redwatch Posted August 17, 2009 Report Posted August 17, 2009 Hi folks, Got a used D40 over the weekend for next to nothing. After reading endless websites, it seemed like it was a good buy. Love the camera so far. Best thing about these D-SLR's is that the lens definitely makes more of a difference than the body or the mega pixel count. So, my question is, which Macro Lens should I get? 55mm Manual Focus (cheapest option) 60mm Manual Focus 60mm AF-S full auto focus 105mm Manual Focus 105mm AF-S full auto focus Any suggestions, especially from users who have this setup, would be greatly appreciated. Here's a pic of the new toy. Got it with the upgraded VR (Vibration Reduction) 18mm - 55mm AF-S Lens.
redwatch Posted August 17, 2009 Author Report Posted August 17, 2009 Here's a small batch of my first set of pics with the stock kit lens.
lanikai Posted August 17, 2009 Report Posted August 17, 2009 Good Luck;... and congrats Red.. play with the white light and ISO .. better to get it to 200 for close up's have fun tihe your new toy buddy !!! A~C Lani
AllergyDoc Posted August 18, 2009 Report Posted August 18, 2009 I bought my wife a D40 a couple of years ago. I like the images that come out of that camera better than those my D80 produces, at half the cost! I use a Tamron 90 macro lens with my D80. I bought it 2nd hand from Adorma and it's a great lens. If you're never going to use the macro lens as a portrait lens (which you really should do), then get the manual focus. That little 60mm AF-S full auto focus will double as a great little 90mm (equivalent) portrait lens! I use my 50mm 1.8 almost as much as I use my 18-200mm VR.
redwatch Posted August 18, 2009 Author Report Posted August 18, 2009 Thanks for that! I had read that the 60mm AF-S was a great all around lens. Good for macros and great for portrait shots. Some of the user pics on some forums looked quite good from that lens! I was really surprised by it! Is the Tamron full auto? Probably is on the D80 because it can drive the focus ring from the body unlike the D40.
smc Posted August 18, 2009 Report Posted August 18, 2009 105 afs vr if you can afford it I get by with my 70-200 2.8 and an extension tube.
Guest ThePhilosopher Posted August 18, 2009 Report Posted August 18, 2009 I have the 105mm AF Micro on the way.
AllergyDoc Posted August 18, 2009 Report Posted August 18, 2009 Is the Tamron full auto? Probably is on the D80 because it can drive the focus ring from the body unlike the D40. Right. It isn't on the D40.
redwatch Posted August 18, 2009 Author Report Posted August 18, 2009 I found a Tamron 90mm Di which is motor driven and will work with the D40 for $350. Gonna pick it up tomorrow. According to a lot of the reviews I read today, it seems like the Tamron is a little sharper than the Nikon 105mm and a huge favorite! Thanks very much for the tip!
redwatch Posted August 18, 2009 Author Report Posted August 18, 2009 Looks like I misread something somewhere. The Di line of lenses from Tamron will not autofocus with the D40, but since it is such a good price, and I would rather manually focus anyways, I am still going to get the lens. @The Philosopher - Please post pics with the 105 when you get it.
redwatch Posted August 18, 2009 Author Report Posted August 18, 2009 Another new shot with the D40 and the 18mm - 55mm VR Lens
smc Posted August 18, 2009 Report Posted August 18, 2009 Unless you have a split focus ring mirror or whatever it's called ( used to have one in the old days lol) you might find it tricky to truly get what you want in focus. The 105 is useful when not set up on a tripod with a static subject - flowers/bugs/boogers etc and the VR/AF make a world of difference.
Guest ThePhilosopher Posted August 19, 2009 Report Posted August 19, 2009 (edited) Looks like I misread something somewhere. The Di line of lenses from Tamron will not autofocus with the D40, but since it is such a good price, and I would rather manually focus anyways, I am still going to get the lens. @The Philosopher - Please post pics with the 105 when you get it. Unfortunately I ordered the Tamron 90mm by mistake from my wishlist (I had too many things in my temporary list) - it will do just fine I'm sure, and I will most definitely post pics when it and my Nikon kit gets here from Arizona. Trading gear means some down time without a decent camera. A split microprism is almost a necessity for critical manual focus work. I can nail focus with my medium format on a plain focusing screen about 99% of the time because the viewfinder is so large. Edited August 19, 2009 by ThePhilosopher
redwatch Posted August 19, 2009 Author Report Posted August 19, 2009 So i bought the Tamron SP AF 90mm F/2.8 Di Macro yesterday used. I must say, this is an outstanding lens. And I was mistaken again. It is specifically built for the Nikon AF-S system and it does have a built in auto focus motor. It works brilliantly with my D40. Very easy to use, and the auto/manual focus override is quite slick! I would highly recommend this lens to anyone who doesn't want to spend the $900 for the Nikkor 105mm. Here is a shot of the lens: Here are a few test shots. The first one is of my Omega SMP pearl. This shot was shot at F8 This second shot of the same subject was shot at F29 Huge difference to the Depth of Field! Here is a general shot of the top half of the dial. Obviously I should have cleaned the watch first, but I was too excited to start playing with the lens that I completely overlooked that idea!
smc Posted August 19, 2009 Report Posted August 19, 2009 Macro photography rocks. Now you get to see how dirty your watches really are.
redwatch Posted August 19, 2009 Author Report Posted August 19, 2009 Yes, it is a lot of fun! I can't wait to start playing around with the light box and copy stand that I have at home with my lights and this lens!
redwatch Posted August 20, 2009 Author Report Posted August 20, 2009 Thanks! So far I love the lens! It is incredibly sharp. Just have to keep it on a tripod for the most part. Hard to keep my hands still enough not to cause the focus to go out! Here's a strange shot I took today of my Cartier. Not sure how I did this. This one was with out a tripod. Just playing around, holding above the watch. I saw a really cool little reflection on the top left corner so I tried to capture it. This was the result (absolutely no photoshop or other software editing!) 1
freddy333 Posted August 20, 2009 Report Posted August 20, 2009 Excellent work, Red. The D40 was 1 of the cameras I was considering.
Guest ThePhilosopher Posted August 21, 2009 Report Posted August 21, 2009 A proper shot with my D200 and Tamron 90mm Macro of my Milgauss, I'm still adjusting to using the Nikon over the Olympus:
redwatch Posted August 21, 2009 Author Report Posted August 21, 2009 Very cool Philospher! Here's a couple more fun macro's: Shutter - 10 sec, Aperture F20 Shutter - 30 sec, Aperture F51 Shutter - 1/1.6 sec, Aperture F20
redwatch Posted September 1, 2009 Author Report Posted September 1, 2009 Another new lens arrived today! The Nikon 35mm F/1.8 AF-S prime lens. This thing is stunning! I will post some pics soon. It's incredibly fast and perfect for indoor, no flash, low lighting shots.
dbutlerman Posted September 1, 2009 Report Posted September 1, 2009 Hey Red - Is this the one that Autofocuses? What made you go with this one over the 50mm prime?
redwatch Posted September 1, 2009 Author Report Posted September 1, 2009 Here's a quick wrist shot with the new lens. Here's my shooting area when I am at work. Nothing to look at but the pic's seem to turn out pretty decent.
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