Macro Lens or Extension Tubes?

[SarahAllman]

Hi,

I have a Nikon D3100 and I'm heading off to Madagascar in September, and I'd love to get some real close ups of the insects out there.

I don't really know very much about Macro Photography, and I'm struggling with whether I should buy a set of extension tubes or an actual Macro lens.

Help! And recommendations would be greatly appreciated, both for lenses and tubes!

Thanks!!

[Troy]

Hi Sarah! Well i own a set of extension tubes and can tell you they are very difficult to use. The focus distance is so close, and the amount of light you lose means you really need a tripod to take anything decent.

If you can afford it, i'd definitely suggest you get the macro lens. The 40mm macro is a very good lens at a great price, but for insects it's perhaps a little close. I'd look at the Nikon 105mm (if you can push that far), the Sigma 105mm or the Tamron 90mm. All three are excellent, and all three will give great results. The Nikon is the best of the bunch, but you pay the premium for that. The Tamron is a great price, and is a highly regarded lens, but it has a few minor drawbacks.

[simon3116]

You could also try using a set of these :http://www.srb-griturn.com/close-up-lens-sets-347-p.asp

They screw onto the front of your lens, just choose the filter size for the lens that you already have. You could also try older second hand macro lenses. You may loose auto metering with the D3100 (check this on google) but you can with a bit of practice you can learn to calculate the exposure yourself. Auto focus isn't something you should worry too much about as you normally move the camera and lens slowly back and forwards to get the best macro shots of insects as they tend to move around about and you'll find your auto focus system hunting for focus.

The other good thing about macro lenses is that they can also be used as portrait lenses as well as the normally have fast apertures.

[SarahAllman]

Thanks!! I think I'm gonna go for the 105mm Nikon, it's expensive but I think it'll definitely be worth it!

[ALwin]

Thanks!! I think I'm gonna go for the 105mm Nikon, it's expensive but I think it'll definitely be worth it!

The 105 f/2.8G Nikon macro lens is a very good lens, but also very big on a camera body like the D3100.

Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, all of them offer very good quality Nikon compatible macro lenses with a similar focal length and their prices are lower than the Nikon. But just because they are cheaper does not mean their image quality is also lower, the differences in image quality is hardly noticeable.

But before you buy the 105mm Nikon lens or any macro lens, check out this link: http://craftandvision.com/
They just released a new E-Book called 'Up Close'. A very good read for macro photographers, especially for those starting out.

[Troy]

Reading up on the subject will help a lot, especially with something as complicated as macro photography.

The 105mm is a truly brilliant lens though, and it's uses go far beyond macro photography.