what Macro lense to get?!?

<p>Hi all,<br>

I have a Nikin D200 and I am currently have a nikon 18-70mm lense and a sigma10-20mm lense, I am currently looking for Macro lense and there seems to be a million and one opinions out there of varying quality! The main intrest with lense will be that of flowers and insects whenever possible! So I have been looking around the 105mm both sigma and nikon lenses however friends have suggested the 150mm sigma as a great lense and the 70mm sigma as a cracker also.<br>

Any Ideas would be truly fantasic<br>

Cheers</p>

<p>P.S<br>

I will be sure to pop up some photo's when I get it!</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Can't speak to the Sigma. The Nikon is fine - I've been using the non-VR version for several years; there's an excellent Tamron 90mm macro out there (old & new versions); my favorite is the 30 yr old Kiron (also branded Lester A Dine) - everything manual and razor sharp and flat field.</p>

<p>You can also do macro work with extension tubes and any lens you currently have.... the shorter the focal length of the lens, the shorter the tube required. Unfortunately, extension tubes for electronic lenses are very expensive. Fortunately, extension tubes for manual focus lenses are very cheap, and so are the lenses.</p>

<p>Also get you a good tripod and a ring flash.</p>

<p>I use the Tokina AT-X 100 PRO D on my D300. It's 100mm f/2.8 and is auto focus. This lens is nice and sharp out to the corners with nice bokeh. Auto focus is habdy for following moving subjects like insects and other critters. But, a good used manual focus lens is also an option. I have the Nikkor AI which only goes to 1:2 reproduction. But, some of the older Kiron macros go to 1:1.<br>

I find using a tripod a pain. At macro distances, the slightest breeze makes your subject jump around. A tripod will not help for this problem. A ring light provides a very flat illumination, not to my taste. I prefer the Nikon R1 arrangement. You get nice side lighting which is very adjustable. And you can shoot handheld. The flash also allows you to shoot stopped down, so you get reasonable DOF.<br>

Here is an example:</p>

 

<p>I use the Tokina AT-X 100 PRO D on my D300. It's 100mm f/2.8 and is auto focus. This lens is nice and sharp out to the corners with nice bokeh. Auto focus is habdy for following moving subjects like insects and other critters. But, a good used manual focus lens is also an option. I have the Nikkor AI which only goes to 1:2 reproduction. But, some of the older Kiron macros go to 1:1.<br>

I find using a tripod a pain. At macro distances, the slightest breeze makes your subject jump around. A tripod will not help for this problem. A ring light provides a very flat illumination, not to my taste. I prefer the Nikon R1 arrangement. You get nice side lighting which is very adjustable. And you can shoot handheld. The flash also allows you to shoot stopped down, so you get reasonable DOF.<br>

Here is an example:</p>

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<p>I teach this subject in college and suggest that you Get a 90mm to 105mm f2.8 to f22, focusing from infinity to 1:1 actual size close up.</p>

<p>I currently use my 105 Kiron (25 years) old for Nikons, My Sigma 105 for my Olympus DSLR's, 50 and 100 Canon Macros, and 105 Nikkors for their DSLR's.</p>

<p>They are all great. I strongly recommend the 90-105 macros since they leave enough room from lens to subject to photograph living creatures. The Canon 50 and the Nikon 55 and 60 Micro Nikkors are very sharp but the lens must be much too close to the subject. If you have a great budget, Sigma has macros including 150mm and 180mm. Pricey but amazing quality, I think they are olnly for Nikon and Canon.</p>

<p>Lynn</p>

<p>I had the Kiron but it had a lot of colour error, even stopped down. Macro subjects sometimes have strong highlights so that is a problem. Nikon's current 105mm macro is probably as good as it gets, at a price of course. If the working distance is not a concern, some of the old 50mm macro lenses work very well. Extension tubes often work well, even with non-macro lenses, but your focusing range becomes very narrow, often no more than a couple centimeters which can be an issue for subjects that like to move, such as insects.</p>