My $8 clip on phone lens beat my $150 macro setup for shooting moss on a hike in Vermont
I hike the Long Trail in Vermont a lot and started photographing moss and liverworts for ID help on iNaturalist. I carry a clip on macro lens that cost $8, and I finally left the expensive 100mm macro lens home to see if it mattered. The cheap clip on let me get right down on the ground, like half an inch from a patch of haircap moss, and the shots were sharper because I wasn't fighting the tripod or the weight. The fancy lens was great in my yard, but on a muddy trail with wet knees the little plastic thing won every time. Has anyone else found gear that costs nothing that works better in the field than the pricey stuff?