Toronto Photography Meetup Group

Can anyone recommend a good nikon mount macro lens?

I'm not too concerned with getting a shallow depth of field.
For my purposes I want everything in the photo to be really sharp.

the 105vr is very nice. good for portraits too.

Thanks Hongr, I'll have a look at that one.

I will be photographing miniscule parts such as tiny screws and such.
Will this work well for very close up details?

From understanding the 105 VR is a macro lens with 1:1 capabilities

What do you guys think of this one?
Sigma 50mm f2.8 EX Macro 1:1 Lens

I know you get what you pay for but $800 might be a little out of my budget right now.

if money is a problem then buy used lol get tamron 90 di for around $350 to $400 or even the older SP around $250 is also very good

Thanks for the suggestions. Sounds like the right price range.
Do you think it's important to get a prime or zoom?
I will be shooting on a tripod.

I had this for my D300 (thanks to mawz) and liked it alot. (ended up selling it to fund other stuff.

The only thing is at 1:1 there's very little working space for lighting, but quality wise it was excellent!

I'm currently thinking about purchasing the tamron 90mm for macro.

Get a macro lens and then the raynox extender...

Produces more than 1:1

Thanks guys. Great suggestions!

+1 for the 105 macro .... gorgeous lens and great bokeh too!
Yes, 1:1 also ...

second that. you will be pleasantly surprised by the difference. keep in mind that the snap-on universal mount is suitable for 52mm to 67mm filter size.

Nikon 55mm f2.8 AIS has been outstanding for me, been using it for years now.

I have it too. But at 55mm, you need to get quite close to the subject. 105 gives you a little more room in case there are things in the way.

My observations on macro/closeup photography:

- Don't stay ignorant:
http://www.amazon.ca/Understanding-Clos ... 195&sr=8-1

- Pretty much all macro lenses are pretty highly regarded. It's hard to go wrong with any of them.

- The crop factor is a factor with macro lenses. You can get up to 1:1.5 unassisted.

- Macro distances shorten your depth of field, so you're right not to be concerned. That means that you need to stop down a lot, which also means that a tripod or other stabilization is a must.

- If you're doing something as small as screws, then I would think you need to look at going more than 1:1.5. The best solution for that is probably extension rings or bellows since they're optically neutral. You're also losing light and quite probably metering, but at least there is no extra glass in your way. I haven't tried them, but they have been recommended to me.

- Last time I tried this, I quickly came up with $90 worth of stuff I could not afford at the time. It may be worth having a look again: http://www.linkdelight.com

I suggest the Voigtlander 125mm APO Lanthar f2.5 in Nikon mount if you don't mind manual focusing.

This is obviously the place to ask!
Thanks for the great suggestions and book suggestion ofermod. I think I'll pick that up.

Fairly comprehensive, if not a lot of exotica: http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_spec.html

Also read all of: http://www.bythom.com/105AFSlens.htm

personally speaking... I have the 60mm f/2.8 Micro lens, and I'd rather have the 105mm VR instead.

I have been on and off the fence about selling my 60mm for sometime now. I had it listed, but I never sold it.

I use Tamron 90mm Macro DI and these are the pictures that I took with this lens. I also at one sometimes two set of kenko extension tube plus Raynox DSC 250 in order to increase the magnification. the highest magnification for setting is around x4.5


http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u189 ... ong/Macro/

I would love to get my hands on one of those, even if just to touch it for a moment but the version in Minolta/Sony mount is ~1400 bucks secondhand on account of rarity.

The Tamron is very highly regarded on all the forums I have read

But Nikon has a new model out - that is cheaper than the 105VR

It is the 85mm f3.5

I will be keeping this lens in mind, as I think it will be a great macro (micro) and portrait lens

I use the Tamrom 90mm manual lens...

Cheaper, yes. But also consider that the new 85 is a DX lens.
I also thought that the trend for portrait lenses was for wider apertures --I'm not sold on the f/3.5. My macro lens (Sigma 105) doubles as a fast short telephoto so I do appreciate having the f/2.8 available. For portrait situations, I stand back a little farther... or use my film body.

I used to have the Tamron 90mm lens. Great lens. Sharp, great contrast and bokeh.I liked the AF/MF push/pull clutch override. What I didn't like about it was that AF was very slow and noisy and the front element extended and retracted when it focused so the odd time you can potentially bump the front barrel when doing macro work.

I am not sold on the 85mm Nikkor either. Strange move from Nikon indeed... I'd rather get a 105VR.