CONFUSED BEGINNER

hi I was just wondering if someone can help me out. I am after a lens that I can use for very close up pics like zoomed right into flowers etc for detail but also one I can use for portraits. I hate always having to change between my kit lenses and want just one lens that does it all.... I'm also after a flash as the pop up flash isn't the best. I have a Nikon D5200. I want a lens that will auto focus

thanks

You might want to take a look at close up diopters. They screw into the front of your lens and work like reading glasses. Usually for very close up work manual focus works better than auto due to very limited Depth of Field. Check the BHPhoto site for these and compatible flashes. Here is an example of a #3 diopter.

 

Ray's solution is one--though it introduces another layer of glass into the optical path. Sadly, many kinds of these lenses are not anywhere near the quality of glass in your lens--and are generally uncoated which can create a whole host of issues. But they are reasonable and depending on how much you spend can be quite good. Anybody remember Spirotone?... :rolleyes:

 

Another solution is macro rings.They are made by a number of manufacturers--most notably Kenko, Meike, and Xit (in decreasing order of cost). Although there are others as well--these three seem to have the best quality build and largest number of positive reviews. I use a Xit set with my D7100 and am very satisfied. They couple the lens and all of its electrical/mechanical connections to the body--and add a bit (each one is deeper than the other) of extra focal length. This allows one to move closer to the subject and subsequently enlarges the object. They can be stacked in various combinations together to achieve other magnification ratios. Best of all, they do not have to be removed in order to photograph something else away from the camera in non-macro mode. You can find all of these brands for Nikon & Canon on Amazon--here is an example:

 

Amazon.com : Xit XTETN Auto Focus Macro Extension Tube Set for Nikon SLR Cameras (Black) : Camera Lens Extension Tubes : Camera & Photo

 

The third solution (and often in combination with macro rings) is a macro capable lens. I have become very fond of Sigma, but other high quality macro lenses are made by Nikon, Tamron, Tokina, and others. Read the reviews for each lens before committing. My favor for the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro (OS)* HSM | C is tremendous--I use this as a general purpose lens as well as for macro. The latter mostly includes digitizing 35mm, 120, and 4x5" negatives from my film cameras. A fringe benefit is that a USB hub is available that allows 'fine tuning' the focus of the lens in three ranges--as opposed to adjusting focus range point with the camera settings. Quite a few of the images in my portfolio here were taken with this lens. They also make other macro lenses in the 18-200mm and 18-300mm range, but I feel that such wide latitude is asking an awful lot out of the optical design and there are certain tradeoff's that may not be acceptable to you. Take a look at the 17-70mm here:

 

17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro (OS)* HSM | C | Sigma Corporation of America

 

So you have three nice solutions here! And as always, whenever possible invest in the best lens you can afford. Your photography will show the differences...

Ray's solution is one--though it introduces another layer of glass into the optical path. Sadly, many kinds of these lenses are not anywhere near the quality of glass in your lens--and are generally uncoated which can create a whole host of issues. But they are reasonable and depending on how much you spend can be quite good. Anybody remember Spirotone?... :rolleyes:

 

Another solution is macro rings.They are made by a number of manufacturers--most notably Kenko, Meike, and Xit (in decreasing order of cost). Although there are others as well--these three seem to have the best quality build and largest number of positive reviews. I use a Xit set with my D7100 and am very satisfied. They couple the lens and all of its electrical/mechanical connections to the body--and add a bit (each one is deeper than the other) of extra focal length. This allows one to move closer to the subject and subsequently enlarges the object. They can be stacked in various combinations together to achieve other magnification ratios. Best of all, they do not have to be removed in order to photograph something else away from the camera in non-macro mode. You can find all of these brands for Nikon & Canon on Amazon--here is an example:

 

Amazon.com : Xit XTETN Auto Focus Macro Extension Tube Set for Nikon SLR Cameras (Black) : Camera Lens Extension Tubes : Camera & Photo

 

The third solution (and often in combination with macro rings) is a macro capable lens. I have become very fond of Sigma, but other high quality macro lenses are made by Nikon, Tamron, Tokina, and others. Read the reviews for each lens before committing. My favor for the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro (OS)* HSM | C is tremendous--I use this as a general purpose lens as well as for macro. The latter mostly includes digitizing 35mm, 120, and 4x5" negatives from my film cameras. A fringe benefit is that a USB hub is available that allows 'fine tuning' the focus of the lens in three ranges--as opposed to adjusting focus range point with the camera settings. Quite a few of the images in my portfolio here were taken with this lens. They also make other macro lenses in the 18-200mm and 18-300mm range, but I feel that such wide latitude is asking an awful lot out of the optical design and there are certain tradeoff's that may not be acceptable to you. Take a look at the 17-70mm here:

 

17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro (OS)* HSM | C | Sigma Corporation of America

 

So you have three nice solutions here! And as always, whenever possible invest in the best lens you can afford. Your photography will show the differences...

Thankyou heapw this helps alot

Ray's solution is one--though it introduces another layer of glass into the optical path. Sadly, many kinds of these lenses are not anywhere near the quality of glass in your lens--and are generally uncoated which can create a whole host of issues. But they are reasonable and depending on how much you spend can be quite good. Anybody remember Spirotone?... :rolleyes:

 

Another solution is macro rings.They are made by a number of manufacturers--most notably Kenko, Meike, and Xit (in decreasing order of cost). Although there are others as well--these three seem to have the best quality build and largest number of positive reviews. I use a Xit set with my D7100 and am very satisfied. They couple the lens and all of its electrical/mechanical connections to the body--and add a bit (each one is deeper than the other) of extra focal length. This allows one to move closer to the subject and subsequently enlarges the object. They can be stacked in various combinations together to achieve other magnification ratios. Best of all, they do not have to be removed in order to photograph something else away from the camera in non-macro mode. You can find all of these brands for Nikon & Canon on Amazon--here is an example:

 

Amazon.com : Xit XTETN Auto Focus Macro Extension Tube Set for Nikon SLR Cameras (Black) : Camera Lens Extension Tubes : Camera & Photo

 

The third solution (and often in combination with macro rings) is a macro capable lens. I have become very fond of Sigma, but other high quality macro lenses are made by Nikon, Tamron, Tokina, and others. Read the reviews for each lens before committing. My favor for the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro (OS)* HSM | C is tremendous--I use this as a general purpose lens as well as for macro. The latter mostly includes digitizing 35mm, 120, and 4x5" negatives from my film cameras. A fringe benefit is that a USB hub is available that allows 'fine tuning' the focus of the lens in three ranges--as opposed to adjusting focus range point with the camera settings. Quite a few of the images in my portfolio here were taken with this lens. They also make other macro lenses in the 18-200mm and 18-300mm range, but I feel that such wide latitude is asking an awful lot out of the optical design and there are certain tradeoff's that may not be acceptable to you. Take a look at the 17-70mm here:

 

17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro (OS)* HSM | C | Sigma Corporation of America

 

So you have three nice solutions here! And as always, whenever possible invest in the best lens you can afford. Your photography will show the differences...

Thankyou

I am not sure what we are talking about. -

I hate always having to change between my kit lenses

I know and share that feeling. But I dare to question buying "one lens that does it all" as the wise solution. The insanest zoom range currently on the market would be provided by a Tamron 18-400mm that will set you back some 750Euro/$. the previous generations of those lenses 18-300, 18-200 and 28-200 tended to cost more than a pair of kit zooms when they got introduced but dropped rather rapidly in price after somebody else offered either even more range as a competing 3rd party or maybe even more compatibility or performance as in image quality as a camera manufacturer.

Unfortunately zoom range isn't just paid with money; it frequently costs image quality too.

To avoid lens changing I would pick up a 2nd camera body instead of an endless zoom. - I'd even look at D5300 2 zooms kits, to gain backup lenses as cheap as possible. Buying a pre-owned 2nd D5200 should also work.

FTR: While I might sound zooms bashing, I do appreciate the convenience they are offering. Kit zooms tend to cut the cake for a lot of basic photographic needs and offer an impressive lot of bang for the buck.

OTOH you have a 24MP sensor there, ready to reveal a whole lot of lens flaws. I recommend shooting the kit zooms for a while and analyzing which very few decent primes you might like to buy as a 2nd step. Dedicated macro lenses would be among my top choices among them. For Samsung /Pentax (similar sensor size) I am quite happy with 50 and 100mm macro, both f2.8. to shoot portraits with. - A single focal length between those two might cut your cake too. - I am not sure if Nikon made a 60mm autofocusing on your camera. Look at 3rd party glass too. - Some folks recommend an inexpensive Tokina 100mm(?) macro lens. Maybe there is a 70mm somewhere? As long as you don't have flashes, try to get VR versions.

 

I'd prepare to end with up to 3 Yongnuo flashes, 2 light stands and umbrellas, if i wanted TTL flash control. Otherwise I'd buy one TTL and 2 dumb units with convenient manual control + Eneloop batteries for them all. - Using 5 or 7 flashes for studio shots isn't unusual but I don't recommend starting with that many and you'll need a light meter to get an idea of what you are doing.

I am after a lens that I can use for very close up pics like zoomed right into flowers etc for detail but also one I can use for portraits. I hate always having to change between my kit lenses and want just one lens that does it all.... I'm also after a flash as the pop up flash isn't the best.

 

Simply put: you can't have it all. It depends on priorities. If you do not want to switch lenses, and want a all-on-one lens, then frankly there is little point to having a DSLR or mirrorless system. Bridge cameras (compact cameras with wide-range zoom lenses) are great at being a one lens for every situation. Of course, their potential image quality isn't as good, but that is the compromise you make for one-thing-does-all. A camera like the Sony RX10 makes a very viable alternative, for example.

If you want to get good performance out of your D5200 (which is a very nice body), then switching lenses is simply going to give you a lot better results. Lenses as the Tamron 18-400 mentioned above, or Nikon's 18-300 lenses, are compromises: convenient, but optically not nearly as good as lenses with a smaller zoom range.

 

So, frankly, for close-ups of flowers and portrait, I'd recommend adding a lens (and yes, switching more often - you get used to it); I'd look at lenses as the Tamron 60mm f/2 Macro, Nikon AF-S 60mm f/2.8G or Nikon AF-S 85mm f/3.5VR DX - all these will AF on your camera. Alongside, keep the lenses you already have, the usual two-lens kit (18-55VR and 55-200VR) is a nice pair for generic photography (sure there are better lenses, but you'd need to be more explicit about your budget and needs).

 

For the flash, while there are good, cheap, Chinese alternatives, I'd recommended the Nikon SB700. Easy to use, plenty powerful, reliable, but not the cheapest around. Can't go really wrong it it. Avoid the Nikon SB300 as it hardly presents improvements over the pop-up flash.

As was said, the BIG benefit of the SLR design is to be able to change lenses to use the lens that best does the job for you.

 

Your kit lenses the 18-55 and 55-200

• The 18-55 is a nice compact lens, compared to my 18-140. My 18-140 is a nice lens, but it is heavier and bulkier than your 18-55.
  
• The 55-200 gives you the reach when you want it. And you don't have to carry the extra weight when you don't need the reach, like shooting a birthday party in your house.
  

You could replace your kit lenses with a long or super zoom like the 18-140, 18-200 or 18-300. But the cost is $, bulk, and weight compared to your 18-55. And optical quality, as the zoom range gets longer. If you want a long zoom, I suggest the 18-140.

 

I am old school, and I go by the saying "jack of all trades, master of none." A single lens that dose a LOT of things is generally a compromise. However, technology has made what used to be impossible, to be common place. Yet there still are limitations.

 

For close up photography, as has been mentioned, there are 3 methods

• close up lens/filters
  
• extension tubes
   
  
• macro lens, fixed focal length, manual and auto-focus. I do not know of a good macro zoom lens, though they may exist.
  

This is how I did this.

• When I started, I went with the close up lens/filters, as that was the cheapest way to "dip my toe" into close up work.
  
• Then I bought a used manual Nikkor 55mm micro lens. This got me into macro lens, without the cost of the auto-focus macro lens. And doing stuff up close, I do not miss the auto-focus on the macro lens. However, I came to realize that a longer focal length macro lens gives you more working distance between the camera and the subject. And sometimes you want more distance. My next macro will be a 105mm.
  

As for portrait, you need to define what you mean by portrait. Because it can mean a lot of things,

• Depending on who you talk to, a portrait can be anything from a 10+ person family/group portrait down to a tight face shot of one person. The wider the group the shorter the lens, and the tighter the shot the longer the lens.
   
  
• Your distance from the subject(s) also has an effect on the lens. The farther away you are, the longer your lens can/has to be. If you don't have the room, you need to use a shorter lens. But you also don't want to be "in the face" of the subject.
  

As for the flash, what do you want it to do, that it is not doing now?

The pop up may not be the "best" but it is convenient. A shoe mount flash can be a hassle to use, for some people, because of it's bulk.

Yes it is nice to have a shoe mount flash when you need more power, or you want to position it away from the camera. And if you do go for a shoe flash, get an iTTL flash that will work with your Nikon.

A fixed focal length lens sounds like the choice that will satisfy you the most. I am sure Nikon has one that will satisfy your needs and budget. I would consider talking to a salesperson at an online store -or visit one- that sells a lot of Nikon stuff. New or Used. Nothing works for macro like macro. You will use the lens for orther purposes as well I am sure. I know that Canon has all kinds and prices on its macro lineup and I am sure same for NIkon. No need to spend a fortune. Flower closups work best when you can get right up there.

+1 for extension tubes (macro rings) as a low-cost first investment. After that, there are a whole range of macro-capable lenses. For your D5200, a lens in the 60mm-105mm would work well for portraits particularly if it can be had in an f/1.8-2.8 range, though you will pay more for it. Most decent macro lenses are very sharp, so they work well for other purposes. Do not expect to be able to combine good macro, large aperture, sharpness, and zoom in a single lens.

I'm going to make this a little generic, as opposed to recommending a particular optic. I think you may be confusing yourself a little with regard to terminology & use.

 

A good portrait lens is usually something about 1 1/2 ~ 3 times the length of a "standard" lens. In 35mm equivalents it would be say an 85~105mm possibly as long as a 135. There are a few reasons for this, some optical, & some personal. The perspective of 1.5~ 2X std lenses are "neutral" that is to say they don't exaggerate or distort facial features. Personally they're less intimidating to the sitter as they are a bit further back & not so intrusive.

OK we have a portrait lens defined.

 

"Close up" is a misleading, but sometimes accurate, term. Many "close up" images actually aren't close at all, but the show detail of a small area magnified. There are many good lenses out here with "Macro" & maybe even "Super Macro" settings, these allow for "close up" magnification,but from further away, hence the correct term "Macro". You specify flowers, in this case you don't actually want super close up as flowers have quite a bit of depth & so you'll actually be contacting & maybe disturbing the petals as you get really close. Then add the problem of lighting a close up shot. You can't (at least not without something like a ring-flash or macro flash setup specially for this use only.) because the camera & lens is creating its own (comparatively) HUGE shadow!

 

So now we've defined a better macro setup as well. One that allows us to back of 3~6" lets say while getting part of a single bloom filling the frame. Lets combine them & see what we're looking at.

 

A short to medium zoom lens with a good "Macro" & "Super Macro" setting that will auto focus with a Nikon mount. That's a very common type ( because it is so versatile) & the range of choices is huge, but at least you have a specific optical set of parameters. A quick look on B&H photo's website found 210 "Medium zoom with macro for Nikon", so you have plenty of choice, just pick & choose what fits your budget & is comfortable to use!

 

OK, Flash.

Item A#1: Get it off the camera's hot shoe or built in unit! Nothing on-camera will do this well. (Except ring flashes/macro-flashes which are a specialty item themselves, but not really suited for portraits.).

My personal preference is a pair of small, light dedicated units that will allow swivel & bounce. Tiny possibly even. You do not need bug, bulky heavy high power for shots at 2~15"!

 

You'll want to be using small apertures for depth of field, so anything that will let you shoot at f16 or better at 1'6" should be perfect balance of power, weight & bulk.

 

You'll need some kind of bracket to hold both flashes, which is your choice, but ideally it will allow one to beat lens height, but offset to one side a little, the other on the opposite side & offset less but higher up. You've basically hunk a tiny set of studio lights on the lens! (Now you see why bulk & weight become important!)

 

This image was taken with just such a setup. The rose is a "tea rose" bout 2" across. It was taken from about 6" away.

 

Edited July 23, 2017 by chazfenn

Depending on how you define beginner there are so many different elements to be mastered. I myself am a prebeginner. But looking at the talent on PN if there was an easy simple answer then a lot of them would have a lot less equipment

True, but Toys! Toys! Toys!

:D

One thing I did previously was build exactly this setup for plant scientists, who weren't & didn't want to become photographers. What they needed was a generic "point & shoot" close up system a complete novice could use for high quality detailed planet close ups. The short macro zoom & 2 small flash brackets worked very well for these non photographers & at a decent cost as well. (& this was in the days before auto-focus & programmed TTL flash!) they could literally open the carry bag, turn it on, slip the frame round the bloom & fire the shutter!

Its not all about equipment, but equipment sure helps!

 

Finally to the O.P. you might want to peek into the "MACRO" sub-forum for all sorts of information as well.

"...want just one lens that does it all."

 

100mm is considered a good focal length for a portrait (head and shoulders) lens. A 100mm macro lens (or around that focal length) should be what one would need for a full frame camera. With your APS-C sensor and 1.5X multiplier a 60mm macro lens should be good for both portraits and close up macro shots.

Edited July 23, 2017 by James G. Dainis

If you want to continue with this body I'd suggest a 55 Micro Nikkor. Better though, to me at least, is a 105 2.8 micro Nikkor. The 105/4 is excellent as well but the 2.8 seems a better lens to me. It gives excellent results in macro and in portraiture. If you want a portrait lens I'd recommend the 105/2.5 Nikkor. That one is not a macro lens but one of the best portrait lenses ever made. As mentioned, you will not find a one lens does all solution that is very good. Honestly I would buy a second body as well, a backup is always a good idea.

 

Rick H.

I had a 50mm sigma macro lens, used it for loads of stuff. I would definately seriously consider a dedicated macro lens over the other options, and a prime lens if possible.

I have more lenses than I could shoot for a given day but sometimes a do-eveything lens is convenient. Like Gary suggested, get a Nikon 18-140mm. That would meet just about all your shooting needs. For close ups, get a Canon 500D close up lens. You just screw it on to the lens. Now the 18-140mm takes 67mm filters; unfortunately Canon does not make the close up lens in that size. So you'll need a 67mm to 72mm (or to 77mm) step up adapter. Or just keep your kit lenses and just buy a close up ring for th 55-200mm.

hi I was just wondering if someone can help me out. I am after a lens that I can use for very close up pics like zoomed right into flowers etc for detail but also one I can use for portraits. I hate always having to change between my kit lenses and want just one lens that does it all.... I'm also after a flash as the pop up flash isn't the best. I have a Nikon D5200. I want a lens that will auto focus

thanks

 

I agree with the others, get a 1:1 macro lens, I shoot with Canon but Nikon makes similar lens

Edited July 25, 2017 by William Michael

Say, we all forgot to mention using a bellows and turning the lens around... :cool:

 

A lot of formerly expensive things have gotten pretty cheap these days. The kind of setup chazfenn is using can also be found now in the form of small LED panels that come out on arms from a central control/power pack that mounts to the hot shoe of the camera. These are available in two or three lights--and do a very nice job with macro stuff without the older costs of xenon flash. See here, and this is shown just an an example--not advocating any brand or type:

 

Amazon.com : Neewer® Three Flexible Metal Tube LED Round Light Flash with LCD Display for Macro Close-up Photography Lighting, Fit Canon Nikon Sony A7 A7S/A7SII A7R/A7RII A7II A6000 A6300 DSLR Camera : Camera & Photo

 

It's the same thing with LED ring lights. Much of this stuff (lots of mfgr options) is around the $30 marker--so $60 plus tax and shipping gets quite a starter lighting set for macro. If it's ones game after playing with these a bit--maybe more expensive softbox and other solutions can he had. Maybe these will work for a long time!

 

Amazon.com : Neewer 48 Macro LED Ring Flash Bundle with LCD Display Power Control, Adapter Rings and Flash Diffusers for Canon 650D, 600D, 550D, 70D, 60D, 5D Nikon D5000, D3000, D5100, D3100, D7000, D7100, D800, D800E, D60 : Camera & Photo

PT, I think the bellows is going just a little bit too far ;)

Sez me who bought one to "play with."

 

But the lights are a neat idea.

One comment about the ring light. You have virtually NO shadow, so the illusion of depth can be lost. Again, no one tool that will do everything.

The selection of ring light vs individual lights that can be positioned is a matter of the subject and how you want to shoot it, so one would get both light units to have that option.

I love the lights, sweet!

I'm thinking very inexpensive flashes in my setup, the whole trick is to keep it both physically & financially viable.

;)

Ringlights: an old trick.

mild ND gels (2X max) covering part of the ring to slightly unbalance the utterly flat lighting.

That's the big issue with the rings. I got one 30 years ago for my Canon AE-1 rig--hated it with flowers and bugs. Not to mention that it cost a fortune. But it was great stuff for things like coins, stamps and a multitude of flat or shaped solid stuff. Fossils were the bomb! They will cast a shadow though. I finally built an unwieldy thing out of a couple cheap flashes, a couple flexible goosenecks robbed from Goodwill lights, and a nice heavy 1/4"x2" piece of aluminum bar. The goosenecks were welded to C clamps so that I could adjust the distance across a 3' span. PC connections to the flashes of course, and usually running at 1/16th power... :cool:

Mr. Helmke,

 

The OP is looking for one lens with which to do close ups and portraits. You say,

 

"As mentioned, you will not find a one lens does all solution that is very good."

 

Are you saying that a 55mm Micro Nikkor would be good for close ups but not good for portraits, or visa-veras? I would think that it would meet the criteria that the OP puts forth very adequately on both counts.

 

His Nikon D5200 APS-C sensor has a crop factor of 1.5X. A 105mm focal length lens would have the field of view of a 157.5mm focal length lens. I think that would be too long to make a good portrait lens.

James, I think that he is talking about 'everything' zooms with "macro" and not primes. The 18-300mm sort of Swiss Army knives for cameras. Some part of the range is good... :p

One thing to remind: lenses as the 55mm micro-nikkor, or the old Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 and f/4 are manual focus (OP asked for AF), and no metering on the D5200. In order to benefit from autofocus, the lens needs to be a AF-S lens. Likewise, rings won't work because rings that pass the signals needed to work with AF-S and G lenses are rare and far more expensive.

Compatibility charts for Nikon lenses is becoming an increasingly complex puzzle, and especially with the D3x00 and D5x00 cameras, one really has to take into account that there is loss of functionality with older lenses.

 

If it was my money: the Nikon AF-S 60mm f/2.8G. Great lens, reasonably priced.