i want to get a macro lens and need help

[piticu]

it looks like i need your help one more time guys: last year i started to shoot all kinds of insect around my town and at this point i'm not satisfied with my close focus lenses and i want to get an real macro lens. i shoot mostly at f13-f22, so i don't need a fast lens. also the price will be quite important. i've tried my brother nikkor AF micro 105mm f2.8 and i've been quite impressed but it's too damn expensive for me.

do you have any advice about what should i look for?

[Attila]

Nikkor 55mm f3.5 NON-AI
Olympus OM 55mm f3.5
Volna-9

They are cheapest and seriously good ones.

http://www.mflenses.com/gallery/v/top_lenses/macro/


Btw: All real macro lens are good even the third party ones Vivitar, Tokina, Phoenix etc.

[no-X]

Depends on price and other preferences. The cheapest way are enlarger lenses on belows/helicoids. Good models can be better than the famous Zeiss Mikrotar - and MUCH cheaper.

[Orio]

Industar-61 can be even cheaper.

But the cheapest of all would be to connect a M42 tele lens that you have, with extension tubes - usually a set of tubes for M42 is sold at around 20 Euros sometimes less.

[patrickh]

All three suggestions are excellent and I would add a reversing ring to the equation. That is probably the cheapest solution and will give spectacular results with regular lenses that you probably already have. Then there is the unexpected bargain - I recently got a $15 novoflex bellows with specialized Steinheil 105/3.5. I find searching ebay with "macro" is pretty good as a guide.


patrickh

[Big Dawg]

Vivitar Series 1 105mm f/2.5 1:1 macro.

[F16SUNSHINE]

For the cheapest method of course Orio has it.
Extension tubes will get you in close. As you say you always stop way down.
Things become quite even in terms of IQ with modern coated lenses once you pass f8 (at least for sharpness).

There are some beautiful 1:2 50ish lenses available. Attila mentions one of my favorites the Zuiko 3.5/55.
The Nikon I have not owned.
My favorite of all cheap 50's is the Yashica ML 4/55. I will say Zeiss quality with no hesitation.
Not always easy to find.

Try the tubes first. You will be happy with the results for sure.

[ChrisLilley]

[patrickh]

The Viv, Kiron, Tokina and Tamron 90 -105 / 2.5or2.8 have all become pretty expensive, usually well over $100+. The nikkor 105/4 is also relatively expensive and harder to find. My personal favourite of those suggested as purely macro lenses is the nikkor 55/3.5. You can find it relatively often on fleabay and it is not very expensive (often less than $50). It will give you 1:2 without extension and 1:1 with a smallish extension. It is extremely sharp and pretty good as a regular lens. All in all it would be a very good option.


patrickh

[kds315*]

I would personally remind the working distance. If you have sensitive insects, the 100mm range should be favourized over the 50/60mm range. Reversing a lens leads to quite short working distances, so you may end up having a nice setup, but your targets are away!!

In the 100mm range, the Yashica 3.5/100mm is outstanding, the old Pentax 4/100mm Macro is excellent and cheap (both the bellows head and the one with focussing helicoid). I'm not a fan of using bellows outside, to clumsy to use and a nightmare if it rains. A lens with long focusing helicoid up to 1:1 is simply ideal for that. And if you need more magnification, a achromatic lens in front brings that easily.

I quite some stuff sitting around, if you give me some budget value, I can look around for you....if you like.

[Jieffe]

Before finding a Tamron 90mm, I used a regular 135mm on bellows/extension rings. That gave me enough distance from shy (or dangerous) insects while retaining a sufficient magnification factor.

[alex]

Among the small clutch of Yashica lenses mentioned, all good, don't overlook the 55/2.8 ML, which is excellent.

[piticu]

Thank you all my friends. For now i've bid on a nikkor micro 55 3.5 plus a 2x tc, but i'm worried about the working distance, as Klaus mentioned. I'll let you know what's going on and post some samples as soon as i got any. Again many thanks.

[Olivier]

I'm waiting for an Industar-61 L/Z 50mm Macro f2.8.
Minimum focus at 0,30m.

I got it for 39 US$ (25 €).

http://www.mflenses.com/index.php/Industar/Industar-61L/Z-50mm-f/2.8-Macro-Lens-Review.html

[Screamin Scott]

Klaus has pretty much nailed what I was going to say, but another tidbit is the fact that the true macro lenses offer variable magnification ratios. An extension tube ,close up diopter, etc only offer one fixed magnification & in order to change that, you need to add or remove tubes, filters etc., which when shooting bugs & other mobile creature, variable magnification is a godsend. With it, you can control your composition easily. I have the gauntlet of devices for macro & other than a true macro lens, the only other device that offers this flexibility is a macro converter (meant to be used with a standard 50mm lens) like the 2X Vivitar macro converter (there are others as well). It involves a small trade of in IQ but you get to life sized or anything in between & most 50mm lenses are among the sharpest, inexpensive lenses that you can get, so the IQ trade off is minimal. The most important aspect of macro is developing a proper technique, without it, no gear will get you good results irregardless who makes it & how good it is.