Which Lens

[KenC]

The subjects you label "macro stuff" aren't all macro. Bugs yes, but the others can be done with a normal lens. A 50/1.8 is a good bargain, acts like a short telephoto on an APS-C sensor (1.6 mag. factor), and so is good for portraits of people and animals, and has some additional speed for low light. I don't know the D300, as I have Canon equipment, but if you bought it in 2008, odds are a newer SLR would have better high-ISO quality, which would make it much easier to get indoor shots. Back to close-ups, it is also possible to use the 50 with an extension tube and get macro shots that way (I hope you have a tripod).