Need help finding good macro lens

[Noah212]

Hello,

I am currently on the look out for a Nikon macro lens. I am 14 and have been very into photography for about 6+ months now. Also, I mainly photograph insects. I want to buy a good quality macro lens, yet I don't want to pay too much. Can anyone suggest any good lenses for me? Thanks so much in advance.

 

[joemc]

My two top suggestions are the Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 (500.00) or the Nikkor 105 f/2.8 (around 900.00)

They are both fantastic lenses.

Cheers, joe

 

[Overread]

How much is not too much?
Also what gear do you currently have?

There are some cheaper workarounds for getting macro work which don't involve shelling out on a dedicated lens should your budget be smaller, but we need an idea of where abouts you stand in things

 

[icassell]

If you don't want to spend a fortune on macro lenses, consider the purchase of extension tubes instead.

THK Photo Products, Inc.

 

[Derrel]

For insect photography, a longer length macro lens is handy; if you want something inexpensive, I don't think the $900 105mm VR Nikkor is a viable option for a 14 year old. I think your best bet would be the Phoenix 100mm f/3.5 AF macro lens in NIkon F mount. Read about it here:

Phoenix AF 100mm f/3.4 Macro Lens - A Nikonians Product Review

Both Phoenix and Vivitar brand 100mm macro lenses were available for several years,and they are available used. You might have to look around to find one of these lenses, and pay only $100-$125 for the lens. The performance of these lenses was actually pretty good, but they seem to be very hard to find from major retailers--which are trying to sell the "new" low-priced macro leader, Tokina's 100mm f/2.8 ATX Macro for $399 new.

 

[chip]

If you want a "good quality" macro lens you will have to pay "good quality" money for one. How about a used Nikon macro lens from like Ebay?

 

[Noah212]

My two top suggestions are the Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 (500.00) or the Nikkor 105 f/2.8 (around 900.00)

They are both fantastic lenses.

Cheers, joe

Thanks for the suggestions, but I do not currently have that much money.

How much is not too much?
Also what gear do you currently have?

There are some cheaper workarounds for getting macro work which don't involve shelling out on a dedicated lens should your budget be smaller, but we need an idea of where abouts you stand in things

I would like to stay within the $100 - $300 range, if possible. I currently have a Nikon D60 with a DX(not sure of the specific type) lens, a tripod, and photoshop.

If you don't want to spend a fortune on macro lenses, consider the purchase of extension tubes instead.

THK Photo Products, Inc.

I would rather just get a macro lens, but thanks for your suggestion.

For insect photography, a longer length macro lens is handy; if you want something inexpensive, I don't think the $900 105mm VR Nikkor is a viable option for a 14 year old. I think your best bet would be the Phoenix 100mm f/3.5 AF macro lens in NIkon F mount. Read about it here:

Phoenix AF 100mm f/3.4 Macro Lens - A Nikonians Product Review

Both Phoenix and Vivitar brand 100mm macro lenses were available for several years,and they are available used. You might have to look around to find one of these lenses, and pay only $100-$125 for the lens. The performance of these lenses was actually pretty good, but they seem to be very hard to find from major retailers--which are trying to sell the "new" low-priced macro leader, Tokina's 100mm f/2.8 ATX Macro for $399 new.

Thanks so much for pointing out the Phoenix 100mm f/3.5 AF macro lens in Nikon F mount. Would this lens be compatible with my Nikon D60?

Also, would the quality of the Phoenix lens be better than this?

(NOTE: THIS IS NOT MY PHOTO)

(NOTE: THIS IS NOT MY PHOTO)

In terms of quality, some of my photos are around that of the above photo. Keep in mind, I am using the lens that came with the D60. Does this mean that I should just stick with my current lens, or will the Phoenix get much better quality? Also, about how many times better is the quality of the Phoenix than the lens from a new Nikon D60. Thanks so much.

If you want a "good quality" macro lens you will have to pay "good quality" money for one. How about a used Nikon macro lens from like Ebay?

Well, first I just want figure out which lens I should get.

 

[PatrickHMS]

Noah,

Do you understand that most of these lenses are manual focus only on your D60?

And that the only lenses that will autofocus on your camera are the AF-S lenses, which are generally more expensive?

 

[Noah212]

Noah,

Do you understand that most of these lenses are manual focus only on your D60?

And that the only lenses that will autofocus on your camera are the AF-S lenses, which are generally more expensive?

I didn't know that. Thanks.

Is this a good buy? And is it an auto focusing lens?

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom - Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED

How about this?

Nikon Quantaray 28-90mm f3.5-5.6 Lens AF-D macro mint - eBay (item 200403130673 end time Dec-06-09 17:58:30 PST)

I am just trying to find the cheapest (yet still good quality) macro lens that can auto focus and is compatible with a Nikon D60.

 

[Derrel]

Yes, the Phoenix or the Vivitar version of the 100mm f/3.5 lens would easily match the dragonfly shot you show. Slightly contrary to common opinion, a 100mm f/3.5 macro lens is quite easy to manufacture,and even old, cheap tele-macro lenses will produce excellent quality images on an APS-C Nikon. As was pointed out, your D60 will only autofocus with AF-S lenses, or comparable lenses from Sigma or Tamron; your D60 needs a lens with a built-in focus motor in the lens in order to autofocus. However, your D60 is one of the five "baby Nikons" (D40-D40x-D60-D3000-D5000) which will allow basically ANY Nikon-made macro lens to mount to the body, and to focus manually, and to shoot pictures.

Thus means you could buy an old "classic" macro like a 90mm Tamron macro, or a used Nikon 105mm f/4 Micro-Nikkor, or the classic Tokina 90mm, or any number of old Vivitar macro lenses made in the 1970s or 1980s,and the D60 will allow the lens to fit on and shoot. YOU will have to manually focus the lens. But there are zillions of F-mount macro lenses your D60 will accept. And don't be fooled by era or price--some of the old Vivitar macros of the late 1970's are great lenses. The D60 is a great camera for "alt. glass", and something like the Nikon M2 extension tube will give you about the right length of extension tube for a cost of around $10 or so used.

MOST macro work is done in manual focusing mode; a manual focusing macro lens is not really a negative thing. Manual focus macro lenses have long, smooth, wide-arc manual focusing action,and are actually easier to focus accurately than many autofocus macro designs. So, don't think you need to spend a fortune to get a good macro lens for a D60. Look into Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/4 lenses with the PN-1 extension tube for under $200 on eBay for example of a good macro that is affordable.

 

[PatrickHMS]

Noah,

I don't know if you have tried it or not, but I have seen some really nice macro shots taken with the Nikon 18-55mm "kit" lens. They might be in that thread of all D40 shots, not sure, but there are here on TPF somewhere.

Go by what YOU know about that lens, not what others say or write about it. Do YOU believe it to be soft, or is it what you hear others say?

The 18-55mm lens will do much better Macro shots than most people think, especially when stopped down one or two stops. Willing to bet that most people haven't even tried it.

It is cheaply made, but it is surprisingly nice glass and IQ for that kind of money.

 

[Noah212]

Yes, the Phoenix or the Vivitar version of the 100mm f/3.5 lens would easily match the dragonfly shot you show. Slightly contrary to common opinion, a 100mm f/3.5 macro lens is quite easy to manufacture,and even old, cheap tele-macro lenses will produce excellent quality images on an APS-C Nikon. As was pointed out, your D60 will only autofocus with AF-S lenses, or comparable lenses from Sigma or Tamron; your D60 needs a lens with a built-in focus motor in the lens in order to autofocus. However, your D60 is one of the five "baby Nikons" (D40-D40x-D60-D3000-D5000) which will allow basically ANY Nikon-made macro lens to mount to the body, and to focus manually, and to shoot pictures.

Thus means you could buy an old "classic" macro like a 90mm Tamron macro, or a used Nikon 105mm f/4 Micro-Nikkor, or the classic Tokina 90mm, or any number of old Vivitar macro lenses made in the 1970s or 1980s,and the D60 will allow the lens to fit on and shoot. YOU will have to manually focus the lens. But there are zillions of F-mount macro lenses your D60 will accept. And don't be fooled by era or price--some of the old Vivitar macros of the late 1970's are great lenses. The D60 is a great camera for "alt. glass", and something like the Nikon M2 extension tube will give you about the right length of extension tube for a cost of around $10 or so used.

MOST macro work is done in manual focusing mode; a manual focusing macro lens is not really a negative thing. Manual focus macro lenses have long, smooth, wide-arc manual focusing action,and are actually easier to focus accurately than many autofocus macro designs. So, don't think you need to spend a fortune to get a good macro lens for a D60. Look into Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/4 lenses with the PN-1 extension tube for under $200 on eBay for example of a good macro that is affordable.

Thanks so much for all the information. After researching something of the lenses you mentioned, I found this:

Nikon | 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Autofocus Lens | 2166

Does this seem like a good deal? It is auto focusing, and is for a Nikon. It's also a Telephoto lens, which I remember has something to do with macro lenses but I am probably wrong.

Also, will any of the lenses that have been discussed in this thread take shots that have quality as good as these shots? (click link below)

(NOTE: THESE ARE NOT MY PICTURES)
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nature-wildlife/149261-macro-testing-my-new-lens.html

Once again, thanks so much for taking the time to explain all of this to me.

Noah,

I don't know if you have tried it or not, but I have seen some really nice macro shots taken with the Nikon 18-55mm "kit" lens. They might be in that thread of all D40 shots, not sure, but there are here on TPF somewhere.

Go by what YOU know about that lens, not what others say or write about it. Do YOU believe it to be soft, or is it what you hear others say?

The 18-55mm lens will do much better Macro shots than most people think, especially when stopped down one or two stops. Willing to bet that most people haven't even tried it.

It is cheaply made, but it is surprisingly nice glass and IQ for that kind of money.

What are you talking about when you say, "stopped down one or two stops." Thanks.

 

[chip]

Hello Noah,

I have a Nikon 105mm 2.8 VR micro lens. It's the best macro lens I have ever used (including the brand new Canon 100mm 2.8 IS which I just got). So if you really want a quality macro lens for a Nikon camera, the 105mm 2.8 VR micro is the one to buy. I know this from personal experience. The Nikon 105mm is super sharp and its VR works extremely well.

Stepping down means setting the aperture 1-2 F-stops smaller (larger F number)

Chip

 

[Derrel]

The 18-55 and the 55-200 have maximum reproduction ratios of .31 and .35 according to Nikon's literature, meaning 1:3.1 and 1:3.5 or, roughly 1/3 life size for the 18-55, and even less powerful for the 55-200, at 1:35 that's a little bit more powerful than 1:4 or quarter life-size. I do not consider 1/4 life size to be anywhere near "macro" reproduction size.

In short, 1:3.5 is what your 18-55 kit lens can deliver in terms of a close-up image. "Real" macro is considered to be in the 1:1 to 1:2 range by most people, meaning life-sized at 1:1, and half life-size at 1:2.

The use of the term "macro" on most zoom lenses is not really accurate in describing what people think of a "macro lens". Stopping down means closing the aperture down, to a smaller sized opening, like from f/5.6 to f/11--that is "Stopping down" two f/stops.

If you bought the 55-200 lens, you'd need to add a + diopter lens, like a 52mm diameter Canon 500D to it to make it capable of doing "real macro".
So, in short, NO, it's not a good deal if what you want is to be able to do real macro shots. If you want to get really "good" macro shots, the simplest and easiest thing to do is buy a macro lens. "Macro" when used with a zoom lens sales information is, in my opinion, usually not an honest and fair description of what the lens will provide--but,you see, many zoom lenses used to focus only down to 4 feet or even 5 feet, so a "macro" zoom lens that focuses quite a bit closer might be described as a "macro zoom". SO, seriously, forget macro claims on zoom lenses--it's advertising speak,and the quality of images obtained by even very expensive macro zooms is not nearly as high as with a 35-year old $50 manual focus macro lens bought off of eBay.

 

[Noah212]

Hello Noah,

I have a Nikon 105mm 2.8 VR micro lens. It's the best macro lens I have ever used (including the brand new Canon 100mm 2.8 IS which I just got). So if you really want a quality macro lens for a Nikon camera, the 105mm 2.8 VR micro is the one to buy. I know this from personal experience. The Nikon 105mm is super sharp and its VR works extremely well.

Stepping down means setting the aperture 1-2 F-stops smaller (larger F number)

Chip

Thanks. If I could get everyone's opinion on all of these/help me find a link to them, that would be great. Thanks.

- [Sigma Macro 105mm F2.8 EX DG AF Lens for Nikon Mount

- Cambridge World, Item Details: Nikon 105mm f2.8 D Micro-Nikkor Lens

- A link to the Phoenix 100mm f/3.5 AF macro lens (I cannot find any sales links, only review links).

- A link to an ebay sale of a 35 year old Nikon macro lens.