Macro lens and spot light

chuck eastwood

Hi all, Wondering if any of you fine and wonderful people could help me out. I have a Nikon D80 and i want to take some close up pics of toy cars flowers, figuriens etc but I'm only an armature at best. I am happy to spend hours playing about with the equipment i have but when it comes to buying new lenses it can be a bit daunting. Basically i want a new macro lens and a spot light with a mid range budget of course. The only lens i have at the mo is a 18-200 vr which is useless up close. Any ideas with be gratefully appreciated

Nforce

Cheapest option's are close up filters and extension tubes (work reasonably well on a cheap 50mm f1.8).

Tiriel

Would this be a help?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Close-Up-Lens-Set-Canon-EF-50mm-f-1-8-II-/190418514053?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraLensesFilters_JN&hash=item2c55d3f085

Kintarō Hattori

If you don't want to spend a few hundred euro on a macro lens OP you could always look at an older manual focus macro lens. I'm not familiar with Nikon lenses myself but there must be something compatible with your camera from 20-30 years ago.

For example the photos in the link below were taken with an old Pentax lens (at least 30 years old) that I picked up for a tenner.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/liamandagnieszka/sets/72157614940132266

Tiriel

Cork_girl wrote: »

Would this be a help?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Close-Up-Lens-Set-Canon-EF-50mm-f-1-8-II-/190418514053?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraLensesFilters_JN&hash=item2c55d3f085

Oops sorry - missed the Nikon bit!!:o

Kintarō Hattori

Cork_girl wrote: »

Oops sorry - missed the Nikon bit!!:o

hehe just link to a Nikon set then- I'm sure there must be one! I'll edit this post if you do! hehe

kittykrazy

I got a Sigma 70-300 4-5.6 APO DG macro for €99 from Conns second hand with 1yrs warranty. It's not super amazing because it has a long focal distance (I think that's the term) and no vibration reduction and no HSM but it works and I like the colours. I figure this will work with a tripod until I can afford a super prime macro.

Heebie

Wow.. that €10 macro lens is pretty awesome! It's a Tamron? What model Tamron? (I've got a 70-300mm Tamron Macro-zoom lens... but I bought it new, so it wasn't a tenner!) and where'd you pick it up for a tenner! it might be worth going there to grab some glass! =D

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

If you don't want to spend a few hundred euro on a macro lens OP you could always look at an older manual focus macro lens. I'm not familiar with Nikon lenses myself but there must be something compatible with your camera from 20-30 years ago.

For example the photos in the link below were taken with an old Pentax lens (at least 30 years old) that I picked up for a tenner.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/liamandagnieszka/sets/72157614940132266

Heebie

I think the term you're looking for there might be minimum focusing distance. (the closest something can be to the lens in order for the lens to focus on this.) You can reduce this with an extension tube. (I miss the 2CM super-macro focus on my Fuji bridge camera!)

kittykrazy wrote: »

long focal distance (I think that's the term)

Kintarō Hattori

Heebie wrote: »

Wow.. that €10 macro lens is pretty awesome! It's a Tamron? What model Tamron? (I've got a 70-300mm Tamron Macro-zoom lens... but I bought it new, so it wasn't a tenner!) and where'd you pick it up for a tenner! it might be worth going there to grab some glass! =D

Yeah it's not too shabby. It's the 35-70mm CF Macro. I got it on Adverts, one of the chaps from the photography forum was selling it. You can find it on eBay from time to time. While not quite €10 there I have seen it going for around the €30-40 mark.