Mistake – Or Opportunity?
Apparently, and I cannot really comment based on my experience, it’s not true macro unless you have at least 2x magnification. My 105mm Sigma lens is 1:1 and while I was happy with some of the results I couldn’t get in close enough to my subject to experience ‘real macro.’ So I purchased a AstrHori 25mm 2X – 5X macro lens with a Z mount for the new Z50. The intention was three fold:
- Get a higher level of magnification
- Get a smaller lighter lens (the sigma weighs a ton)
- Get a Z-mount lens for the Nikon Z50 (no adapter)
I have had limited experience with it so far (see post on comparing macro and iPhone cameras) and at 5 times macro with a 25mm focal length, the working distance is immeasurably small. Just teeny tiny. But as I say, I am still growing with my experience.
It was only later that I realised that one of the problems I might be having is that the Z50 is a cropped sensor camera and the AstrHori lens is full frame! What a mistake to make. Essentially I (or rather the camera) is only see a small part of what the lens sees – so I’m getting even ‘closer’ than I bargained for.
Now there is a part of me that wishes I had gone for a full frame camera instead of the Z50, but budget did not stretch to it. Again, only after it was too late did I discover a couple of things that would have allowed me to take the leap from cropped to full frame sensor.
So the first was price. It’s hadn’t occurred to me that I could buy a good quality (approved used?) full frame camera. For example, Park Cameras are currently selling a used Nikon Z7 II for £1,029. A new one costs £2,949 – that’s almost a two thousand pound saving! OK so this one has a ‘high shutter count’ and damage to the grip. But the other one available only has 3454 shutter count and very little wear and tear and comes in at £1,619 – still a massive saving. So the trick will be to go for a second hand full frame.
Next is lenses. I have 6 F-mount DX lenses for my old D7000. And with the adapter they work OK on the Z50. But the Z7 (and I assume most of the full frame mirrorless cameras) have a DX crop mode which effectively turns the camera into a cropped sensor camera when using DX lenses. OK so you lose some of the resolution – the Z7 will drop from 47MP to 20MP (The Nikon D7000 only has 16.2 MP and that’s still plenty for me) and I’ll need to learn the crop factors for the different focal lengths, but it might be a way to move from cropped to full frame without immediately having to buy a bunch of expensive full frame lenses.
Finally is the do I need it? Buying a full frame camera just so I can use a £250 lens is a bit mental. So I need to learn what kind of photography I really want to specialise in and whether a full frame camera will give any advantage over a cropped sensor. I don’t think there is any need to specialise in one single type of photography so what do I want to get into and which types – in the long run – would benefit from a full frame camera. Note I say ‘in the long run’. The fact is that my skills at the moment just don’t warrant the cost and I should spend more time shooting and learning what I like than worrying about gear.
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