Macro advice : Lens

bl4ckdr4g0n

bl4ckdr4g0n

bl4ckdr4g0n

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HI all,

I'm looking @ getting a macro lens for my Nikon D90 DSLR and I've been looking @ the TAMRON AF 70-300mm f4-5.6 Di LD Macro.

I thought that macro lens had to be a fixed range like 105mm rather than 70-300mm in the distance measurement? I have also seen 24-135mm. Is this a macro lens? They all seem to be given the tag "Macro".

Any advice I'd be thankful of thanks
 
ahhhhh Ok. is it worth getting then? I want a lens for closeup photography, getting shots similar to this. I would get a 105mm but i'm on a v tight budget:

macro2.jpg
 
what other lenses do you have? might be able to get away with some tubes/reversing adapter as a cheap introduction
 
I started with a 50mm f1.8 with manual extension tubes (<£100). You have to focus and meter manually but it's a cheap and effective way to go full macro and more (past 1:1 magnification).

The alternative is to buy a magnifying glass filter for whatever lens(es) you already have. Messiah Khan started with those and got some great photos. Hopefully someone can remember the brand name of a popular one.
 
I had seen some macro glass filters on e bay was wondering if they were any good. would be good to see the difference if anyone has any pictures... as that could be an option as you say
 
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Those shots will be taken with a load of extension tubes.

I'd recommend what robert said, get a 50mm 1.8 and a load of ebay tubes. I'm not that clued up with nikon so you might want someone clarifying whether this would work - lenses stop down at the point of taking a photo, on canons this is electronically controlled which is lost with cheap ext tubes, therefore you need to stop down on camera, hold DOF preview, and remove lens. On nikons is it a mechanical connection? In which case you might have problems... I'm sure someone can tell you.
 
You don't say what your budget is but the Sigma 150mm f2.8 is a fair bit cheaper than the Nikon. I just got one new for £450 for my D90 and it's incredibly sharp and gives a little more distance than the 105mm (or anything smaller).

I've never used the Nikon but there are plenty of reviews from those who have and prefer the Sigma, most reviews comment that the bokeh is better with the Sigma.

Anything less than 105mm and your bugs are going to be scared off.

Those shots with the 70-300 are more like close ups than macro. A real macro lens has 1:1 magnification ie the size of the subject is projected life size onto the sensor (this will be bigger than 1:1 on a AP C sensor) and will always give you a better photograph in more detail than adding an extension tube to a non macro lens.
 
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bl4ckdr4g0n said:
I had seen some macro glass filters on e bay was wondering if they were any good. would be good to see the difference if anyone has any pictures... as that could be an option as you say
Click to expand...
The cheap ones give quality related to what you pay for them - not much. You need dual element lenses to get decent quality - search for Marumi Achromat and note that they're not cheap. The Canon 500 series close-up lenses have a very good reputation as do the Nikon equivalents but I think they're all out of production now although you can get lucky and find them secondhand.
 
Have a look at the Tamron 90mm macro. It's quite a bit cheaper than most mentioned already, and seems to be very well regarded :)
 
The Sigma and the Tamron are both very nice Macro Lenses for the price, the Sigma gives you a little more 'reach' being 105mm but according to the various review sites the Tamron has the slightly better optics.

I bought the Tamron and there are some Macro shots on my Flickr, but please don't use them as a comparison against martinturner's Sigma shots as my talent doesn't do the lens as much justice :p
 
.... and don't confuse the Sigma 105mm and 150mm, both very different lenses. Personally, I wouldn't touch a macro lens under 100mm if you are planning on shooting anything alive - you'll have to be so close it will be off before you've got it in focus.
 
Sigma 105mm, tamron 90mm and tokina 100mm are all pretty much matched in performance. As a starting lens into "general" macro work you'd be happy with any of them.
I'm biased towards the tokina as I own it, nice and sharp, good colour repoduction and the one MF clutch system works very well.
I'd put the tamron infront of the sigma by reviews.

If you can stretch the budget a little more the sigma 150mm is a very nice lens. It give a larger working distance if your shooting things like butterflys but its down side is its large and heavy. couple it with extension tubes and/or teleconverters and it makes for an awkward setup to use, even more so if your shooting with an off camera flash.

Stretch even more and you can go for the nikon 200mm f4 macro, some say its the king of macro lens, like every thing it has its upsides and downsides. All depends on what macro work you intend to do.

shorter macro lenses like the nikon 60mm get disregarded quickly as most would say there working distance is too limited for wildlife use and I would agree mostly. However if your going for maximum magnification beyound 1:1 with tubes etc the 60mm can be a good option.

As I understand, please correct me if I'm wrong
60mm plus set of tubes will give higher magnification than 100mm plus set of tubes.
Past 1:1 your working distance is massivly reduced no matter what lens you have.
This kind of set up is used for very small insects like ants etc where you will probably need to use off camera flash and high f numbers to get as much DOF as posible.

check out my blog or flickr for shots with the tokina and tele/tube combinations.
 
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Stupot_ said:
On nikons is it a mechanical connection? In which case you might have problems... I'm sure someone can tell you.
Click to expand...

I bought a cheap set for my D60 and found whatever you do the lens will stop right down. Which on my kit lens is between F22 & F29, making the viewfinder completely useless.

I posted on TP and the advice was generally that there was no way round this unless I bought a lens with an apeture ring. The 50mm 1.8D has one and is cheap so might be a good option. One guy did say he'd made a little wedge to hold the little lever open.
 
You can get around the lack of aperture control on newer Nikon fit lenses by putting a chunk of folded paper in the lever. This doesn't always have desired results and depending on the lens you may end up focusing inside the lens and/or on the front element.

This is a photo from a Sigma 10-20, the working distance was about 10mm!

All in all I think the best advice (is my advice) is to get a 50mm f1.8, which is a great lens regardless of it's macro potential, and some manual tubes. This is by far the cheapest 'quality' method and you also get a nice portrait/low light prime in the deal.
 
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