SLR "Macro" Lenses

Tony

Tony

Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
So I spent a bit of time today researching lenses for the D80 (http://digital-photography-school.com/). From what I've seen, you want something with a short focal length and a small aperture (for higher light/short depth of field).

There sure are a lot of lenses out there that fit these criteria at a wide range of prices.

In an old thread that Jumbie started, two of our photogs gave these responses regarding lens selection:

iamzrad said:
A 18-50mm or 24-70mm (macro) lens is a good lens for taking fish pics.
Click to expand...

maddog10 said:
For fish photos the D90, Nikon 60mm micro and remote flash will be just fine.

I also have a 24-70/2.8 and 70-200/2.8 in my bag.
Click to expand...


So how do these three (Phil's two listed and Mike's first one) compare to each other?

-18-50mm
-24-70mm (macro) - Is the lens above also "macro?"
-60mm micro (micro = macro in Nikon jargon) - this is a "prime" lens right? ie: no zoom?
-Mike, your other two are more general purpose/non-fish, no?

Generally speaking, what is the focal range which qualifies a lens as "macro"? Is any lens with a focal range below.. say 60, considered a macro lens/capable of taking macro shots?

What makes a macro lens a macro lens? What kind of aperture ranges are we talking about here?

Does the low-end of the ranges above mean that you will have to position the camera an inch from the glass?


Is this lens considered macro lens? It seems to fall into the aperture and focal numbers mentioned above. It's listed as a portrait/general purpose lens and lists the closest focusing to be 1.5 feet.

Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005LEN4/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000V43FPW&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1YA900N3S7X3JWK2AJDX )


Generally speaking, are these lenses capable of taking very small shots (new fry or insects) up to full adult fish?

Thanks in advance, sorry for all the questions. Not a total shot in the dark; I did try to research it first, really! :)
 
mscichlid

mscichlid

Founder
If a lens does not say it's macro or 'micro' it ain't. The 50mm is a good general lens that is the closest to what the human eye sees.

The macro lens projects an image on the "film plane" (i.e., film or a digital sensor) that is close to the same size as the subject or smaller. ... Usually the 105mm (smaller fish) or 60mm (larger fish) were considered the better macro lenses because they are prime lenses. However, people are using anything these days.

A macro zoom lens is typically cheaper, but you lose quality at each end; the longest and shortest focal length of the particular lense.

Shooting fish or insects calls for using an aperature in the ranges of f8, f11, f16. With these small aperatures, you will need more light.

Read this for a synopsis of what a macro lens is or is not. http://lowendmac.com/digigraphica/35mm/lenses/macro.shtml

http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Optical/Macro_01.htm

http://photo.net/learn/macro/

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d700/lenses.htm#macro

http://www.bythom.com/rationallenses.htm
 
Tony

Tony

Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
Spine said:
:DI like the 60mm:D
Click to expand...

hmmmmm....

mscichlid said:
If a lens does not say it's macro or 'micro' it ain't. The 50mm is a good general lens that is the closest to what the human eye sees.

The macro lens projects an image on the "film plane" (i.e., film or a digital sensor) that is close to the same size as the subject or smaller. ... Usually the 105mm (smaller fish) or 60mm (larger fish) were considered the better macro lenses because they are prime lenses. However, people are using anything these days.

A macro zoom lens is typically cheaper, but you lose quality at each end; the longest and shortest focal length of the particular lense.

Shooting fish or insects calls for using an aperature in the ranges of f8, f11, f16. With these small aperatures, you will need more light.

Read this for a synopsis of what a macro lens is or is not. http://lowendmac.com/digigraphica/35mm/lenses/macro.shtml

http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Optical/Macro_01.htm

http://photo.net/learn/macro/

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d700/lenses.htm#macro

http://www.bythom.com/rationallenses.htm
Click to expand...

Thanks Franny for the explanation and the links. I'll read up a bit today when I get a chance and probably have more questions. :)

You guys rock!
 
Tony

Tony

Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
Still absorbing some info from the links, but wanted to confirm one thing. Ebay has some good deals on the older lens styles: AI (Auto-indexing), AI-S, etc. The autofocusing lenses tend to be more expensive (as they should be).

This is a no-brainer, right? Spend a little more and go with the AF lens and save a bunch of frustration?

Does anyone use old non-AF lenses in their DSLRs?
 
mscichlid

mscichlid

Founder
Thom Hogans article was a bit long, so here is what he had to say on the:
Macro Lenses – The 60mm f/2.8D Micro-Nikkor for copy stand work, the 200mm f/4D Micro-Nikkor or the 70-180mm f/4-5.6D Micro-Nikkor for most outdoor nature work, depending upon your macro shooting style, or the 105mm f/2.8G VR for casual (largish) flower work. Of these, the 200mm f/4D is probably the sharpest. The 70-180mm makes for very quick macro set ups in the field, but only goes to 1:2, so you end up carrying either extension tubes or close-up lenses for really close work. Nature photographers should have at least one of the latter two and should probably avoid the 60mm and 105mm Micro-Nikkors simply due to the close working distances involved (note that they all lose focal length at full extension, and even with the SB-R200's it's difficult to get light on all subjects reliably). The economy macro solution is the Tamron 90mm (see the end of my 105mm review). Sigma also makes several macro lenses that others seem to like, but I haven't tried them. The alternative for people who don't want to invest in a macro lens is to use "close-up" lenses (such as the Canon 500D on the 70-200mm) or extension tubes. Both these economy alternatives work quite well in terms of image quality, but are difficult to set up (it'll take you time to learn how both impact what you can and can't focus on, as both will change the focus range of the lens you put them on).
 
Tony

Tony

Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
Franny,

What do you use? Is it a prime lens? I read on KenRockwell's site that his fish-geek friends use 55-60 mm for their fish and 105 for outdoor/larger stuff so you don't have to get super close.

For now, trying to avoid spending $400 on a lens. Call me cheap, but I'd rather spend my money on fish. :p

I've seen some lenses that (comparatively) look like bargains. Is this a decent "entry-level_ lens that will get the job done? You certainly can't beat the price...
NIKKOR AF 35-70mm f3.3-4.5N MACRO

http://cgi.ebay.com/NIKKOR-AF-35-70...iewItemQQptZCamera_Lenses?hash=item4cee1f5a6a

Buy it now puts it delivered for $88. Is this even decent or will I immediately be unhappy with it?
 
mscichlid

mscichlid

Founder
I have primes - 105mm and the 60mm. I use the 105 for apisto size and under fish.

Check out Penn camera stores too. They have used equipment.
 
Spine

Spine

Members
I've seen used 60mm go for as low as $225 on Craigslist and Ebay.
The 105mm tends to run higher and usually have more bidders.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top