Macro or close up lens for a D3200?

How close do you want to get to your computer :eek:

A proper macro lens will give you a 1:1 ratio meaning you can fill something that's only 24mm wide (the width of your camera's sensor) into a whole 24 megapixel frame. This means a 24mm wide object will be 6000 pixels wide on your screen!

Are you looking to photograph individual pins coming out of your CPU socket or something :p

if so, a used AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 40mm F/2.8G can be had for around £140.


What lens(es) do you have now?
Personally I would have thought the kit lens (assuming that's what you've got now) would be fine for computer parts as small as an SD card.
What sort of lighting do you use right now? Perhaps you could see better results by investing in some lighting instead?
 
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I got the standard 18-55VRII kit lens.

Sometimes if I get too close I can make a shadow of the lens appear when the flash operates, wonder if I shouldn't try a ring flash first.

This is about as close as I would like,

IMG_6772_zpsfhy8sopw.jpg~original


IMG_6756_zpshrqcyqms.jpg~original


Taken with a Canon IXUS95 point+click.


But if there is a lens that will do this, then Im all ears.
 
stulid said:
I got the standard 18-55VRII kit lens.

Sometimes if I get too close I can make a shadow of the lens appear when the flash operates, wonder if I shouldn't try a ring flash first.
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That shadow could potentially be much worse with a 40 mm macro lens. It will let you focus extremely close to the lens where the pop-up flash will be completely blocked by the barrel.

When shooting close-ups with the kit lens always have it fully zoomed to 55 mm. This will give you the best magnification and the least perspective distortion. Unless of course you want to use a wider focal length to get more background into the frame. It will also stop the lens barrel casting a shadow in your photos (if you must use the built in flash).

The pop-up flash should only be used as a last resort, and should never be used in a still environment. If you're photographing things like computer parts which you can take plenty of time to adjust your framing and set things up, you should never ruin it with the quick pop-up flash.

Get a decent tripod if you haven't got one already. Its better to take a 10 second exposure at ISO100 in dim and diffused window lighting than to use the pop-up flash as a light source.
 
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Armageus said:
Can you get anywhere near those Point and Click pictures with that lense - just interested as I have the D3200 with the older 18-55VR (not II) lense and mine struggles to focus at such a short distance - thinking if yours can, I might get one as they are cheap enough.
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The minimum focus distance for all three 18-55mm kit lenses is the same at 28cm.

This is a 100% crop at minimum focus distance. The CD drive lens is about 3 millimetres in diameter. Click to download the whole frame.

 
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asim18 said:
The minimum focus distance for all three 18-55mm kit lenses is the same at 28cm.

This is a 100% crop at minimum focus distance. The CD drive lens is about 3 millimetres in diameter. Click to download the whole frame.
Click to expand...

I'm intrigued now and will have to have another go when I get home, but have never been able to get mine to focus that close.
 
Armageus said:
Can you get anywhere near those Point and Click pictures with that lense - just interested as I have the D3200 with the older 18-55VR (not II) lense and mine struggles to focus at such a short distance - thinking if yours can, I might get one as they are cheap enough.
Click to expand...

Heres some I have just taken (cloudy and dark outside, no flash or artificial light) of a board,

DSC_0088_zpsaqpu8ebo.jpg~original


DSC_0094_zps3qk2xulv.jpg~original


DSC_0096_zpsawubijpo.jpg~original


Not sure what Im after, it might be a bit more sharpness (but that could be improved by not trying to take a picture at this time of the day with dark grey clouds), perhaps I should read the instructions more.
 
You need a smaller aperture (higher F number) to increase the depth of field. Of course then you'll need a tripod to compensate for longer exposure time needed, unless you can handhold for 1-2 seconds (I doubt anyone has hands that steady).

You should never buy kit without a clear indication of what it is you want to achieve, because you'll end up poorer and without the shots you want.
 
Armageus said:
I'm intrigued now and will have to have another go when I get home, but have never been able to get mine to focus that close.
Click to expand...

Tried again last night and worked fine at the distances suggested, so no idea what I was doing wrong before.


stulid said:
Not sure what Im after, it might be a bit more sharpness (but that could be improved by not trying to take a picture at this time of the day with dark grey clouds), perhaps I should read the instructions more.
Click to expand...

Might just be me, but looks like the centre is in focus on most of those pictures, where it might be better to have the nearest part (e.g. the gigabyte logo in the 1st one, nearest PCI-E slot is slightly out of focus in last one) in focus, maybe by manually setting the AF point to a lower one?
 
As Janesy said you need to increase your F number to get more in focus also as a bonus the lens will give overall better sharpness at around f8 to f16.

Looks like you've shot those at 18mm at f3.5 which isn't going to give you the best sharpness of your lens, even if you had a top end lens.

Also I'd recommend moving your camera further back and using your lens at 55mm instead. I think it gives better perspective for technical shots, unless you're trying to go for that effect.
 
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