Hi. I just found NPN and have gotten a ton of information from this site. I can’t wait until Christmas when I get to become a member as one of my presents. But for now, I need some help. I usually do nature photography of landscapes, but I want to do more animal and insect work. So needless to say my Nikon 35-80mm lens (Nikon N60 camera) doesn’t work well for this. I’ve been looking around and think the following might be good choices. Are they? Any help is greatly appreciated Money is tight so I need a good lens for the price.
Insect & close-up shots:
Nikon Normal Macro 60mm f/2.8D AF Micro Nikkor Autofocus Lens
I can usually get from 1-3ft away. I would like the insects to be the focal point, not the blurred leaves around them. Examples (check link below): camouflage, hiding, moss (pictures 3, 4, & 17)
Animal and bird shots:
Nikon Zoom Telephoto AF Zoom Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G Autofocus Lens
If you want to see what I usually do, check out the page I just put together so my husband can see what I’ve been doing.
http://www.wildlotusgifts.com/artwork/photos.html
Thank you,
Shannon
Posted by Jim Erhardt on November 8, 2006 at 11:21 AM
Shannon, welcome to NPN! For macro work, get the longest focal length you can afford. This will alow greater working distances from the subject. 100mm lenses are nice, as are lenses in the 180 to 200mm range. The Sigma macro lenses are very highly rated and cost less than the Nikkors.
Animals and birds become a bigger proposition. The 75-300 will get you started, but you may quickly outgrow it. If you can find a 300 f/4 or 400 f/5.6 (non zoom) lens within your budget, that would be even better.
And of course, you will need a tripod for any of them!
Posted by Rod Barbee on November 8, 2006 at 11:29 AM
Hi Shannon.
I'll echo what Jim says.
For the insects and close up shots I'd also recommend you save some money and get the Nikon 5T and 6T supplementary close up lenses (often called diopters) to use with the 70-300. They run aobut $40-50 each. These things look like filters and the screw in to the front of your lens like a filter but they act like magnifying glasses for your zoom lens. These are high quality pieces of glass and will yield some high quality images.
The 60mm macro doesn't give you enough working distance. In other words, you'll have to get closer to your subjects. Plants don't usually care but insects might skitter away. Plus, the 60mm doesn't give you the background control that a longer lens will give you.
The 70-300 will be an ok starter lens for birds and wildlife. The AF isn't the fastest and neither is the aperture, especially at 300mm. But it does get you out there, especially if you're shooting digital. Plus it's lightweight and versatile. I have an earlier version of this lens that I use when I need to go light and I've gotten some good results with it. Combine it with the diopters mentioned above and you have a pretty decent lightweight macro set up as well.
Hi Shannon! Good advise above. I have the Nikkor 70-300 lens that you mentioned. I rarely use it. The autofocus is very slow. Although Rod says it would be an OK starter, I hesitate to even give that much of an endorsement of it. I use it ocassionally for landscapes, such as a sunset image. You could use it for close ups with the diopters as he mentioned though.
For macro work I have the Sigma 105mm macro lens which I love. I don't do that much macro work though, and end up using it for an intimate landscape lens. Sigma I think has a 180mm macro and probably longer ones also. I would check into those.
Good luck, and looking forward to seeing some of your images on NPN!
I looked at your web site, and I think you might like a 200mm macro lens. I bought an old used one from my D70, and I love it.
When buying used lens, I like to be able to see and handle them first. There are lots of older lens on the market now. It's still very fine glass when it comes to old Nikkor lens, but you don't get the automatic focusing and you set the exposure settings yourself. All manual settings isn't good for birds but it works out in most cases for macro shots.
Regards,
Paula
Thanks for all the help guys. I added your suggestions to my list for later on.
Jim - one of the first things I bought was a good tripod; along with the Nikon N60, 35-80mm lens, and camera bag. Unfortunately, the budget is EXTREMELY tight right now, so I’ll add those to my list to look at later.
Rod - That’s a great idea. I did a search and most places have discontinued the 5T & 6T. Would a Canon 500D be good? If so, I think I'll end up getting the 70-300mm lense and the Canon 500D. That sounds like it will hold me over for awhile
Posted by Jim Erhardt on November 10, 2006 at 8:15 AM
Discussion
6 repliesInsect & close-up shots:
Nikon Normal Macro 60mm f/2.8D AF Micro Nikkor Autofocus Lens
I can usually get from 1-3ft away. I would like the insects to be the focal point, not the blurred leaves around them. Examples (check link below): camouflage, hiding, moss (pictures 3, 4, & 17)
Animal and bird shots:
Nikon Zoom Telephoto AF Zoom Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G Autofocus Lens
If you want to see what I usually do, check out the page I just put together so my husband can see what I’ve been doing.
http://www.wildlotusgifts.com/artwork/photos.html
Thank you,
Shannon
Animals and birds become a bigger proposition. The 75-300 will get you started, but you may quickly outgrow it. If you can find a 300 f/4 or 400 f/5.6 (non zoom) lens within your budget, that would be even better.
And of course, you will need a tripod for any of them!
I'll echo what Jim says.
For the insects and close up shots I'd also recommend you save some money and get the Nikon 5T and 6T supplementary close up lenses (often called diopters) to use with the 70-300. They run aobut $40-50 each. These things look like filters and the screw in to the front of your lens like a filter but they act like magnifying glasses for your zoom lens. These are high quality pieces of glass and will yield some high quality images.
The 60mm macro doesn't give you enough working distance. In other words, you'll have to get closer to your subjects. Plants don't usually care but insects might skitter away. Plus, the 60mm doesn't give you the background control that a longer lens will give you.
The 70-300 will be an ok starter lens for birds and wildlife. The AF isn't the fastest and neither is the aperture, especially at 300mm. But it does get you out there, especially if you're shooting digital. Plus it's lightweight and versatile. I have an earlier version of this lens that I use when I need to go light and I've gotten some good results with it. Combine it with the diopters mentioned above and you have a pretty decent lightweight macro set up as well.
For macro work I have the Sigma 105mm macro lens which I love. I don't do that much macro work though, and end up using it for an intimate landscape lens. Sigma I think has a 180mm macro and probably longer ones also. I would check into those.
Good luck, and looking forward to seeing some of your images on NPN!
I looked at your web site, and I think you might like a 200mm macro lens. I bought an old used one from my D70, and I love it.
When buying used lens, I like to be able to see and handle them first. There are lots of older lens on the market now. It's still very fine glass when it comes to old Nikkor lens, but you don't get the automatic focusing and you set the exposure settings yourself. All manual settings isn't good for birds but it works out in most cases for macro shots.
Regards,
Paula
Jim - one of the first things I bought was a good tripod; along with the Nikon N60, 35-80mm lens, and camera bag. Unfortunately, the budget is EXTREMELY tight right now, so I’ll add those to my list to look at later.
Rod - That’s a great idea. I did a search and most places have discontinued the 5T & 6T. Would a Canon 500D be good? If so, I think I'll end up getting the 70-300mm lense and the Canon 500D. That sounds like it will hold me over for awhile