What camera should I get?

[CalicoKitties]

Okay, I need some help. Every time I try to read about which camera to get, I find a million different answers. (Plus, I'm extremely new to photography; I've only really used my iPhone to take pictures... so I still don't know what half of the photography terms mean. Yikes.. Talk about overwhelming.)
Anyway, I'm sure this has been asked plenty of times before, but my question is this: What is the best DSLR camera for a beginner to get for macro photography? Also, what macro lens should I get for it?
I'll probably use it to take pics of other things, too, of course, but I mainly want to use it for macro photography. Pictures of things like flowers, mosses, little bugs, etc. (Especially bugs!)

Any advice is greatly appreciated.. Not sure if I posted this in the right place, either, lol.

 

[Raj_55555]

Welcome to TPF Calico

You don't need a specialized camera for your macro work, all you need is a basic DSLR and a macro lens. Google for extension tubes, they are a cheap way to begin macro work if you can't get a proper macro lens for now. Look at this link for some basics.

For a camera, depending on your budget, I'd advise you to get either a D3300/D5200/D5300, saving enough money for that lens of course. I'm sure some of our specialized macro photographers will comment further, you can also send a private message to "orionmystery" for some tips he does a lot of macro work.

 

[goodguy]

For Macro any DSLR will do, what you need is macro lens to work with this body.
For a beginer I would recommend Nikon D3200 or D300 or if you have more cash then D5200 or D5300
For macro lenses you have few choices.
If you are tight on cash you have Nikon 40mm Macro lens which is a DX lens and will do the job but you will need to get very close to the bugs which might run away, next is the Nikon 60mm Macro, you get more distance from the bug and I have this lens and is totally in love with it, it is amazing but more expensive then the 40mm, next is the Nikon 105mm Macro which is expensive but the best of the bunch.
Another advantage the 40mm and 60mm has over the 105mm is that these are good general use lenses while the 105mm is very focused at macro and I think will make a good portrait lens too but not a good general use lens.
There are third party lenses which are cheaper but I know little about them.

 

[goodguy]

Sorry I meant D3300 and not D300

 

[robbins.photo]

Okay, I need some help. Every time I try to read about which camera to get, I find a million different answers. (Plus, I'm extremely new to photography; I've only really used my iPhone to take pictures... so I still don't know what half of the photography terms mean. Yikes.. Talk about overwhelming.)
Anyway, I'm sure this has been asked plenty of times before, but my question is this: What is the best DSLR camera for a beginner to get for macro photography? Also, what macro lens should I get for it?
I'll probably use it to take pics of other things, too, of course, but I mainly want to use it for macro photography. Pictures of things like flowers, mosses, little bugs, etc. (Especially bugs!)

Any advice is greatly appreciated.. Not sure if I posted this in the right place, either, lol.

Well for a body depending on your budget you might want to see about getting a used or refurbished D5200. The reason I'd recommend the 5200 over the 3300 or 3200 is that it does have a flip out, rotating screen which makes shooting things at odd angles quite a bit easier. The 3200/3300 would still do a respectable job overall but it doesn't have the flip out screen.

As for lenses, this is a pretty good article that explains some of the various macro lenses available for Nikon:

Best macro lens for Nikons: 8 tested | News | TechRadar

 

[hamlet]

Ideally with no specific budget, i would highly recommend the d4s camera, the Nikon 105mm f/2.8 VR for macro photography and the nikon 58mm 1.4g for general photography.

But the advice above is also good.

 

[goodguy]

Ideally with no specific budget, i would highly recommend the d4s camera, the Nikon 105mm f/2.8 VR for macro photography and the nikon 58mm 1.4g for general photography.

But the advice above is also good.

LOL, I like your better but I think the D810 would be enough for me

 

[Derrel]

Get a Nikon D3200 or D5200 and a Tamron 90mm AF-SP macro lens. Buy the lens USED from KEH.com. Macro lenses are very often bought, used a bit, then traded in, so buy it used. KEH.com is the USA's largest used camera and lens dealer.

 

[Solarflare]

Ah, macro.

You can get quite a lot of gear for propper macro work with a DSLR, depending on what exactly you want to shoot.



The most popular macro lens is AFAIK the Tamron 90mm VC, even if the Sigma 105mm *insert-whatever-shortcut-Sigma-has-for-image-stabilization-I-just-cant-remember-right-now* is also quite popular, and of course some people buy the Nikon original 105mm VR, oh, but really optically its not actually better, just more expensive. They are all f2.8, in case you wonder.

These are great general lenses for any macro work. They give you good working distance for photographing insects, and they give you image stabilization for shooting macro handheld.



Then again maybe you rather want to shoot less moveable subjects, with a tripod. Then you can get cheaper macro lenses, like the already mentioned 40mm DX. Theres also an AF-S 60mm f2.8 micro thats basically the same, but would also be useable on full frame lenses.

With such a lens, you get less working distance, and you'll often end up being in the way of your own light.




A major proble with macro is that for getting any depth of field, you need to close your aperture to the maximum, i.e. 1/22 or 1/32 or some such, which means there wont be much light to work with. Thats why for macro work, ring flashes are popular. They are monted at the front of the lens, so the lens is never in the way of the light and your subject is always nicely lightened. This is of course especially important if you work with a macro lens with a short working distance.



Of course maybe you budget is limited. Then I would advise to get the AF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 VR kitzoom. It already offers 1:3.2 macro. Its not as good as 1:1 macro, but it will already be enough for larger subjects. Though maximum magnification is at the wide end, thus no working distance for insects whatsoever unless you keep the camera at a fixed point and wait for the insect to get in front of the lens by chance.



About camera - yes getting a camera with a flipscreen, i.e. Nikon D5100/D5200/D5300, might be a good decision for you. Then again, I'm a huge fan of flipscreens in general anyway.

 

[Overread]

A few additional thoughts:

1) There is no ideal DSLR for this kind of work - basically any DSLR on the current market from any of the leading market options will do what you need it to do and do it well. The key area is going to be lens (most major manufacturers have own brand and 3rd party options) and the lighitng - the camera is just recording.

2) If you REALLY like macro I would suggest going with Canon. I suggest this for one reason - the Canon MPE 65mm f2.8 macro lens. It's a unique lens and the only one of its kind, it works from 1:1 magnification up to 5:1 magnification.

As a point of comparison the rest of the macro lenses get to 1:1 magnification at their greatest. 5 times life size is very tricky to work with, but very rewarding when you're starting to be able to get photos of things like springtails or focusing close enough to see the hairs on the segmented eyes of insects.

There ARE other ways to get these kinds of magnification (and some are superior to the MPE); so by all means other brand cameras can do it to; its just somewhat easier with a dedicated lens in the Canon line.

Note that I do not recommend you start with the MPE, its a very limiting lens in some respects (it starts at 1:1 and thus anything more than a few cm from its front can't be focused upon).

3) What's your total budget - as I mentioned above, macro isn't just about the camera, its about the lens and the lighting and the camera. So an idea of what your total budget to work with is will help - might be that with a few adjustments you could get a really strong setup that will set you up well; rather than sinking all your money into one single part and having weaker elements in the other areas.

 

[CalicoKitties]

Thank you very much for the info & suggestions, everybody! Sorry for responding a bit late; the past few days have been busy for me.

Anyways, I don't really have a certain budget point right now. Just as long as it isn't way overpriced or anything. I think I'll go with the Nikon D5200; it seems like a popular choice & looks like a great camera.
Thanks again!

 

[astroNikon]

... as long as it isn't way overpriced or anything. ..

way overpriced is relative ... your in a camera forum. Spending $3,000 on a camera body isn't overpriced compared to a $6,000 camera.

So understanding a total budget helps as there isn't just the camera itself, but a lens, memory card(s), maybe a tripod, remote release, camera bag etc that you have to think about spending money on.

And when you buy a camera don't buy a filter with it if a salesman tries to sell you one.

 

[CalicoKitties]

... as long as it isn't way overpriced or anything. ..

way overpriced is relative ... your in a camera forum. Spending $3,000 on a camera body isn't overpriced compared to a $6,000 camera.

So understanding a total budget helps as there isn't just the camera itself, but a lens, memory card(s), maybe a tripod, remote release, camera bag etc that you have to think about spending money on.

And when you buy a camera don't buy a filter with it if a salesman tries to sell you one.

What's a filter?
As for the budget.. I understand; my general total budget is about $2,500.

 

[CalicoKitties]

Oh yeah, another question to ask: what about the Nikon D7100? Just curious as to why nobody mentioned that one; I know it's probably a bit more advanced, but I think I could get the hang of it.

 

[astroNikon]

Oh yeah, another question to ask: what about the Nikon D7100? Just curious as to why nobody mentioned that one; I know it's probably a bit more advanced, but I think I could get the hang of it.

Most of the time people transitioning from an iPhone to a camera does NOT have a $2,500 budget. More like $300-500. Thus the reason a budget is always key in identifying what camera to move into, plus lens(es),, etc.

I have a d7000 and I love it, and the d7100 is even better.

Most of the time people may buy an entry level camera to find out if they like photography or not.
But there's a BIG difference in user interaction between the d3x00 and d5x00 series cameras and the d7x00 and above cameras. To me I probably would have been driven nuts by the lower systems.

A filter is something normally screwed on the front of the lens to offer some light changing effect.
Cheap filters (often sold by retail places, big box stores, etc) often have a negative light & photo quality changing effect.