Which Nikon lens to get for macro photography of flowers?

Basically I'm buying a D40 with a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G kit. I'm wanting to buy a

macro lens too though, and my best bet from my research would be the 60mm f/

2.8D AF Micro. Any other suggestions or comments?

 

I'm new to this so I'm hoping some of you guys with a bit more knowledge can

help me out. Thank you so much in advance!

the 60 will not AF or meter with the D40

Look at the new 105 af-s vr. It will talk toy uor camera

It will meter, as will any CPU lens, but will not auto-focus. That's an excellent lens, by the way.

tamron 90mm is nice

The 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor is fully compatible with your camera. Here is a link to the Nikon site:

 

http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2160

 

I have the older version and it is one of my favorite lenses.

Flowers don't have legs. The 60mm macro with manual focus should do well. Turn off AF once in a while is a good thing.

If you have not yet bought the D40, it may be time to reconsider. The D40 and D40x are unique among Nikon DSLRs in that they require the focus motor to be in the lens (AFS) in order to autofocus. This rather severely limits the lenses you can use with full compatibility.

 

I think the D40 is primarily targeted at folks who will buy the kit lens and 'call it good'. If you're already thinking outside of that box, it might indicate that the D40 is a poor choice for you. Just my $0.02.

Autofocus is useless for flower close-ups. The 60mm or one of the 105mm AF Micro lenses would give you metering and excellent image quality. I use the 105 AF-D and 60 AF-D and think they're great. The 200mm is also great because of its ability to abstract ... but it's very expensive, as is the 105 VR. And big, too.

The 60mm is a nice flower Macro lens as well as a pretty good portrait lens. I own one and love it. Having to manual focus is not a big deal in Macro photography. You will prefer to MF in those situations anyway.

The 105 VR is double the price of the 60mm

Thank you so much guys!

I agree with you Brian about having to manual focus. I probably would choose to do that anyway. And yeah I was checking out the 105 VR too but it's too expensive for me.

Todd, I haven't bought the D40 yet... what else would you recommend though?

Thank you!

I am a Nikon fan but for the moeny I think the A100 Sony is a better value than the D40. Probably cost you an addition $150.00. But it comes with a lens that has a 1:4 magnification and that will be pretty good for flowers. You could crop a little to get the look you want. Sony is also slated to be coming out with many new products soon according to the store salesmen where I shop at. He says that the D200 will have new competition soon. (just salesmen rumor). New stuff may not seem important but as time goes on new products will be very desirable later. Sony digital is also compatible with all the old auto focus film lenses out there.

Tenna,

 

If you are going to buy Nikon, and you want to work with non-AFS lenses, and 6MP is enough

(as it is for me) then check out D50 and D70s. GREAT cameras and there's still some out

there in the retail channel... for now...

The kit lens is pretty good at close focusing, I did a lot of flowers with my d40 and kit lens, excellent results. In fact sins my d40 died this lens is on my d200 90% of the time.

For floral macros, nothing beats the Nikon 60mm; however, if you ever want to take pictures of insects, etc... in the future, the 60mm will be too short. Here are a couple of samples taken with the 60mm

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<img src="http://klix.smugmug.com/photos/143666823-L.jpg">

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<img src="http://klix.smugmug.com/photos/143666234-L.jpg">

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You can also take some great flower shots with an old 55mm manual focus. Sure, you're

guessing at exposure and manually focusing, but with the feedback of the screen on the

camera and the histogram, you can have a lot of fun, and I've been surprised at how easy it

is. I have the 3.5 version, I hear the 2.8 is better. Photodo rates it at 4.4, I believe they rate no

Nikon lens sharper! And you can get it for a SONG!

 

I often use it for quick little studio shots of stuff. It'd probably be great for selling stuff on

e?ay, too. Great cheap way to try it out. I paid more for a polarizer than I did for this lens!

If you are going for the D70s (a great choice by the way) remember it will not auto expose

with MF lenses (AI or AIS). Using the histogram however (sometimes known as "chimping")

will quickly get you correctly exposed - deleting on the card is easy so it does not matter

how many shots you take. If you are prepared to go fully manual, then there are a host of

older lenses you could acquire used. Pretty much all of them are pro quality - 200/4 micro

nikkor, 55/3.5 or 2.8 nikkor, 105/4 nikkor, 90/2.5 tokina, tamron or vivitar series 1 (most

made by Kiron). The samples of the 60/2.8 could be matched by any of these lenses and

some (such as the 90/2.5 have superior boke.

Tenna - I use the 105mm macro for my flower shots. I am sure that you would get the same results with the 60. Check out my site.

 

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/member-photos?user_id=1136399

I used the Kiron 105mm macro (aka Vivitar Series 1, aka Lester Dine) for years with my T90 and consider it to be a superb lens. Those lenses are available on the used market and all the ones I've seen have been in very good to excellent condition.

 

I also think the Tamron 90mm macro is an excellent piece of glass. The current $90 rebate is an additional enticement. Here is a capture using the Tamron (the inset is a 100% crop):

 

http://img511.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc0533wo8.jpg

Tenna - a lot of advice posted here. I think that Todd Peach has the comment. Also, please note that when it comes to macro lenses there really are not any bad lenses made from Nikon or Sigma, Tamron, Tokina etc... Generally if you purchase an approx 100mmm lens that will give you some good working distance and can be used for flowers etc... My advice - rethink the camera you are purchasing and then go to KEH.com and buy a macro lens that will work with your camera. They have an excellent reputation for selling used very good used gear at reasonable prices. You absolutely do not have to buy an expensive macro lens to get good pictures of flowers.

I advise you to check also reviews of the Tamron 90mm Di for macro. I have it, and for the bucks and quality it delivers a lot. Couldn't be happier with it, it really opens up a new world and possibilites. Check please, beforehand, if it works on your D40.

Here are my shots using a D70s and Nikon AF 24-85mm D Macro with auto focus on and no

flash, hand held:

http://www.kohanmike.com/Macro_Closeups.htm

Hi, Check up for Nikon 105mm f/2.8 AF-D lense. This is great lense. I'm just going for the new VR one. See my flower photos taken with 105mm f/2.8 AF-D lense. Really a very sharp lense. No cropping has been done in any of this pics.

 

http://www.photo.net/photos/ntv666

Thank you so much to all of you!

I'm only just starting out doing this professionally so money wise I think the 105mm f/2.8 is a bit too much for me right now. That's definitely the one I would buy if I was able to though.

I also wanted either the D80 or D200 but I figured I'd rather buy the D40 and then spend more money on lenses...

Take a look at George Lepp's work and especially his book on poppies. A lot of his images make use of a wide angle lens and an extension tube. A full Kenko set is a lot cheaper than a macro lens and will work better for something the size of most flowers. Even the 60mm macro on a Nikon DSLR performs like a 90mm and this is too long to provide a real 3-dimensional feel.

 

Bruce