lens? for d90

[LawnTodd]

i just purchased a Nikon D 90 this weekend. It came with an 18-105 lens. What would be a good macro lens for this camera? I'm new to the camera hobby and don't know to much about picture taking. i will be taking a class at the local comunity college at the end of the month. what are some of the lenses that people are using to get the close up of sps polyps?
thanks in advance!
Todd

 

[maddog10]

Nikon 60mm Micro is a good all around lens.

Nikon 105mm Micro is good for smaller fish and/or when you have room to step back from the tank, when doing aquarium photography.

I have cramped quarters in my fish room and the 60mm works much better, for me.

Both take excellent photos.

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

The whole point of a macro lens is to get very close to your subject. I am itching to trade in my Canon 100mm f/2.8 for a Canon 180mm f/3.5

 

[nickb]

60mm is usually to short a focal length for tank photos - you need to get too close to the subject to 1:1 magnification (and the glass gets in the way).

The most common focal length is around 100mm for a first macro. Third party macros are all excellent, just a good as the Nikon 105mm VR. And they cost much less (around $400 vs 700). Options include:

Tamron 90mm
Tokina 100 mm
Sigma 105mm

If you want a longer focal length, the Sigma 150mm has been getting raves reports from most users.

Not knocking the Nikon lenses - they just cost a lot more.

 

[LawnTodd]

what would be a good lens if i wanted to get good macro shots of insects?

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

The canon MP-E 65mm would by my choice for insects but not for aquaria.

 

[maddog10]

If on a budget, get a manual focus macro lens off eBay. I have purchased them from $75 to $200. You will lose TTL metering and of course auto focus. 95% of my macro shots, including fish, are taken with manual focus (set my new lenses to manual). All the different focal lengths have there place. I have Nikon Micros in 55, 60, 105 and 200mm lengths and use them all.

Like I mentioned in my first post, my fish room is tight. I could not use the 105mm and get an entire 6" fish in the frame, just can not back away from the tank enough without hitting the row behind me. That is where the 60mm comes in handy. Sometimes you are shooting a skittish fish and it is better to be back away from the tank a bit so it calms down, in this case the 105mm would be a good choice. If all you want are close up details of part of a fish or a coral then either one will work, with the longer lens bringing the subject closer. I still say the 60mm is more versatile, but that is just me.

For insects I always use a longer lens, the 105 or 200mm.

In my fish room, I could not take this shot with a 105mm lens. (Sorry, not marine fish - just getting back into the hobby)

Old photo of my fish room.

This was with my 105mm, get too close he flys away. This was also handheld. This one used AF which is why the focus isn't as sharp as it should be.

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

Your results speak for themselves!

 

[tyoberg]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14194942#post14194942 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by maddog10
If on a budget, get a manual focus macro lens off eBay. I have purchased them from $75 to $200...

I've gotten some lenses on eBay and craigslist, but as always, you've got to invest some time in order to catch a good deal. Unfortunately, getting a good deal usually involves taking on some risk as far as condition.

I've gotten a couple lenses from KEH in their "BGN" (bargain) condition and have been pleasantly surprised every time. Excellent optics with subtle-to-minor cosmetic issues. I also use the KEH BGN price as a benchmark for my max eBay bid.

I use this site to help me select lenses.
http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_surv.html

The 105mm (left side back) and the 28mm Nikkor (right side front) are both KEH BGN lenses. I'm a manual lens junkie; it's very satisfying to build a picture from scratch. There've been a couple more bought since this picture.

Make sure to check how well your focus screen is calibrated before you tear your hair out (there's a good article floating around on how to do it for a D70, but it's the same in all the Nikons). It's pretty common for them to be a little out these days, since MF is not something most people use a lot. A split prism screen is also a cheap and handy upgrade (if you use slow lenses a lot, then maybe not so handy).

 

[maddog10]

KEH is a GREAT place to buy used equipment from. They are VERY conservative when grading. BGN is better than most folks EX.

 

[nickb]

The OP said that he is new to photography. While buying second-hand lenses can work out very well to someone with a lot of experience, I wonder if that is the best route to advise for someone who has limited experience? Buy the wrong manual lens (e.g. non-AI) and it won't mount on a D90 (or might even damage it). Many older manual lenses won't meter with the light meter on the D90, meaning that you are guessing about exposures.

I think that someone just getting started is much better to invest a bit more money into one of the macros I mentioned earlier and learn about how to take good photos. Then, if the photo bug 'bites', you can expand into some of the other interesting options.

 

[tyoberg]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14201619#post14201619 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nickb
The OP said that he is new to photography. While buying second-hand lenses can work out very well to someone with a lot of experience, I wonder if that is the best route to advise for someone who has limited experience? Buy the wrong manual lens (e.g. non-AI) and it won't mount on a D90 (or might even damage it). Many older manual lenses won't meter with the light meter on the D90, meaning that you are guessing about exposures....

Good point. Pre-AI lenses (also called "non-AI") won't mount on the D90 unless it has been AI converted (also called "AI'd"). When you look at the back of the lens, it needs to have that step down on the rear of the aperture ring between 12 o'clock and 3 o'clock.

Non metering isn't really a problem when you have an LCD screen for instant feedback, especially if you have a subject that isn't going anywhere. The camera will have to be set to manual. It's slightly challenging at first, but after a couple minutes of working with it, you'll find it's pretty straight forward.

If you find it doesn't suit you, you can always sell the lens and recover your $$.

 

[maddog10]

Yep, that is a good point!

Was laying out all the options and forgot to mention the pitfalls.