ok every one who shoots macro

Do You need a macro specific lens ? to shoot macro ie bugs plants and stuff

 

for the really close stuff, ya Mike,,
to save a few bucks tho there are tele-zoom/macro lenses out there

 

done with a 50mm Mike

 

damn that's big....oops

 

those few bucks can be several hundred dollars actuall marty..no? a dedicated macro lens from canon or nikon is around what...700 bucks plus im sure.

mike...my answer to your question is NO. you dont need one unless you really wanna be very very close (like marty said) or you are doing corporate product photography for commercial media or the likes. keep in mind i say this from a cost perspective.

if you wanna go macro...there are several options out there. macro adapters/rings, aftermarket macro convertors, reverse macro rings (when you mount your lens backwards)...or a tele lens with a macro feature. i wont compare the final quality of a dedicated macro lens with these options but with some post work in ps..you can make it look really good.

my 2 cents

 

from the 18-55mm canon kit lens...cropped later on



from my canon or pentax p&S if i remember correctly



notice that none of these are too too extreme closeups...so you gotta define how close you wanna go first.

 

60mm is $500, 105 almost a thousand..
the 85ts i want is $1500

for something you're not going to use all that often i'd say go with sigma or tamron etc..
good range at probably half the cost
for you Mike, i'd go tele w/macro capabilities...or even just use a strong zoom on a tripod (like the 70-300)...faster IS better, but a flash can help speed up your shot as well
Nikon has some nice flash options as well, but again you're looking at $$$$
the Su-800 "kit" comes to mind or even the R1C1

 

buy a reverse adapter ring to mount your lens backwards on the body...and voila...cheap and effective macro lens...fully manual operation tho


them be cigarette ashes y0!

 

ok so sine you guys are now suggesting a tele macro i guess i could get the SIGMA 70-300MM F4-5.6 NIKON APO DG MACRO

here are the stats

• Telephoto zoom lenses with tele-macro function, optimized for digital cameras
• 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG Macro
• This lens has two SLD glass elements in the front lens group and one in the rear lens group
• It is able to shoot with maximum magnification 1:2 at the focal length of 300 mm
• Its the ideal lens for portraits, sports photography, nature photography, and other types of photography that frequently use the telephoto range
• Lens Construction - 14 Elements in 10 Groups
• Angle of View 34.3 - 8.2 degrees
• Number of Diaphragm Blades 9 Blades
• Minimum Aperture F22
• Minimum Focusing Distance 150cm / (95cm Macro mode) 59.1 in. / (37.4 in. Macro mode)
• Maximum Magnification 1:4.1 / 1:2(Macro mode)
• Filter Size Diameter 58mm
• Dimensions Diameter 76.6mm X Length 122mm
• Size 3.0 in. X 4.8 in.
• Weight 550g/19.4 oz.
• Nikon Mount

NIKON AF-S VR 70-300 4.5-5.6 IF-ED $599

• High performance telephoto lens
• For sport/nature/wildlife photos
• Nikon Extra Low Dispersion glass
• 67mm Filter Size
• Focal length: 70-300mm (Picture angle, when used with Nikon DX format digital SLRs is equivalent to a 105-450mm on a 35mm format SLR)
• Maximum aperture: f/4.5-5.6
• Minimum aperture: f/32-40
• Lens construction: 17 elements in 12 groups (two ED glass elements)
• Picture angle: 34°20? - 8°10? (22°50? - 5°20? with Nikon DX format)
• Minimum focus range: 1.5m (4.9 ft.) (through the entire zoom range)
• Attachment size: 67mm
• Dimensions (approx.): 80 x 143.5mm (3.1 x 5.6 in.)
• Weight (approx.): 745g (26.3 oz.)
• Included accessories: 67mm Snap-on front lens cap (LC-67), Rear lens cap (LF-1), Bayonet hood (HB-36), Flexible lens pouch (CL-1022)
• Optional accessories: 67mm screw-in filters

 

^^ the two are not exactly the same mike..the nikor lens you mentioned has VR or IS..hence it is roughly double the price. that sigma (APO DG version) is around $270 or so if i remember correctly.

have you done some research and/or read reviews on it?

 

yes i have lol lots of reviews its like 50/50 for the sigma and the 70-300 VR good all around i would like to use it for birding and such

 

get the one with the VR then if your budget allows...cuz when shooting action/wildlife...you NEED image stabilization.

 

you dont NEED VR...I dont have VR on my 200mm and I havent had a problem with shooting wild life etc...the only time that vr is gonna be really handy is at the low light end of the spectrum and shooting hand held...my old crappy sigma 70-200 had no vr and was slow but I got some nice shots still in lower light hand held...but at the end of the day buy the best you can afford to...so u dont have to go out down the road and drop more money on the same lens

 

i have my eye set on a macro prime right now, just hoping some deals go through *thumbsup*

 

so what did you end up getting red fury?

 

I got the 70-300 VR Nikon lens not a true macro lens but it does not do a bad job for flowers or brush in my mind at the 300 end

 

must be a great lens....now start shooting :-)