I have not tried hand-held as of yet - too busy photographing the garnet sand grains I am finding. I do prefer the 2x as it seems to work very well to get 8.5x magnification for the garnets. I also purchased a GODOX LED126 light that I mounted on my hotshoe. This combined with a lower ISO of 64 or 100 and a higher exposure time is providing excellent results as seen here....as a reminder - these garnet sand grains are each about 1/4mm wideSteveB wrote:I see you have also got the MC-20 now. How do you feel the two compare optically? I think I preferred the pictures you posted with the 2x TC better, but you may have refined your lighting or stacking technique. Can you use either of them (withought the diopters) handheld?






