help me spend my money for a macro lens

heartyfisher

I have the 150 sigma .. mainly for insects .. i use it with my DX cameras exactly because of the increased DOF
If I were to do product shots I would go with the 60mm. Yes there is less room but a ring flash and a light box is great for this .. the perspective from the shorter focal length I find very appealing for product shots.

WestEndBoy

I have been thinking of the ring flash, but my thinking has evolved more towards a combination of off-camera flash on light stands and the RRS setup for moving the flash more off camera.

Not sure yet though.......

And heartyfisher, your perspective point is a good one. I am going to think about that.

Maybe I will get the 200mm and the 85mm Micro PC. The reproduction ratio is only 0.5 but perhaps good enough in a controlled environment and get that perspective. I have been thinking about this lens for its perspective control (though the 24mm for architecture is higher on my list).

So much to buy..............oh well, no hurry.

mikep

i am using a d700, , but i may sell it and get a d800 for this, i think the extra cropping potential could be very useful

sevencrossing

< and i would like the option to have either a shallow DOF, or the whole product in focus should i choose

correct me if i am wrong, but wont a bellows solution create the same issue, ie increasing the focal length and shortening the DOF in the process? and also, the bellows i have seen only go back and forth, and do not offer the tilt/shift function ?

DOF is a function of focal length, nothing to do with bellows
It is an issue with all close up and macro photography
If you stop down to f 32 you may get some diffraction issues I suggest f16 or f22 with the 105

if you are doing a lot of product shots, unless you are being paid a lot for your time, forget bellows and forget tilt shift

The 105 f 2.8 is very good all rounder, at a sensible price. The Vr is useful for wild life in the field, It is excellent for most product photography and can be used as a portrait lens . it is sharper and has less distortion than the 70 -200

Camera shake can be a big problem with macro. easily solved in the studio, with flash ( look up "studio in a box")

Rather than tilt shift, I use manual, "vertical lens correction" in Lightroom; but shoot wide, as you will need to crop, as the image will be trapezoid

( Msmoto will tell it you LR is not the same as tilt shift and she is of course correct. but LR is good enough for most stuff. If you want to do a proper job get a Cambo )

i am using a d700, , but i may sell it and get a d800 for this, i think the extra cropping potential could be very useful -

spot on

proudgeek

@proudgeek - just photoshop. I started out by following this tutorial:

Sorry to hijack your thread Mike. Elvis, I don't have Photoshop, but I've been looking at some other stacking programs, like Zerene. Any thoughts on those?

paulr

Funny old thing doing `"Macro work", So many lenses, each one offering a different type of macro opportunity.
If I am being paid to do product shots which I do, I use the Schneider 90 PC TS lens , It's the only lens that allows both Tilt and Shift at the same time, If I am playing, I uses the old Nikon 60 mm 2.8 D lens, If its outside with insects I use the Nikon 200 F4 and If I want to get really close i use the Nikon PB-6 Bellows with the PB6-E extension plus the Nikkor-P 1.4 105 Bellows lens. Sorry to say but the Schneider 90 Lens is in a league of its own when used for product work. Needless to say I use manual focus settings in all macro Work.

Elvishefer

@proudgeek - I've only used photoshop, but there's probably a single-purpose software out there that does it better. I just used what was in front of me.

PB_PM

So I stand by my original comment. The 105 has a cheap plasticky feel.

The outer cover is plastic, over a magnesium alloy shell, just like the D800 and D4. The design is superior to the metal outer barrel, because it is less likely to chip and show ware. Believe me if you use the 105mm F2.8G in cold weather outside without gloves the metal will draw the heat from your hands like a vacuum sucking dust.

Photobug

The 105 is an excellent macro lens. Really love it. Check out my three Amaryllis shots posted in PAD the last 3 days. Here is another one for you.

Photobug

Finally if you are serious about macro you absolutely need to buy the RRS focusing rail. It looks like this:





This saves you lots of time in moving the tripod. Just use the thumb screws to move the camera back and forth.

dissent

Sorry to hijack your thread Mike. Elvis, I don't have Photoshop, but I've been looking at some other stacking programs, like Zerene. Any thoughts on those?

+1 for Zerene

TaoTeJared

I have the 60mm & 105vr and both are great. The real difference is the compression of the image. The 60 will give you a more natural look of the subject where the 105 will pull the backgrounds and exaggerate them larger a bit. Two different feels.

I have used the Tokina 100mm, Tamron 90mm and the Sigma 105 and all were great. The Tokina was really sharp. All macros from every brand are top notch are are just as good as the Nikkors. If you are looking to save some $$ macros are a great spot to do it. Reason I went with the Nikkors is due to me dual using them as portrait lenses.

hawkdl2

Mikep, you don't mention what body you are using, but one way to increase DoF is to use a crop sensor, which also turns that 105 into a 158.

Wouldn't moving back from the object using FF to fill the "crop" portion of the sensor, then cropping give you the same image as well as more room for lighting and more DOF at the same aperture?

NSXTypeR

Another vote for the 105mm macro from me. As far as build quality is concerned, to me it is top notch. I think you'd be a bit disappointed if you expected it to be built from one piece of metal. There certainly is a lot of metal in the construction, but a fair bit of plastic too. But then again, unless you buy the old school manual focus type Nikkors, you're going to run into plastic with any high end Nikkor lens. Even the 58mm 1.4 probably has a good bit of plastic on it. That being said, this is the most tankish of my lenses and by far the heaviest.

A couple of my shots- I love bugs and flowers.











If money was not an issue for you, get the 200mm f4. But the VR is helpful and nice to have.

WestEndBoy

The favorite lens in my collection.

WestEndBoy

So I stand by my original comment. The 105 has a cheap plasticky feel.

The outer cover is plastic, over a magnesium alloy shell, just like the D800 and D4. The design is superior to the metal outer barrel, because it is less likely to chip and show ware. Believe me if you use the 105mm F2.8G in cold weather outside without gloves the metal will draw the heat from your hands like a vacuum sucking dust.

Hmmm.....I was using my metal 135mm suring last week's cold spell and was fine. Maybe you are talking about colder than minus 5 Celsius.

Perhaps my disdain for the plastic coverings on the newer Nikon lenses is unjustified. But when I hold my 85 1.4G I think "nice optics" but otherwise meh. When I hold my 50mm 1.2 or 135 DC 2.0 or a Schneider, Zeiss or Leica lens, I cannot resist the urge to play with it.

WestEndBoy

Funny old thing doing `"Macro work", So many lenses, each one offering a different type of macro opportunity.
If I am being paid to do product shots which I do, I use the Schneider 90 PC TS lens , It's the only lens that allows both Tilt and Shift at the same time, If I am playing, I uses the old Nikon 60 mm 2.8 D lens, If its outside with insects I use the Nikon 200 F4 and If I want to get really close i use the Nikon PB-6 Bellows with the PB6-E extension plus the Nikkor-P 1.4 105 Bellows lens. Sorry to say but the Schneider 90 Lens is in a league of its own when used for product work. Needless to say I use manual focus settings in all macro Work.

Do you think the Nikon extension tubes would add value to the 200mm F4?

PB_PM

Perhaps my disdain for the plastic coverings on the newer Nikon lenses is unjustified. But when I hold my 85 1.4G I think "nice optics" but otherwise meh. When I hold my 50mm 1.2 or 135 DC 2.0 or a Schneider, Zeiss or Leica lens, I cannot resist the urge to play with it.

I guess that's the difference between us, when I'm shooting the subject is what I think about, not the gear.

Do I like the feel and operation of a well made lens? Yes. Does it make a difference once I'm in the field? Not really.

WestEndBoy

PB_PM said:

"I guess that's the difference between us, when I'm shooting the subject is what I think about, not the gear."


That is an erroneous assumption.

PB_PM

Perhaps, but I can only go on what you say here.

paulr

Sorry jshickele I forgot to mention them, I have a full set of extension tubes and the 50 mm reversing adapter for the 50 mm lens. I do mix and match lenses and generally see what works best for a particular image.I have stacking software but rarely use it, It is too time consuming for commercial work.
Regardless of lenses used and I think it,s a personal choice, The best investment for Macro work is a solid Tripod, So Mikep., even more money to spend, and types of Tripod is a whole subjective matter in it's own right.
In answer to your question regarding the Nikon 200 F4, yes the extension rings brings subjects closer, but DoF reduces,
I find the shortest ER is the best, when used with the 200 lens depending on subject.

Clearly subject matter has a bearing on what Macro lens to use, Part of the fun is using your equipment to get the best results,and in truth, don't use the word Macro as an excuse to buy yet another piece of equipment!!!!

EiTaro

I also had the same dilemma a few weeks ago. The 105 overlap a great deal with 70-200 and couldn't justify its cost. So I end up with Canon 77mm 500D Close-up Lens and I'm very pleased with the results, since I don't take a lot of macro photos.

WestEndBoy

Perhaps, but I can only go on what you say here.

Then do that please. Nowhere did I say "that". Liking gear does not mean I only think about gear and not the subject.

Golf007sd

@mikep: A few questions for you buddy: Do you have a set budget? Besides macro work will you have any intentions of using this outside its intended purpose? That is to say, would you be willing to take this lens and have it be the only lens to use through out the day? Have you ever used a macro lens? Lastly, do have the ability to rent these in your area or do you have a camera shop by you to go and test some out?

@Elvishefer: Outstanding job...well done!!!!
@proudgeek: Nice work.

mikep

@mikep: A few questions for you buddy: Do you have a set budget? Besides macro work will you have any intentions of using this outside its intended purpose? That is to say, would you be willing to take this lens and have it be the only lens to use through out the day? Have you ever used a macro lens? Lastly, do have the ability to rent these in your area or do you have a camera shop by you to go and test some out?

yes, i think renting is going to be essential in this situation, its just so hard to judge, and yes i have found somewhere i can rent all these lenses, so thats good news

i am really leaning towards a tilt-shift, as id just rather be able to choose razor thin focus, or all in focus, at my convenience. the 105 clearly takes excellent images, and is a great price, however from what i can see the DOF is just going to be too thin for the times i dont want it to be too thin

i think i am going to have to rent them and do some tests !