D40 Macro lens..

[martin99]

Hi Guys,,

I know this has been asked before, but new lenses seem to appear every month, so here we go again,

I need a macro lens for the D40 to photograph insects, what does the panel recommend with the best price/performance ratio?

TIA

martin

[Yandros]

You've got the good old D40 'lack of screw drive' problem to contend with I'm afraid.

There are 5 choices I reckon...

Tamron 90mm £249
Sigma 105mm £253
Sigma 150mm £389
Tokina 100mm £299
Nikon 105mm VR £489

The best optically is the Nikon. The only one that autofocuses on the D40 is the Nikon. The only one with VR is the Nikon. If you can afford it, get the Nikon!!!

If you can't, and don't mind manual focus, get the Tamron 90mm

I own the Nikon 105VR macro, and LOVELY, but then I've also seen countless fabulous shots with the Tamron.

[charliecossie]

The Sigma 150 is an HSM design so will autofocus on the D40.
Photozone rates the IQ as good as the Nikon.
VR is not a huge help for macro photography IMO.
The Sigma has rather more reach than the others (=greater working distance).
The Sigma can be used with the 1.4x and 2x Sigma tele-converters.

If I had 500 quid to spend on a macro, and I had a D40, I'd be looking very closely at the Sigma.

[Yandros]

Originally Posted by charliecossie

The Sigma 150 is an HSM design so will autofocus on the D40.
Photozone rates the IQ as good as the Nikon.
VR is not a huge help for macro photography IMO.
The Sigma has rather more reach than the others (=greater working distance).
The Sigma can be used with the 1.4x and 2x Sigma tele-converters.

If I had 500 quid to spend on a macro, and I had a D40, I'd be looking very closely at the Sigma.

Interesting. Didn't know the 150mm was HSM The length would be EXTREMELY useful for bugs as you say. VR is very useful for NEAR macro ranges (say about 1:3)

[jomike]

I wouldn't worry too much about the focussing issue if you mainly intend shooting macro with the lens as you will always use manual focus anyway. For insect macros, you want the longest focal length you can afford. This will give you the maximum distance from the bug to avoid scaring it. I find my Tamron 90mm is sometimes a bit limiting in this regard, and I fall back on my Sigma 70-300 APO in macro mode in these instances. I use manual focus on both when shooting macro, as well as a tripod if possible with the Sigma.

You can buy both the Tamron 90 and the Sigma 70-300 APO for about the same price as the Sigma 150, and a lot less than the Nikon 105 VR.

Mike