is this lens good/reliable/awesome?

[ajkramer87]

can any of you show me a real macro lens so i know what to look for?

Real macro lenses are almost always prime lenses. Meaning that they have a fixed focal length. I use a Sigma 105mm Macro. If you want a true macro lens just make sure it has a magnification of 1:1.

http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-105mm-M...19XK/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1287002266&sr=8-8

 

[iPhoto17]

can any of you show me a real macro lens so i know what to look for?

Real macro lenses are almost always prime lenses. Meaning that they have a fixed focal length. I use a Sigma 105mm Macro. If you want a true macro lens just make sure it has a magnification of 1:1.

Amazon.com: Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Medium Telephoto Macro Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo

thats nice, but itll take me quite a while to save up that much, i guess its time to start saving my money again

 

[ajkramer87]

can any of you show me a real macro lens so i know what to look for?

Real macro lenses are almost always prime lenses. Meaning that they have a fixed focal length. I use a Sigma 105mm Macro. If you want a true macro lens just make sure it has a magnification of 1:1.

Amazon.com: Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Medium Telephoto Macro Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo

thats nice, but itll take me quite a while to save up that much, i guess its time to start saving my money again

Thats just one lens. What do you plan on shooting? I shot mostly insects so I wanted more reach. I should have went with a 150 or even 180 but the 105 works nicely. If you can find it there is a thread that Markw posted in and he gives a huge list of macro lenses. You can also look into extension tubes. You can get 1:1 that way. Much cheaper. I dont know the downside to them since I have used them before but I know theyre an option.

 

[iPhoto17]

Real macro lenses are almost always prime lenses. Meaning that they have a fixed focal length. I use a Sigma 105mm Macro. If you want a true macro lens just make sure it has a magnification of 1:1.

Amazon.com: Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Medium Telephoto Macro Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo

thats nice, but itll take me quite a while to save up that much, i guess its time to start saving my money again

Thats just one lens. What do you plan on shooting? I shot mostly insects so I wanted more reach. I should have went with a 150 or even 180 but the 105 works nicely. If you can find it there is a thread that Markw posted in and he gives a huge list of macro lenses. You can also look into extension tubes. You can get 1:1 that way. Much cheaper. I dont know the downside to them since I have used them before but I know theyre an option.

i plan on shooting insects, spider webs, grass blades, water drops and anything with texture that you can see better close up such as goosebumps on someones arm and such

 

[ajkramer87]

So you want something at least around 90mm for that type of shooting. Here is the the thread with the list of lenses in it.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/macro-photography/220493-help-me-choosing-better-lens-macro.html

 

[tirediron]

Google "Nikon Micro Lens"

 

[iPhoto17]

So you want something at least around 90mm for that type of shooting. Here is the the thread with the list of lenses in it.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/macro-photography/220493-help-me-choosing-better-lens-macro.html

90mm are a bit tough to find, time to search more than amazon

 

[ghache]

ive been looking for a cheap new lens and this is what i found, i know sigma is 3rd party for nikon but are they reliable?

Amazon.com: Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 SLD DG Macro Lens with built in motor for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo

ive been wanting to shoot zoom and up close

the only thing im worried about is the aperture being only 4-5.6, but i guess thats what fast shutter speeds are for which will be an advantage

this is the minimum. you can shoot that lens at f16 if you want...

 

[o hey tyler]

ive been looking for a cheap new lens and this is what i found, i know sigma is 3rd party for nikon but are they reliable?

Amazon.com: Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 SLD DG Macro Lens with built in motor for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo

ive been wanting to shoot zoom and up close

the only thing im worried about is the aperture being only 4-5.6, but i guess thats what fast shutter speeds are for which will be an advantage

f/4 is the widest aperture, at 70mm, f/5.6 is what the aperture is at it's maximum focal length (200mm). Do you understand how shutter speed and aperture work together? On the scale of things, this isn't a particularly fast lens, and therefore in low light your shutter speeds will be limited. You're also using a D3000 which has a CCD sensor. CCD sensors are worse at handling high ISO, so therefore you're not going to be doing any kind of low light photography with that lens.

 

[Ron Evers]

Many zoom lenses claim to be "macro" when in fact they are only "close focusing" & typically go to 1:5 which is fine for flowers. Some prime "macros" do not go 1:1 but only to 1:2 without a tube or secondary lens between the lens & camera body. A true 1:1 prime macro can be used as a regular lens as well as a macro but they do not come cheap.

 

[sleist]

A friend of mine has this lens and she let me use it one weekend. The zoom suffers from lack of VR - forget about sharp shots at 300mm without a tripod. The macro is fun, but not 1:1 as others have mentioned. At the macro end, it does suffer from significant CA wide open which will be difficult to correct in post. The macro function does allow much closer focal distances as compared to the 70-300 nikkor for example (which I own)

That being said, the price is in line with performance. I would go with the Tamron 90mm over this - $400.00 now with rebate if it hasn't expired. The 70-300mm VR if zoom is important.

Both below shots with lens in question.

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

1:2 isn't "True" macro as others have said, but its better than most "non-macro" lenses, so although its aimed to reel in the unknowing consumer, its not completely a gimmick because it is still useful when shooting flowers and suck. It will not get you some extreme close up of bugs heads like you see littered all over Flickr. Tamron also has a similar lens with a 6 year warranty. Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Autofocus AF017NII-700 - B&H

As for a 1:1 True macro, while most prefer a longer 100mm or so macro, I think a very good buy is this lens :
AFG005NII700 Tamron SP 60mm f/2 Di II 1:1 AF Macro Auto Focus Lens with Built-in Motor for All Nikon Digital Cameras

It would be close to 100mm equiv. on a cropped sensor camera, it is an f/2 aperture so its a pretty decent portrait lens also. It is true 1:1 macro and only $399 after $100 rebate. Its light, its got a decent warranty and can be used for multiple purposes.

 

[reznap]

All 3 of these were taken with the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 1:1 macro lens.

Basically, fine-tuned focus is difficult on subjects more than a few feet away. The lens is designed to get perfect focus on subjects which are only a few inches away. That said, it does autofocus pretty well and it does double as a nice and sharp portrait lens.

 

[sobolik]

ive been looking for a cheap new lens and this is what i found, i know sigma is 3rd party for nikon but are they reliable?

Amazon.com: Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 SLD DG Macro Lens with built in motor for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo

ive been wanting to shoot zoom and up close

Let me swat you upside the head so to speak. You want a Sigma for your Nikon while at the same time you use this signiture following your posts? "buying a DSLR just to shoot on automatic is like buying a Lamborghini and not even taking it out of 2nd gear "

Come on man! Drop the signature or buy a Nikon lens. Come on man! (popular Football thing to say lately)

I owned 2 sigma lenses when I got my first Nikon lens. I took half a dozen test shots to verify If my eyes were deceiving me or was it really that night and day difference. I immediately sold the Sigma lenses and swore I'd never buy another off brand with out testing it and comparing it to a Nikon. Or reading a trusted reviewers comparison between the two. Thus I own a Tokina 12-24 I did not personally test before buying. Digital Wide Zooms

Here is what the same reviewer says:

"Nikon and Canon are each primarily lens companies, not camera companies.

It's sad to see people buy good cameras and put off-brand lenses on them.

...​

Did you know that Nikon is one of the world's leading makes of professional laboratory microscopes, often beating out Zeiss and Leitz? Nikon also makes the million-dollar lenses and mechanical steppers used in semiconductor manufacture. They have a 37% market share. These lenses and mechanics resolve at 45 nanometers, or less than one-tenth of a wavelength of visible light? That's over 10,000 lines per millimeter! See Nikon Precision."​

Nikon vs. Canon

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

ive been looking for a cheap new lens and this is what i found, i know sigma is 3rd party for nikon but are they reliable?

Amazon.com: Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 SLD DG Macro Lens with built in motor for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo

ive been wanting to shoot zoom and up close

Let me swat you upside the head so to speak. You want a Sigma for your Nikon while at the same time you use this signiture following your posts? "buying a DSLR just to shoot on automatic is like buying a Lamborghini and not even taking it out of 2nd gear "

Come on man! Drop the signature or buy a Nikon lens. Come on man! (popular Football thing to say lately)

I owned 2 sigma lenses when I got my first Nikon lens. I took half a dozen test shots to verify If my eyes were deceiving me or was it really that night and day difference. I immediately sold the Sigma lenses and swore I'd never buy another off brand with out testing it and comparing it to a Nikon. Or reading a trusted reviewers comparison between the two. Thus I own a Tokina 12-24 I did not personally test before buying. Digital Wide Zooms

Here is what the same reviewer says:

"Nikon and Canon are each primarily lens companies, not camera companies.

It's sad to see people buy good cameras and put off-brand lenses on them.​

...​

Did you know that Nikon is one of the world's leading makes of professional laboratory microscopes, often beating out Zeiss and Leitz? Nikon also makes the million-dollar lenses and mechanical steppers used in semiconductor manufacture. They have a 37% market share. These lenses and mechanics resolve at 45 nanometers, or less than one-tenth of a wavelength of visible light? That's over 10,000 lines per millimeter! See Nikon Precision."​

Nikon vs. Canon

Tokina 12-24 is a very good lens for the price, as is their 11-16mm. In some instances performing BETTER than the nikon superwide. There are many decent lenses that aren't Canon or Nikon brand, and not everyone can afford to go from kit lens to L lens in one deft move. The Tamron 70-300 is much better than the Canon 75-300 in that price bracket. I have owned and used both. I would bet that its a better lens than the Nikon in that category as well. Nikon and Canon have figured out that they can sell cheap crap by using the clout of their name. ( Not that the Sigma or Tamron are the greatest lenses ever, but they are definate contenders in this price bracket ) The only reason I would pick the Tamron over the Sigma ( aside from having used it ) is that I have heard Sigma has very spotty Quality Control, therefore I have never bought a Sigma lens.