Help with macro lens explaination

Submitted by bilkon on Sun, 07/18/2010 - 05:31

Hey everyone, i'm an amature photographer, actually got my D90 a little under a month ago, first DSLR and im still learning. Im picking up pretty quickly on all the different kinds of basic and prime lenses, and fisheyes, but i just cant figure out macro. I mean, there are 60mm prime macros and then huge zoom macros and i just dont know, first the difference besides zoom, whether they are 1:1 and what that ratio really means, and any recomendations on a good solid amature macro lens? Thanks


Comments

You're right to be confused.

Submitted by David Cardinal on Thu, 09/02/2010 - 01:29.

You're right to be confused. Traditionally the designation macro was reserved for lenses where the final reproduction ratio was 1:1 or greater. But then it got used as a marketing term for many close-focusing lenses.

The high-end dedicated macro lenses are awesome (whether 60, 85 or 105, etc.) but expensive.

If what you need is close focusing and you can live with some cropping modern lens designs allow even consumer lenses to get much closer than earlier models.

I've always liked my Nikon 24-85 with "macro mode" even though it is not a dedicated macro lens. If you don't want to spend that much then start by checking the minimum focus distance (MFD) on some consumer zooms and one that goes way close may accomplish what you need.

--David Cardinal Cardinal Photo