Macro - Older lens an option?

PaulBoy

PaulBoy

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None of the lenses on my D50 (10-20mm 18-70mm 70-300mm) are any good for macro shots :bang:
I can't push the boat out too much on a "proper" macro lens (55mm 105mm 180mm et al) and wondered if an older manual focus lens like a NIKKOR 135mm F3.5 AI < which are widely available 2nd hand > would be of any use (?)
Is there any reason why such a lens can't (or shouldn't) be used (?)
Or is there something better to look out for (?)
Would extension tubes work with my existing lenses (?)
Sorry if these are stupid questions :thinking:
Paul :thumbs:
 
Macro means manual focus usually anyway so if you have an option of an older manual focus lens that will fit, it makes sense to try it.

Spacer tubes should work quite well on a 70-300 range lens. I used them on a 70-200 with reasonable success.
 
Thanks for the replies so far though I'd like to hear someone confirm the lens I was asking about would be suitable for macro AND work on my D50 (as I understand it provided the manual lens is classed as at least AI it will?)
RobertP you said ...
Spacer tubes should work quite well on a 70-300 range lens. I used them on a 70-200 with reasonable success.
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... are you talking about Extension Tubes like this? - could try to find one 2nd hand or buy a Kenko set of three?
Paul ;)
 
If you have spacer (Extension) tubes I've found them to work best with a simple prime like the 50mm. They do work on zome lens but don't seem to give any better magnification and obviously not as sharp as the prime is.
 
Paul - This is the sort of thing I used (but Canon of course).

There is no electrical connection to the lens with these. I don't know if that will be a big problem with Nikon or not. On a Canon it is not a big problem for macro as you don't use autofocus anyway. The down side is the aperture is fixed and unless the same trick* works on a Nikon as does on a Canon you may be stuck with max aperture and shallow DOF.

With a zoom lens on spacers you can focus using the zoom action. With a prime on spacers the focus ring does very little (from memory) and you move the camera to focus - so to me the zoom has an advantage.

* Canon aperture trick....set the aperture on the camera to say f8, press the DOF preview button and remove the lens whilst it is still pressed. The lens will stay preset to f8 for mounting on your spacer tubes.
 
Paul - This is the sort of thing I used (but Canon of course)
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RobertP - I saw those sort of extension tubes but as they were so cheap I dismissed them as "Ebay tat" ... that was comparing them with the Nikon brand (which are £70-£100+ per tube :eek:) - or the Sigma or Kenko ones (which are around £80 for the set of three) ... you say the cheap ones have "no electrical connection" so is that why they are so cheap whereas the Nikon or Kenko have an "electrical connection" and if yes what difference does that make to taking shots with them (?) :thinking:
Paul :thumbs:
 
Yes.

Normally if you take a shot at say f8 you look through the lens wide open then it quickly shuts down to f8 as you take the shot and then goes straight back to wide open. The electrical contacts carry the power to the lens to do that. They also operate the autofocus.

No contacts and you don't get any of that. You don't need the AF so that don't matter. You will need to close the aperture down for more depth of field so that is your main problem. If you can preset the lens as i described then you have got round that one too. Only negative left then is that the viewfinder will be a bit dimmer due to the smaller aperture...but it's not that bad.

If you just hold the lens away from the camera body and look through the viewfinder you will get a glimpse of what the tubes do. Focus on something about 3 foot away indoors and release the lens but keep it against the camera.... move the lens away from the body and see how you have to get nearer to the target to refocus.....by the time you are a few inches from the target you are getting into macro territory. Obviously you can't use it just held there but you can get a 'preview' :)
 
You will need to close the aperture down for more depth of field so that is your main problem. If you can preset the lens as i described then you have got round that one too.
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RobertP - thanks again - I'm not sure how I would achieve what you can do on the Canon on my D50 - maybe someone here will enlighten me :love:
I could be tempted to try the tubes as the cost is so low but I know in the longterm a 50mm lens like Joe T suggested might be the way to go ...
Paul ;)
 
I don't know anything about Nikon lenses so can't help you. If an older lens with a manual adjustment for aperture would fit then you would be sorted.
 
To be honest Paul, you quickly find that only a few apertures actually give you workable results with macro, f8-f11 for sharpness f22+ for DoF.

I have the Kenko ones and they have the contacts but if you just want to try it then the cheaper non-contact ones would probably be the best.

BTW, you usually end up with a few seconds of exposure required (movinf the lens away makes the image much darker therefore requiring a longer exposure) when using tubes so these are not much use for anything that requires a fast shutter speed.
 
SammyC said:
BTW, you usually end up with a few seconds of exposure required (movinf the lens away makes the image much darker therefore requiring a longer exposure) when using tubes so these are not much use for anything that requires a fast shutter speed.
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I'd dispute that in good light.

This is a macro from last year taken with the 70-200 preset to f13 on spacer tubes. Admittedly it was 800 iso but shutter was a respectable 1/100th.

70-200macro.jpg
 
Wow, never thought that was possible Rob!

(So did you glue its legs to the leaf then?)
 
can i dispute too... just for fun, you can get ok results with the gear you have. i've playing with macro on my sigma 70-300 apo dg recently and go this yesterday, not brillant but better than spending £200 without being sure i want a dedicated macro just yet. i would love a micro nikkor of course :)

DSC_0987.jpg
 
noah said:
can i dispute too... just for fun, you can get ok results with the gear you have. i've playing with macro on my sigma 70-300 apo dg recently and go this yesterday, not brillant but better than spending £200 without being sure i want a dedicated macro just yet. i would love a micro nikkor of course :)
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noah - thanks for the reply (& excellent bug shot!) - your Sigma 70-300mm lens is classed as a "Macro Lens" by Sigma & is a whole lot more capable than my basic "G" class Nikon 70-300mm lens (which isn't) ... I am having a bit of a rethink about lenses at the mo & considering going for one lens to replace my two above anyway - I may take macro into that decision although at the moment I am trying to convince myself whether to go for an "IS" lens or not :bang:
Paul ;)
 
I still use an old (bought s/h in 1981) M/F 55mm Micro-Nikkor for any close-up work I do - it's never been bettered.
 
What everyone said above - but also bear in mind that you won't get any metering with an old Nikkor on a D50, so your exposures may be a bit hit and miss.
 
Why not try a close-up diopter like the Canon 500D or the Nikon 5T & 6T, they just screw onto the lens like a filter and can give good results. If you click here you will find a couple of examples.
 
Hacker said:
Why not try a close-up diopter like the Canon 500D or the Nikon 5T & 6T, they just screw onto the lens like a filter and can give good results. If you click here you will find a couple of examples.
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Thanks Hacker (hadn't considered that) though the 5&6T are hard to get hold of it seems (?) Might have a look round 2nd hand etc - the results with your Canon version were pretty impressive btw ... Paul :thumbs:
PS - I did spot a Nikkor 105mm (NIKON NAI 105MM F2.5) recently for £100 but was put off when told it was only "fair" condition due to "dust in the optics" :thinking:
 
Hoodi said:
What everyone said above - but also bear in mind that you won't get any metering with an old Nikkor on a D50, so your exposures may be a bit hit and miss.
Click to expand...

Forgot to mention that, didn't I? Sorry - I use a Minolta Flash Meter for close-up stuff. An old habit from Hasselblad days...
 
Hacker said:
Why not try a close-up diopter like the Canon 500D or the Nikon 5T & 6T, they just screw onto the lens like a filter and can give good results. If you click here you will find a couple of examples.
Click to expand...
Hacker - sorry to trouble you again :thinking: - with these "close-up lenses" would it matter which of my lenses (18-70mm & 70-300mm) I used? Is one better than the other (other than the distance you can be away from your subject?) The 18-70mm has a 67mm filter thread & is less common than the 62mm thread on the 70-300mm - could I buy the larger diammeter close-up lens and use it on the other lens with a step-up converter (?)
TIA - Paul :thumbs:
 
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