Macro lens for DX Nikon

[ApertureGirl]

For the last few months I've really taken to shooting close up's of flowers/plants. I have used either my 35mm f1.8 prime lens or my 18-55mm kit lens. These lenses are OK but I often end up cropping the picture post capture to really focus on the detail of the flower. I'm therefore thinking of purchasing a macro lens but not sure what to go for. I've looked at the Nikon 40mm f2.8, which has the following: picture angle 38 degrees 50'; closest focus 0.163m/0.53ft; max reproduction ration 1x.

Would anyone be able to explain the specifications highlighted in red a bit more, and also what a specific macro lens can offer that the current lenses above that I am using don't - I would like to not have to crop pictures post-capture but fill the frame with the close up of the flower detail.

Any advice would be welcome,
Many thanks

[ALwin]

I can explain some things you need to know when doing macros and what it means on lenses.

Reproduction ratio can also be referred to as magnification factor. Typical lenses even at their high magnification factor only capture a scaled down size of the subject being photographed on the sensor. If you take a full body portrait of a person standing up, the height of the person in real life is 6 feet but on the sensor that person's height may only be 1.5cm tall. However most macro lenses are able to get 1x or 1:1 ratio, meaning if you are taking a photo of a postage stamp that is 1cm height x 1cm width, at 1:1 (or 1x ratio) the captured image will also be 1cm x 1cm on the sensor. But of course that means you need to bring the subject as close to the lens as possible to keep the same dimensions.

Closest focus distance, this means how close you can bring a subject to the camera (and front of the lens) and still be able to focus.

Picture angle, it just means the angle of field of view, usually measured in diagonal of 1 corner to opposite corner. A wide angle lens usually covers 127 degrees of view, a fisheye such as the 16 or 10.5mm can cover close to 180 degrees.

Short focal length macro lenses such as the 40mm and 60mm, their closest focusing distance which is also the focus distance that they can provide 1x reproduction ratio is usually too close to the front glass element of the lens. A good macro lens that can be versatile enough to cover a broad range of uses would be within the 80mm - 120mm range.

[ApertureGirl]

Many thanks for the explanation, that is really useful and helps explain what a macro lens can offer. The bit about the focal length is helpful too, Nikon do an 85mm macro DX lens which I think would perhaps be a better investment.

Much Appreciatec ALwin.

[ALwin]

You're welcome. However if I may offer some more advice: if you are thinking of going to Full Frame format in the future, I would recommend these lenses instead of the Nikon 85 macro.

1) Tokina 100 mm macro
2) Sigma 105 mm macro
3) Nikon 105 AF-D macro (not the new VR one), you can find the 105 AF-D second hand for a good price.

All three lenses are stellar, perform just as well as a Nikon lens and the costs are low.