70 - 300mm capable of Macro???

DeeJay

DeeJay

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Dave
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Hi all,

I have done some searching around on this forum and cannot find the answer I am looking for.

I am very new to photgraphy and dont have huge money to spend. I currently have a Nikon D80, a 50mm prime lens and a 18-135mm zoom lens, both Nikkon. I am looking for another zoom lens but with far more reach and the capabilities to do Macro shots.

No I know that now zoom lens is going to do true macro but I have seen the Sigma 70-30mm DG lens does Macro work to a 1:2 magnification which sounds great. I was wondering if you guys have any recommendations or tips when looking for the lens? Would a Tamron lens be better? I have no issue purchasing used equipment either as there are some bargains around.

The world of lenses seems an incredible complex one to me! My use of the lens would be very general really. I am not looking to photgraph mostly sports or wildlife but just to get a feel for what I like. Then once I know where my passion lies maybe I can upgrade to a better quality lens in the future.

I hope that wasn't too vague or rambling!
 
Hi David,

as you already have a nice 50mm prime, one of the other things you can do with it is get a reversing ring to convert it into a macro lens. It sounds nuts but it does work although you will need good lighting on your subject.

http://www.digital-photography-scho...prime-lenses-for-affordable-macro-photography for an idea of it. The reversing ring you can get cheap enough ...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maxim-Rever...NCHM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1298908921&sr=8-3 for example.

Obviously everything is manual with this setup, but it's something you can try without spending a lot.
 
@Eth - Wow, I think that has to be tried as it will cost less than £20! I guess everything being manual might prove to be an issue for a beginner like me. Still it is definetely worth a try for that money and I use a simple setup at home with plenty of lamps and spot lights to test everything out. Thank you very much!

@Chazza - I guess the sensible idea would be to get the extension tubes as then everything is not manual. Thanks for showing me what they are on eBay too.

What I am loving about photography so far is there appears to be many, many solutions to any one given problem. For instance you look at the cost of a Macro lens and you think, I can't afford that right now. But you can still get good results from a slightly modified setup. Evaluate whether you like that particular field and then decide whether to invest more time and money or not.

If anyone has an opinnion on a cheaper Zoom lens which can act as a Macro lens then feel free to jump in.
 
Could always look at a raynox dcr-250 to fit any of your current lenses?
 
@Pete B - Thanks for the tip.

@HoppyUK - Thanks for the link to the images. Loads of those are really stunning!

I purchased the reversing ring for a tenner last night so will see what happens with that and then report back.

Anyone have any experience of the Sigma/Tamron 70-300mm lens? I'm just wondering how good the lens is considering secound hand some variants are less than £100...
 
I've got the Sigma 70-300 David. I paid £105 for mine second hand. I used to have a Nikkor 55-200 VR and a big expensive Sigma 150-500 monster zoom also.

Did a test of all three at 200mm, and at 300mm and 500mm respectively and the 70-300 was considerably sharper and had more contrast than the Nikkor and not that far behind the much, much more expensive 150-500 (which was really good as you'd expect).

Go for it !
 
Thanks for that Eth!

That bolsters my happiness about negotiating to purchase this very lens here on TP. Thanks again!
 
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