Which lens do I buy?

[elegantlywasted]

Hi guys,

I'm a hobbyist photographer looking into buying a macro lens. I shoot with a Nikon D80. I am on a slightly limited budget, is there anything you can recommend?

 

[Phranquey]

How limited is "slightly"? Give us a number to work with, here.

 

[twb]

Check out the Kenko 420-800mm Super Telephoto Zoom Lens

 

[elegantlywasted]

A limit, preferably not more than 500-600 dollars.

But less is always better

 

[Overread]

Well that puts the Nikon 100mm macro out of your price range - however there is the Sigma 105mm macro ($470) and the Tamron 90mm macro ($450) which would both fit into your price range. Both will give you very good image quality (infact image quality between the macro prime lenses is very high for all of them and there is very little difference between the lenses or brands that would be noticable outside of a full studio testing setup).

They are also both of a good focal length for working with insects (since longer focal lengths give a longe distance between the subject and the camera and thus less chance of spooking the subject). They are also both fullframe compatable lenses - an important consideration if you ever want to move to using a fullframe camera body.

There is also the Tamron 60mm which whilst it is a shorter focal length it does infact have a working distance (lens to subject distance) similar to that of a 100mm macro lens. It also has the other neat feature of internal focusing which means that the lens remains the same size as you focus - the front will not move in and out unlike the other offerings. Its price is higher (amazon only shows the sony mount price at $569) but might be worth considering. Its downside is that it is only comptable with crop sensor cameras and will not work on a fullframe camera option.


If you have no interest in insects and such work you could save more money by opting for a nikon 60mm macro or sigma 70mm macro lens - each has a shorter working distance, but both are full frame compatable options (least I think the 60mm is - the 70mm certainly is, but a nikon shooter will have to confirm the 60mm).#


Again sharpness and image quality through all these lenses is going to be very similar.

 

[Derrel]

Tokina | 100mm f/2.8 AT-X M100 AF Pro D Macro | ATXAF100PRON

$399, will autofocus focus on your D80, good optics, fair price.

 

[Overread]

You know I totaly keep forgetting that Tokina even exist - much less that they make a good macro lens! Is the D80 one of those nikon cameras with the odd AF problems? If so would any of the lenses I listed have AF problems on the D80?

 

[Derrel]

No, the Nikon D80 has an in-body autofocus motor, since the D80 was not an entry-level or economy model Nikon body. The D70 and D80 and D90 will autofocus with ALL the AF Nikkor lenses,and with ALL AF lenses made by Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, Quantary, Vivitar, Phoenix,etc. if the OP is on a really tight budget, the older 100mm f/3.5 Phoenix macro in Nikon mount is an option, probably available used or new-old-stock for $100 N-O-S, $80 used.

And yes, the Tokina 100mm AT-X Macro is often overlooked, even though the company was founded many years ago by a group of former Nikon engineers and employees. Tokina lenses typically have the more neutral color cast that Nikkor lenses have, so Tokina lenses mix better with Nikkor lenses than say Sigma lenses do; Sigma lenses have a warmer color balance than Nikkor lenses do.

 

[Phranquey]

Nikon is not out of your budget if you do some careful shopping...

Here is one of the iterations of the Nikon 105mm f/2.8, which is considered one of the best macros out there.....I just pulled this one out at random.

Nikon AF MICRO Nikkor 105mm 2.8 lens USED D300 D700 D3 - eBay (item 390144377444 end time Jan-23-10 19:13:32 PST)

I picked mine up for $375.

 

[Noah212]

Just to show you guys what Derrel was talking about, here's a picture of the D80's in-body autofocus motor and the D40's, D40x's, and D60's lack of one.

Note: This is not my own creation.

 

[grafxman]

Perhaps you should consider this:

Kenko | Auto Extension Tube Set DG for Nikon Lens | AEXTUBEDGN

Also close up filters may be an option, all for a lot less money than another lens.