A good day for dragons - Brachymesia furcata

Non-bug question

Sigma 180mm F3.5 EX (DG) APO Macro IF HSM with 1.4xTC ?

… Bill Claff, 1 August, 2007 - 9:34pm

Pretty good, Bill.

You IDed the gear from the photo! LOL. It's virtually the only lens set-up I currently use for insects, and it's at its very best with dragonflies and medium-to-large butterflies.

If I go back to shooting the really small stuff, I'll probably return to a Nikon 105mm macro with Kenko extension tubes, as I apparently can't get extension tubes for the Sigma. Or perhaps I'll try a good close-up lens with the Sigma.

… Ron Hemberger, 2 August, 2007 - 12:45am

I don't know where you got that misconception

You can use tubes, particularly the Kenko tubes, with any lens.
Put them between the lens and TC if you decide to use both.

… Bill Claff, 2 August, 2007 - 4:15pm

Thanks. I've been chicken to try it.

You've given me some confidence, but I'm still a bit nervous. When I tried the Kenko 1.4x converter with this lens, I had some very bad results that mucked up the camera. As a result, I never tried the tubes. BTW, I appreciate the technical info at your site, particularly the ISO and mirror lock material.

… Ron Hemberger, 2 August, 2007 - 6:12pm

The Kenko TC is well regarded

however, the Sigma TCs are designed specifically for their lenses.
Except for not being as sturdy as they could be the Kenko tubes are the "only game in town" if you want to maintain metering (and AF).

… Bill Claff, 2 August, 2007 - 6:17pm

Sigma says to use only their TCs with their lenses.

Sure, one would expect that. But they are a lot more solid and more precise when it comes to attaching firmly to the lens. I do like the Kenko products, but have sent two of the three extension tubes in for warranty repair. (Neither of my two converters had problems.)

With both brands of converters, I do get an error message from time to time, when the mount isn't functioning properly. This happened more with the Kenko gear.

… Ron Hemberger, 2 August, 2007 - 6:26pm