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Russell Robertson photo
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1330 Review
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Review on πŸ“· Sony SEL90M28G FE 90mm f/2.8-22 Macro G OSS Lens: Ideal Standard-Prime for Mirrorless Cameras, Black by Russell Robertson

Revainrating 3 out of 5

Ultra sharp, focusing under a headlamp is unstable

Super sharp and great for those who prefer to focus manually most of the time. I bought it primarily to photograph reptiles on the southwestern desert roads. I used a Canon 100mm IS macro for this purpose, but I read about the sharpness and decided to give it a try. I focus on fast moving snakes and other small snakes with a very bright headlamp, usually with spot AF, always with a flash. With Canon, focusing was almost instantaneous - important because the damn critters wouldn't stay in place (also why I avoid focusing manually). With this macro, Sony constantly hunted in such conditions (even tried under the light of a lamp in the room, the result is the same). It didn't matter what distance limit setting was enabled, it did the same thing regardless. I took a couple of shots of a tarantula and a toad which were very sharp although the focus was "pumped" all the time but somehow got aimed in the last second before shooting. Shoot. However, many other images were out of focus, something that almost never happened with Canon's macro photography. At home, I installed a Canon macro lens on my Sony A7RII using an unsold adapter, and with this setting, focusing was faster and more accurate. Unfortunately, despite the amazing sharpness of this lens and its ability to take advantage of Sony's 42-megapixel camera, it had to be returned. The Canon is sharp enough for what I'm doing anyway, so while it was disappointing, it wasn't a huge detriment to my work. Your results with this lens can vary wildly - I know it gets great reviews overall. It just didn't work well enough for what I do.

Pros
  • Mirrorless camera lenses
Cons
  • Unsafe