70-180mm,zoom micro4.5-5.6 d.ed or sigma 180 mm.hsm?

[nazir200_200]

dear friends...

these are two options in front.if u were in my place ,which one you will choose?i am living in a middle east country where the availability of used lenses very rare...here the price difference between sigma and nikkor is approximately 400$.but i like the versatility of 70-180 micro zoom nikkor...i would like to know the comparison of optical qualities of both lenses.

 

mainly i am planning to use these lenses for the macro of flowers,insects,etc...thanx and regards.

[Jerry_]

The 180mm lens will give you the same type of image (over and over again.) With the zoom lens, you can shoot anywhere from 70mm to 180mm.

You have to make the choice -- do you want variety or do you want to stay within your budget?

[roland_vink]

I would choose the 180mm macro:

 

It gives greater magnification, which is important for small insects and flowers. The 180mm macro will give 1:1 magnification, the 70-180 macro only gives 2:3.

 

The 180mm macro will give you much more working distance. This is very important for outdoor flower and insect photography. It gives you more space to set up your tripod, so you are less likely to disturb your subject while setting up.

 

The 70-180 has much less free working distance in front of the lens. Although it zooms to 180mm, the working distance is more equivalent to 100mm macro lenses.

 

I admit, the ability to zoom for macro work is very useful. For less extreme closeups, I often use my series-E 75-150/3.5 with a 3T filter. This gives me a very nice close-focus zoom which goes to nearly 1:2 with plenty of working distance.