This is another gear post so buckle in for a backwards and forwards ride.

A few months ago I wanted to try a little project that required a macro lens. I didn’t want to pay the price for the Fuji 80mm macro, so I found a used Laowa 65mm 2.8 for a reasonable £350. Great little lens, super sharp, and allows 2:1 ratio meaning the subject can be twice as big on the sensor (in short you can get closer and a bigger image of the subject). The focus distance is insanely close and it’s full metal and generally a beautifully built lens. However, it’s manual focus only. I knew this going in and I didn't think this was going to be much of a problem. 

Very quickly into my project, I found out that it was a very big problem indeed. For somebody else, I can imagine it’s more than ok. But for me, I couldn’t handle it. Focus peaking on the Fuji is really good, but the depth of field at such close distances is minute and focus peaking wasn’t picking anything up. I was missing shots because the subject was moving (the subject was children too, which adds another layer to it all) and I wasn’t fast enough to be accurate too. I managed to muddle through but in that moment I knew I had made a mistake with the Laowa.

Still not wanting to spend the money on the 80mm macro Fuji lens, I started exploring options.. I wanted a longer length than 65mm to give me a little more working distance and I knew that I wanted to eventually make a rig out of the equipment so I wasn’t forever tearing down and setting up. My Fuji XH2 is great and that 40mp sensor is perfect for this kind of thing. However, for the price of a decent used Fuji 80mm macro lens (around £650), I found that I could get a really good used Sigma 105mm 2.8 macro (Nikon fit) for £230. Then, I could also buy a very good condition Nikon D800e for £410. For the price of the Fuji macro lens, I could (and did), get a whole dedicated camera setup for this project that will likely become a permanent fixture. 

Yes, the D800e came out in 2012, but that doesn’t mean the image quality has gotten worse. Cameras have gotten better for sure, but for my needs I needed a decent resolution camera and a macro lens that autofocuses. It’s crazy to think that I managed to pick up the whole kit from MPB for less than the price of the Fuji lens. I know I could have found a beaten up version cheaper that has mushrooms growing inside, but that’s besides the point. 

I’m going to do some image test results against my Fuji XH2 and the D800e soon and see if there is much of a difference, and if the 10 years gone have made much of a difference. UPDATE: I didn’t do many tests at all as I ended up selling the XH2 pretty quickly so my test shots and data are minimal. Sorry!

I like to think I’m not too bothered by gear and for the most part, it’s true. But I get in my head a lot. I had a Nikon z6ii pop up for a really good price on eBay, so I may have purchased that too. I’d been debating on switching back to full frame for a while and couldn’t justify a Nikon z8 or even z7ii, but this z6ii will be a perfect middle ground and will either have me selling the Fuji system for a switch or try the z6ii and if I don’t like it, sell the z6ii and stick with what I’ve got. I’ll put down my reasonings in another post so this doesn’t drag on too much, but let’s just say that I’ve been thinking a lot!