Nikon Macros - which lens gets the best?

[carylwithay]

Every time I see a great macro of a bug, it is a Canon. Have any of you taken good macros with a Nikon? I would love to see a really sharp bug taken with a Nikon. I have the fanciest lenses for my D300 but cannot get anything like what the Canon owners get.
Caryl

[gilfish]

How about this?

[carylwithay]

Nice and sharp. What lens and which Nikon did you use?
Caryl

[gilfish]

I pulled up the exif viewer: Nikon D70, 180mm F2.8 @F11, A mode, Iso 400, 1/320. I love the 180mm but it is a beast and way too heavy. (it is older) Thanks for your comments. Keep practicing and use a monopod or tripod when possible. In public places it is not always possible. Try a flash to get the shutter speed up.

Good luck

[cjo]

I use a nikon d50 with a tamron 180mm macro and it takes great pics, but it is heavy.

[R. House]

gilfish, that is a nice shot!

[gilfish]

Thanks. BTW it is a Sigma 180mm

[TimBlodgett]

As well there is the nikon 60 f2.8 and the 105 f2.8. They may not have as much reach as you want for bugs and such but they do have 1:1 size ratio.

[pixelchix]

Can you use the Nikon 105 with extention tubes and get more reach?

[nubz]

Yes,You gan get reach with extension tubes or bellows.



This was about a 1/4 inch segment of a small signal tube. The entire tube is smaller then your thumb. I believe I used a larger extension tube with this.



This is the center of a flower hand held on a breezy day with a small extension tube. Both of these were with a 105mm Micro on a D80

[RichNY]

I recently picked up a Nikkor 200 f/4 and haven't found any lens to be sharper including my 200 f/2 and 400 f/2.8. Wow- what an amazing piece of glass.

[Jeff Perry]

Actually extension tubes do not give you "more reach" (a term of art generally reserved for extending the focal length) rather quite the opposite, they serve to shorten the minimum focus distance, allowing you to get closer to your target and thus increasing the magnification. Adding an appropriate teleconverter WILL extend the reach of a lens, such as making the 105 with a 1.5X has the reach of a 158mm lens, again increasing the resulting magnification, but unlike the extension tubes that do not compromise image quality, the TC generally will introduce some loss of quality.

A lens with more reach will allow greater working distance (at a given magnification, e.g., 1:1) between camera lens' front element and the subject, which can be helpful with skiddish (or dangerous) subjects.

Jeff

[moizes]

Originally Posted by RichNY

I recently picked up a Nikkor 200 f/4 and haven't found any lens to be sharper including my 200 f/2 and 400 f/2.8. Wow- what an amazing piece of glass.

Indeed. But you may use a very simple things with great result. Old 105/2,5, old M ring, old screw-up. The combo is giving me 1:1. The tree's drop (crop) is about 3-4mm big. D3, ISO800, f11. Dimitri.

[clickmepp]

If you have $1200++ (Please check the price), you can get NIKON 200mm F/4 1:1 ...Legend Macro Lens....Other best options are

1. Sigma 180mm F3.5
2. Sigma 150mm F2.8

[moizes]

Originally Posted by clickmepp

If you have $1200++ (Please check the price), you can get NIKON 200mm F/4 1:1 ...Legend Macro Lens....Other best options are

1. Sigma 180mm F3.5
2. Sigma 150mm F2.8

180 Tammy is sharper than 180 Sig, in my experience. Dimitri.

[thebeing]

how about these?
nikon d70 and sigma 18-50 f/3.5-5.6 for the first one and sigma 55-200 and nikkor 50 1.8 (inverted on the sigma) for the second one.. see, you don't have to pay 800-900$ for that 105 f/2.8 nikkor makes.

to be honest, i think nikkor lens prices are WAY overrated. i'd rather go with sigma ones. My crappy crappy crappy sigma 18-50 focused more accurate and faster than the nikkor 18-105. i don't know about gold-line lenses, but since photography is mostly a hobby for me, i don't quite care about those lenses.

cheers!

[RickTheBugMan]

Caryl,

This is a photo that I took with a D60 and the kit lens. I've since gotten a real "micro" lens but this is still one of my favorite insect photos.

Rick "The Bug Man" Hurst

[poliwog]

This is yet another instance of the lens mattering a lot less than the technique.

[Joves]

Originally Posted by poliwog

This is yet another instance of the lens mattering a lot less than the technique.

I have to agree there. Bellows and tubes are part of the fun.

[gaopa2]

Nikkor lenses are worth every penny they cost. There are some good 3rd party lenses, but they are not built to Nikkor standards. For macro either the 60/2.8 macro or the 105/2.8 macro lenses are great. I have both and they do a fine job for me. I shoot for a magazine and the quality of the image has to be high. Cheers, Bill P.