Macro lens - which one?

[simpo two]

One area I'm not well sorted for is macro. I have a manual set-up which is very good, but if you put anything manual on a D70 it says 'You must be joking mate, I'm not working with that'.

Neither the 18-70 or 75-300 get anywhere close (pun intended) - so I'm looking at the Nikkor 60mm or maybe 105mm 'Micro' lenses - though 105mm = 160mm which might be too long. Which is better?

Or maybe a good indy brand like Sigma would do just as well... what do you use?

[FunkyNige]

I use (who am I kidding, it's what came with the camera) macro filters (close 2,3 and 4) on the end of a 105-300 lens. I'll post some results up once I can upload to my website or get a fotango account.

[beano500]

simpo two said:

what do you use?

PK-13 extension tube.

Wot, no manual facility on the D-series???

[simpo two]

beano500 said:

Wot, no manual facility on the D-series???

The camera has a Manual setting as you'd expect, but what I meant was that if you put a manual lens on it (ie old fashioned clockwork one with no connections for AF or distance) the camera is somewhat blind. So it works, but it's VERY manual - like no metering! You can always check the LCD screen and correct your guess accordingly, but AF and exposure would make life much easier and faster.

Anyone have any experiences of the Sigma 105mm f2.8 EX?

[s a m]

Just stick a macro lens on the end, seams to work well on my D70... brings you twice as close and it can focus.

[simpo two]

s a m said:

Just stick a macro lens on the end, seams to work well on my D70... brings you twice as close and it can focus.

[beano500]

Dragging this thread off on an undeserved tangent but....

Have you noticed that they use Nikons on CSI?

Speed (Miami) or Warwick (Vegas) are always using a ring flash - I though at first that's on one of those "medical" Nikors (I bet they're impressive lenses to work with). But I realise it's now an SB29S. I wonder if they're using a Micro Nikkor?

And back again....


What I have heard about the Sigma is all good. From all accounts I think it performs very good as a standard lens - useful if you're looking for a short tele or a portrait lens.

Depending on how much macro you're going to do (and just whether you need 1:1 reproductionor just a closer focus), have you considered a cheaper alternative of a close up filter/lens? Just a thought.

[srider]

simpo two said:

beano500 said: Wot, no manual facility on the D-series??? The camera has a Manual setting as you'd expect, but what I meant was that if you put a manual lens on it (ie old fashioned clockwork one with no connections for AF or distance) the camera is somewhat blind. So it works, but it's VERY manual - like no metering! You can always check the LCD screen and correct your guess accordingly, but AF and exposure would make life much easier and faster. Anyone have any experiences of the Sigma 105mm f2.8 EX?

I had the Sigma 105mm on a Canon body. Optically stunning, but AF is slow, and lens extends a lot. Also switching from AF to MF is a 2 stage process, switch and move focus ring.

Apparently the Tamron 90mm is worth a look too.

[dcw@pr]

Tamron 90mm every time

[simpo two]

Thanks for the info: it's gone over my limit now so this it what it was like:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=3845217176&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

I think the new version retails at about £230 so it seems silly to bid over £200 for the old one...

I don't want to use a close-up lens as I keep a UV on the front and that might mess up the quality. I see them as a compromise cheapo answer - but I may be wrong? After all, if it was that easy, they'd never sell an macro lenses!