Shooting Insects?

[Super Simple]

I don't mean assassinating politicians... They may be cockroaches, but...

What sort of lens should I look for to shoot insects?

I've tried with my current lens, an AF-S 18~105 mm Nikkor on my D5000, but I can't seem to get close enough and they are invariably blurry by the time I zoom in inside the picture.

The insects are always very small in the picture.

 

[Davor]

What you are looking for is a Macro lens, depending on your budget i can point you in the right direction. Nikon charges most but you will get best quality but the 3rd party lenses are pretty good, i own a Tamron 90mm (old school one) and its real sharp. You will be looking upwards $500+ range for a descent Macro lens and also depending on the focal range you want.

 

[Super Simple]

What you are looking for is a Macro lens, depending on your budget i can point you in the right direction. Nikon charges most but you will get best quality but the 3rd party lenses are pretty good, i own a Tamron 90mm (old school one) and its real sharp. You will be looking upwards $500+ range for a descent Macro lens and also depending on the focal range you want.

Thanks for that. I wasn't expecting them to be so expensive. I may need to start cheap there and work up.

 

[Buckster]

What you are looking for is a Macro lens, depending on your budget i can point you in the right direction. Nikon charges most but you will get best quality but the 3rd party lenses are pretty good, i own a Tamron 90mm (old school one) and its real sharp. You will be looking upwards $500+ range for a descent Macro lens and also depending on the focal range you want.

Thanks for that. I wasn't expecting them to be so expensive. I may need to start cheap there and work up.

On a budget, extension tubes work very well. They'll get you by until you can afford a dedicated quality macro lens. I used them for years before I got a Sigma 180 macro (which rocks).

 

[Super Simple]

On a budget, extension tubes work very well. They'll get you by until you can afford a dedicated quality macro lens. I used them for years before I got a Sigma 180 macro (which rocks).

Extension tubes? I've never heard of them. Thanks for the tip. I'll search and see what I can find.

 

[Hardrock]

On a budget, extension tubes work very well. They'll get you by until you can afford a dedicated quality macro lens. I used them for years before I got a Sigma 180 macro (which rocks).

Extension tubes? I've never heard of them. Thanks for the tip. I'll search and see what I can find.

Spend the extra money on the ones with electrical contacts so you will be able to adjust the aperture. like-these

 

[Buckster]

By the way, the lens (or tubes) is just the beginning.

Next, you'll be looking to get more light onto your tiny subjects, and that's where things get interesting.

 

[lyonsroar]

On a budget, extension tubes work very well. They'll get you by until you can afford a dedicated quality macro lens. I used them for years before I got a Sigma 180 macro (which rocks).

Extension tubes? I've never heard of them. Thanks for the tip. I'll search and see what I can find.

Spend the extra money on the ones with electrical contacts so you will be able to adjust the aperture. like-these

FWIW these have the electrical contacts in them as well...$50
MCAETEOSP Pro Optic Budget Auto Extention Tube Set for Canon EOS SLR Cameras

PS; I'm sure they make a Nikon version...

 

[KVRNut]

I use an inexpensive Sigma 70-300 mm macro with a 2x focal doubler for insect shots. I find that most bugs don't really care much for having a big black mouth hovering over or near them so I try and keep reasonably far away so they don't feel threatened. This is especially true with aggressive stinging insects like wasps and hornets. If I want to get closer, the doubler comes off and out come the extension tubes.

 

[Ron Evers]

You might also consider a Raynox DCR 150 or 250 close up lens that attaches to the end of your kit lens. I used a DCR 150 for this shot.

 

[Super Simple]

Thank you everyone!

So, what I have so far is that there are 3 basic options:

1) A macro lens (expensive, but best option)
2) Extender tubes (inexpensive)
3) Macro lens adapters

I managed to track down the Kenko site, but couldn't find the Pro Optic site:

Kenko International

I'm not sure if that will work on my D5000 though. It says:

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Mount Available for:[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Canon EF/EFS / Nikon-AF / Sony Alpha[/FONT]​

Will it work?

Also, I've seen "zoom" attachments on ebay for cameras. The sound like what you were talking about Ron. Is that right or am I confusing something else?

This is what I mean:

52mm 2.0x Tele-Photo Lens-Nikon D40 D60 D3100 D5000 | eBay

TELE+WIDE+FILTER LENS FOR 52mm Nikon D300S D3000 D5000 | eBay

They seem like the cheapest option. As I'm still unsure, it might be the best way to start, then experiment and move on up. (Do I need a sanity check?)



​

 

[scorpion_tyr]

If you have the software, and the know-how, here's what I do: I use magnifying adapters. Basically like filters that screw onto your lens. You'll loose a lot of light and the depth of field will be VERY shallow, but it'll let you get real close to little insects. Find a bug that will sit still for a while (that's the hardest part) and stabilize your camera on a tripod, and if you have one, use a remote, set up your shot and start at one end of the bug and take a shot, then adjust the focus manually just a hair so the next couple of mm's of the bug are in focus, shoot, and repeat until you have 10-50 shots of the bug, each shot with only a sliver being in focus. Then, if you have the software, merge the focused parts of the shots all together and then you'll have an up close shot of a bug all in focus Happy Shooting.

 

[Super Simple]

If you have the software, and the know-how, here's what I do: I use magnifying adapters. Basically like filters that screw onto your lens. You'll loose a lot of light and the depth of field will be VERY shallow, but it'll let you get real close to little insects. Find a bug that will sit still for a while (that's the hardest part) and stabilize your camera on a tripod, and if you have one, use a remote, set up your shot and start at one end of the bug and take a shot, then adjust the focus manually just a hair so the next couple of mm's of the bug are in focus, shoot, and repeat until you have 10-50 shots of the bug, each shot with only a sliver being in focus. Then, if you have the software, merge the focused parts of the shots all together and then you'll have an up close shot of a bug all in focus Happy Shooting.

That's a lot of work! I can certainly do it as I'm more than skilled enough in Photoshop. But, I think I'd rather go an easier route.

I suppose then that the filters you get on ebay aren't what I'm looking for. That puts me one step closer to a decision.

Thanks!

 

[Ron Evers]

Not what you linked.

This is the clip-on lens I use:

Raynox DCR 150 | eBay


The Raynox 150 or 250 are well respected.

I would avoid the 2x, 4x, 8x type filters as they are not very good.

 

[Super Simple]

Not what you linked.

This is the clip-on lens I use:

Raynox DCR 150 | eBay


The Raynox 150 or 250 are well respected.

I would avoid the 2x, 4x, 8x type filters as they are not very good.

Got it! Thanks. I was wondering about that stuff...