I use the Tamron 70-300 LD-Macro a lot for flower photography. It has a normal minimum focusing distance of 4.9 feet (1.5 m), but between 180 and 300 mm, you can switch to the 'macro' mode, allowing a MFD of 3.1 feet (95 cm, with a stated 1:2 macro capability; slightly higher on a 10D due to the digital crop factor). To get even closer or to magnify further, I use the Kenko 12, 20 or 36 mm extension tubes, either singly or in various combinations, giving me working distances of 6" to 26". Otherwise I use the Nikon 6T diopter, which screws on to the front end of the Tamron.
The Tamron costed me about 200$ (and came with a free 1.4x teleconverter), the Nikon 6T 40$, and the Kenko set, 110$. I cannot say how the Tamron lens compares with others in terms of optical quality; but I am happy with the results, and in the end, I guess that's what matters!
need recommendations for D10-friendly macro telephoto
in Canon EOS Mount
Posted
I use the Tamron 70-300 LD-Macro a lot for flower photography. It has a normal minimum focusing distance of 4.9 feet (1.5 m), but between 180 and 300 mm, you can switch to the 'macro' mode, allowing a MFD of 3.1 feet (95 cm, with a stated 1:2 macro capability; slightly higher on a 10D due to the digital crop factor). To get even closer or to magnify further, I use the Kenko 12, 20 or 36 mm extension tubes, either singly or in various combinations, giving me working distances of 6" to 26". Otherwise I use the Nikon 6T diopter, which screws on to the front end of the Tamron.
The Tamron costed me about 200$ (and came with a free 1.4x teleconverter), the Nikon 6T 40$, and the Kenko set, 110$. I cannot say how the Tamron lens compares with others in terms of optical quality; but I am happy with the results, and in the end, I guess that's what matters!