Macro lens recommendation for Nikon D70
Hi Everyone,
First time poster here, so here's a little introduction: my name is Justin, and I'm a recent college graduate who has been into photography for just about 2 years now. I'm getting more into it now that school doesn't monopolize my time, so I'm looking forward to gleaning some knowledge from everyone here at Digital Grin. It's good to be here.
Question: What macro lens would you recommend for a Nikon D70 for under $300? Currently I only have the stock lens that came with the camera, and I've decided that macro is the next avenue I'd like to explore.
Thanks in advance for your input!
First time poster here, so here's a little introduction: my name is Justin, and I'm a recent college graduate who has been into photography for just about 2 years now. I'm getting more into it now that school doesn't monopolize my time, so I'm looking forward to gleaning some knowledge from everyone here at Digital Grin. It's good to be here.
Question: What macro lens would you recommend for a Nikon D70 for under $300? Currently I only have the stock lens that came with the camera, and I've decided that macro is the next avenue I'd like to explore.
Thanks in advance for your input!
0
Comments
My preference is a focal length of 90-200mm to give greater working length and more room for lighting placement. A lens of 90-100mm can also be a pretty good portrait lens.
$300 is not an awful lot of funding for a quality lens, so you might have to add a bit more for an "ideal" lens (or purchase "used").
Lenses close to that price might be:
Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG
Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di
Tokina AT-X 100mm f/2.8 PRO D
The only Nikon lens close to that price range is the:
Nikon 60mm f/2.8D Micro-Nikkor
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Heres what I did ,I checked all the camera stores that carried used equipment ,till I found a non ais 55mm m/f micro for 2 hundred.
You might want ais for the metering but as for a/f you wont need it.
another choice is buy the 55mm1.8 and a 32mm ext tube this will give you about 1.5:1 .
There is a 100mm macro for sale in Henry's they (ship) http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/henrys/index.jsp
I cant remember the brand but,i was told its a optically good lens.
You can look on their site for it but its best to call ,They have about 6 used micros at the moment all in your price range.
Regards Dave.
http://DavidRodgers.naturescapes.net.
http://DavidRodgers.smugmug.com
Ziggy, what would be your "ideal" macro lens?
In the Nikon world, my ideal macro lens would probably be the 200mm f/4D ED-IF AF Micro Nikkor. I would appreciate the extra working distance that lens provides as well as the incredible build quality. At $1300+ USD it is one of the premier macro optics on the planet.
Some samples:
http://www.pbase.com/cameras/nikon/200_4d_micro
A more versatile lens, and quite a bit more affordable, is the 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor. This is a relatively new entry but gets very high marks as both a hand-holdable macro lens and general purpose portrait lens. If I was shooting Nikon I think it would be a "must have" lens.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
really shine in its price range (350-400€). You can find them
used for a little less though.
If you care, you can read a review of these lenses here:
Tamron 90mm/2.8
http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/tamron_90_28_nikon/index.htm
Tokina 100mm/2.8
http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/tokina_100_28/index.htm
Sigma 105mm/2.8
http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/sigma_105_28_nikon/index.htm
The main difference is handling and build quality. Opticaly they
are similary very good.
― Edward Weston