she want to shoot macro

I have a question about extension tubes... so you can only manual focus with these? (not a problem). But do Nikon G (gelded ) lenses work with these? Since G lenses don't have an aperture ring, will extension tubes not work on G lenses?

I think the ones with the contacts abvertise AF as being useful, but IME all my lenses do is "hunt" for the focus point so I end up MF'ing it anyway.


Yes, that was my point. I only use manual focus anyway...
 
ok which do you all think would be better for the macro work:
the kenko extension tubes for 132 or a used but excellent condition no haze no fungus Nikon AF Nikkor 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens for 198

she doesn't need an entirely new lens but i heard that one can do macro. Do you think the macro work on that Nikon AF Nikkor would be worth the extra $66? or better to just go with extension tubes in mean time until we can save up for a dedicated/better macro lens?
 
ok which do you all think would be better for the macro work:
the kenko extension tubes for 132 or a used but excellent condition no haze no fungus Nikon AF Nikkor 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens for 198

she doesn't need an entirely new lens but i heard that one can do macro. Do you think the macro work on that Nikon AF Nikkor would be worth the extra $66? or better to just go with extension tubes in mean time until we can save up for a dedicated/better macro lens?

Unless I'm mistaken...the 75-300 won't do macro....unless I'm thinking of the newer 70-300.
 
ok which do you all think would be better for the macro work:
the kenko extension tubes for 132 or a used but excellent condition no haze no fungus Nikon AF Nikkor 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens for 198

she doesn't need an entirely new lens but i heard that one can do macro. Do you think the macro work on that Nikon AF Nikkor would be worth the extra $66? or better to just go with extension tubes in mean time until we can save up for a dedicated/better macro lens?

I'd be careful buying used, since it won't be possible to return as a gift. Do you know what kind of camera she has? Older AF lenses won't autofocus with some entry-level camera bodies. If you buy her something new and she doesn't like she could always return it and get something else.
 
Its really hard to suggest what would be the best decision because it really depends on her shooting style.
If she is looking to take pictures of flowers, a telephoto lens will work best and can be used for regular photography, meanwhile an extension tube will only work for macro photography allowing the user to focus closer; this works very well for small bug size objects.

Ask her questions as if you are interested in macro photography as well and would like to understand more about this (it doesn't hurt regardless) and see what she wants. I think this is a great topic, not to mention the extra points you will get for being interested in her hobby...

It would be a waste of $ if you get extension tubes but she really wanted a telephoto lens which can focus at a close distance or if you get her a lens but she really wanted a specific lens or tubes instead. Keep in mind someone who knows and is into photography will want certain and specific accessories/lens and for someone who's not into photography all this sounds foreign and doesn't make much sense.

For example, I like sport cars and have always changed and upgraded parts/accessories/electronics into my cars and a girl which I was seeing at the time bought me a really nice and expensive pair of "fuzzy dice" with the intention of hanging them from my mirror because she though it would be the right present... In reality I despise anything dangling in my cars and wound never ever have anything hanging from the mirror...
The result is the expensive pair of fuzzy dice became an expensive toy for my dog and have never made it on my mirror. Now if she spent the $100 on a gift card to a car store, I might have gotten a radar detector instead and actually make use of it.

My advice on the matter is to do your homework and see what she wants, and if you cant figure it out then go with a lens as it is more versatile and it can be replaced with other equipment assuming its bought from a camera store and within the return policy limits.
 
In your budget, I'd suggest an older nikon manual focus macro lens and a manual extension tube--the nikon 105mm f4 micro nikkor ais specifically (the 2.8 version may be out of your budget once you add the tubes). You won't have auto-focus, but MF is preferable with macro anyway. With the d90 you also won't have metering, you'll have to shoot in "M" mode and select your exposure by trial and error (a lot easier then it sounds).

I use the 105mm f4 micro for all my macro work and have no desire to "upgrade."

Something like this:
330540497086
330540497086
Nikon Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/4 Ai lens w/Nikon lens caps | eBay

with something like this: Nikon PK-13 Extension Ring - Excellent +++++ - eBay (item 270720665983 end time Mar-22-11 14:45:40 PDT)

The extension tube is optional. The lens will already focus really close by itself, but the extension tube allows it to focus even closer. Just make sure whatever extension tube you buy has an aperture coupling--the nikon pk-13 does, as do some of the older third party models--most of the cheapo new 3rd party manual tubes don't have an aperture coupling, which makes them very hard to use.

The aperture coupling is evident by the little black tab sticking out of the right side of the camera mount:

IMG_843611192010.jpg
 
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^is that aperture coupling only applicable to Nikon? BEcause the extension tubes I have don't have it and I can still adjust the aperture.
 
image removed from quote...

This could not have possibly been taken with an 18-55mm and only a 12mm extension tube.


Why not?

I have an image I just took of a tape measure, taken with 12mm of extension tube with the kit lens at 55mm, which shows about 2.5cm across the screen. That's nigh on 1:1 macro. This fella could easily be 1cm wide, couldn't he?


I think it is a dragonfly & it would not be 1 cm across BUT the pic could well be cropped.
 
This could not have possibly been taken with an 18-55mm and only a 12mm extension tube.


Why not?

I have an image I just took of a tape measure, taken with 12mm of extension tube with the kit lens at 55mm, which shows about 2.5cm across the screen. That's nigh on 1:1 macro. This fella could easily be 1cm wide, couldn't he?


I think it is a dragonfly & it would not be 1 cm across BUT the pic could well be cropped.

Yes, it could be. :)
 
If you decide to purchase a macro for your gf, try hunting eBay, craigslist, kijiji, whatever, for either Kiron or Lester Dine manual focus macros. I purchased a Lester Dine 105mm f2 macro for just under $200 on ebay, and it's the sharpest lens in my kit... better than my 85 1.4 at any aperature... Plus, they look really slick and retro...

Good luck...

Paul
 

This could not have possibly been taken with an 18-55mm and only a 12mm extension tube.

Yup, it was taken with that setup and the dragonfly is alive. It was sitting on my daughters seat in her van. She opened the door and screamed lol. I went and looked to see what was going on and i said don't move it, i'm going to get my camera which was nearby and grabbed a few shots and getting closer to it with each shot. It flew away almost at the same instant as i took this shot.
 
ok she is very keen on macro photography she really want to shoot more insects and flowers. telephoto is the lens she wants last. and before that she wants a wide angle lens. but macro first of all. she said a macro costs 600 dollars. i told her we could save up and would get all these eventually. i want to get her something to use in the mean time though and right now am leaning towards the kenko extension tubes
i was able to do some recon work and i found out she currently has a standard zoom lens 18-105mm. after doing some research i believe it to be this one: Amazon.com: Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR ED Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo
she also has what she described as a special lens for doing portraits
does this change anything?
 
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hey man that dragon fly is a really impressive shot!
 
ok she is very keen on macro photography she really want to shoot more insects and flowers. telephoto is the lens she wants last. and before that she wants a wide angle lens. but macro first of all. she said a macro costs 600 dollars. i told her we could save up and would get all these eventually. i want to get her something to use in the mean time though and right now am leaning towards the kenko extension tubes
i was able to do some recon work and i found out she currently has a standard zoom lens 18-105mm. after doing some research i believe it to be this one: Amazon.com: Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR ED Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo
she also has what she described as a special lens for doing portraits
does this change anything?


Get her the Kenko extension tubes and also keep in mind light is very crucial for macro shots along with tripod and remote shutter. Can get by without but it can be tough at times.

The kit lens she has is a starter and gives a broad range of zoom but in reality is a pretty crappy lens. Here is a review on that lens.
 
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