Macro

lozzy94

lozzy94

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Hi all,

I have recently brought a Nikon D3100 and have been out and about with it however I really am interesting in Macro pictures and wondered if anyone has any advice in which lens to buy to take good marco pictures I currently have a general use lens 18-55mm.
 
use the search function, loads of advice on macro on here
 
np was just trying to point you in the right direction and save you time as most question you have in the first months will have been answered and answered better than i can
 
I shoot Canon so I can't give you the right info regarding what lens to get, but if you're keen on shooting macro then get a dedicated macro lens as they usually have a 1/1 ratio. A few Canon and 3rd party lenses have 'macro' in their title but aren't nearly as good ratio. I have a Canon 100mm f2.8L macro and it's fantastic, it keeps surprising me every time I shoot with it, but it's certainly not cheap. Good luck in finding the right lens.

Just had a quick google and both Nikon and Sigma do 150mm macro lenses which should be good, but as I don't know the Nikon system I don't know if they're suitable.
 
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There are a few options for macro. If you intend to use auto focus at all you will need a lens with a built in focus motor. Nikon lenses that have this are called AF-S lenses, Sigma call it HSM not sure what Tamron call it (maybe Di II ??). Whilst most other Nikon F mount macro lenses will work well on the D3100 you will only be able to focus them manually.

Nikon do 2 DX specific macro lenses, neither of which I like, but they are a 40mm and 85mm lens (both will AF on the D3100). They do two FX lenses that will AF, the 60mm f2.8 AF-S and the 105mm f2.8VR AF-S - both of these are very nice lenses but can get quite expensive. The Sigma 105 HSM and the 150 HSM are also worth looking at, they do a 180mm too but that may be a tad long on DX for macro work.

Just before I sold my D7000 I had a play with the Tamron 60mm f2 - I was impressed with it, it's a good macro lens and also make a good portrait lens on DX - it won't work on FX though (well, it will in DX crop mode but ...).
 
PaulButler said:
they do a 180mm too but that may be a tad long on DX for macro work.
Click to expand...

Can you get 'too long for macro?!' if there were 400mm macro lens that would be amazing... no spooking anymore! :)

I would say get the longest you can afford and feel comfortable with.

180mm's are great but the weight of them makes it very difficult to handheld at 1:1
 
lozzy94 said:
Hi all,

I have recently brought a Nikon D3100 and have been out and about with it however I really am interesting in Macro pictures and wondered if anyone has any advice in which lens to buy to take good marco pictures I currently have a general use lens 18-55mm.
Click to expand...

What's your budget? For £40 (Amazon) pop a Raynox DCR-250 macro adapter on the front of your kit zoom at 55mm. Here are a few images I prepared earlier :D http://www.flickr.com/groups/raynoxdcr250/

Phil Young said:
Can you get 'too long for macro?!' if there were 400mm macro lens that would be amazing... no spooking anymore! :)

I would say get the longest you can afford and feel comfortable with.

180mm's are great but the weight of them makes it very difficult to handheld at 1:1
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. I'm not a big macro shooter but a couple of years ago I sold two high grade macro lenses and now use my 70-200L with tubes. Quality is pretty good and the zoom length makes it easier and more versatile than a pukka macro.

I know folks that use a 300mm with tubes for macro, but it's hard to get big magnification with long lenses, say greater than 1:1, as the lens needs a lot more physical extension. For example, Canon's MPE macro that only starts at 1:1 and goes on to 5:1, is only 65mm.
 
Usual contenders :
Tamron 90mm
Nikon 105 (d, vr mki, mkii depending on dosh/availability)
sigma 105
sigma 150
sigma 180

I have the 105 (links in siggy). With some extension tubes (tenner upwards) you can get some great shots.

I personally think a bit more working distance would be great, so perhaps look to borrow the 105 and 150 to compare before looking for used/new versions?


If you have a longer lens, you may want to try a 40 ukp filter 250 raynox. Meant to be good quality.

Good hunting!
 
thanx for all the advice I shall deffs be looking into some of the lens
 
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