Different Lens for Insects

Insect Setup

My previous insect setup was a Sigma 70-300mm macro on a 1.4x converter.  I liked the working distance and the framing flexibility of this setup.  It required manual focus and was slow, f/8.  I used two Canon 420EX slave flashes off camera.  I was able to learn to used it successfully. 

Sigma 180mm Macro Setup

I am currently shooting with a Sigma 180mm Macro Lens mounted on a 2x teleconverter.  It is faster and easier to manually focus because the image in the viewfinder is brighter.  It shows at f/5.7 in the metadata.  I like the working distance.  The lens has quite a lot of resolving power, much more than the 70-300.  It lacks some of the framing flexibility of the other rig, lack of zoom, but the extra resolution helps with cropping in the digital darkroom.  It has come to this:  Can I live without it.  Currently, I am thinking that the answer is, "No."

Unless stated, my insect shots will be made with this rig in the future.  Did I mention how sharp I consider this lens?

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