Macro Lenses ?

Hi everyone, I'm in the market for a macro lense. I shoot with a Nikon D90(APS-C) sensor. Intrested in trying some close-up photography and would also like to use it for portraits.

Looking at the following:
Sigma 105mm f/2.8
Tokina 100mm f/2.8
Tamron 90mm f/2.8

I'm kind of leaning towards the Tokina or Tamron. Simply based on the slow focusing reviews I have read on the Sigma.

Any help on this decision would be appreciated.

Happy Holidays everyone.

You have no interest in the Nikkor 105 f/2.8 micro? I've heard nothing but rave reviews and seen nothing but amazing photos with it and plan on picking one up early next year.

I have the Nikkor 105 f/2.8 micro. It costs a little more but I feel it was worth the money. It's very sharp and I use it for a lot of different things.

I am a fan of the Tamron line of lenses.

I am an owner of their 90 mm and 180 mm macro lenses.

Their results are quite comparative to the Canon and Nikon macro lenses.

Depending on how much money you have to spend and whether or not you must own Nikon I would recommend that you find an independent local dealer who will at least allow you to take the lens for a spin.

Go with the Tamron f/2.0 60mm. It is a lot of lens for the money and Tamron is currently offering a rebate on the lens. I love mine and you won't find a faster lens in that focal length. Good luck.

I can't comment on the three lenses you listed, I use Nikon 105mm and 200mm macro lenses. I would like to advise against dismissing the Sigma lens because of focusing speed. With macro photography the DOF is so narrow that you're better off focusing manually. I think focusing speed is a non-issue.

Cheers,
Mark

I happen to own the Sigma 150mm F/2.8 macro lens. I've used this lens with a Nikon D80, D300 and D700. I agree with the focusing not be an issue as I use it manually such as an earlier post suggested. This lens was recommended to me by a friend that shoots canon lenses and he himself preferred it. I have used numerous macro Nikon lenses but found for the price this does a great job for me. The next closest would be the Nikon 200mm but the price was considerably more. I payed about $550 for mine and it was bought and is used for strictly macro work. It is the only non-nikon lens in my bag... Hope this helps...

All three of those lenses are good. Actually, there is not a bad macro lens from a major manufacturer on the market today.

With regards to the slow focusing of the Sigma, I would not worry too much about that if the lens will be heavily used for macro. Once you get near 1:2 (half life size), you'll be manual focussing a lot anyway.

Also, if insects are on your list, get the longest lens you can afford. The above mentioned 60mm, while a good lens, is just too short at 1:1. You'll scare too many critters away. The longer lenses also allow far more control of the backgrounds (think creamy smooth color washes).

The Sigma 150 may be the sharpest macro on the market. Keep in mid that this is someone who maintains a small shrine in his apartment devoted to the worship of the Canon 180

Jonathan: For anything that can move away from you a 60mm is a poor choice. Besides the short working distance another drawback is the relatively large angle of view which makes controlling the BG elements more difficult. My first macro lens was a Minolta 100mm. Phenomenally sharp lens. I hardly take it out of the bag anymore. I now own a 200mm macro and it practically lives on my camera. Something else no one has mentioned regarding the long lenses is that they come with tripod collars, a huge plus feature. Longer lenses let you work further from your subject and their narrow field of view allows easier BG control. One other consideration if you do decide to stay in the 90-100mm range is that I believe Nikon is going to offer their 100mm with VR. I suspect it will drive the price up considerably but at macro distances and magnifications it would be a really nice feature if you do much hand holding. Since acquiring my Sony cameras with anti-shake in the body I do a lot more hand holding than when I was shooting film. I have heard nothing but good reviews on the Sigma 150 and 180 lenses. >=))>

Jonathan:
I'm just getting into macro, so I am not qualified to make any strong suggestions.
This review influenced my lens purchase decision
http://www.juzaphoto.com/eng/articles/sigma_180mm_macro_review.htm

Hey Johnathsn,
I own a Sigma 180mm macro, a Tamron 90mm, and a Tamron 60mm. The Two Tamron lenses produce a sharper image out of the camera then my Sigma 180mm but after processing (a little extra sharpening on the Sigma 180 image) and printing they all look great. The slow focus means nothing if you're buying it to shoot stationary subjects, as others have mentioned macro photography works best manually focusing to pin point your focus area. Longer focal length lenses are nice but cost is a couple hundred dollars more, so if that's an issue, the shorter focals in the 100 range will work fine. Of the three lenses you mentioned I can tell you that the Tamron 90 does an excellent job. You didn't metion the Nikon 105 but I wouldn't spend the extra money just for the name brand.

The Nikkor 105mm micro has VR already. . . 105 w/VR which is why a big reason why I plan on going with this lens. It's hard to argue with Mike, because the images he produces are ridiculous and he uses "off-brands" (aka, not Nikon or Canon and shoots .jpegs!) but it would take a lot of convincing for me to change my mind.

- Luke

I have the Sigma 105 (Four Thirds), and it rarely leaves my camera. The AF is lousy, but I never use it anyway (as others already pointed out, manual is the way to go). I find it very easy and pleasant to handle, even without a tripod. My only nit is the hood. It's a silly, clumsy thing that goes into the filter rings; no using the lens cap at the same time.

I've heard great things about the Tamron 90mm and it has a $60 rebate going on right now so you can get it for $399 off of B&H after the rebate. Just make sure you go into the post office and get delivery confirmation because I've heard a lot of stories about problems with rebates, not from Tamron specifically but its always good to be on the safe side.

I bought the Nikkor 105 just a month ago. I wasn't happy with the first one (see my post in this forum http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/bbs.cgi?a=vm&mr=48989&CGISESSID=78b7e28d4469e7e3fccff71f6055c32b&u=29039) but the replacement is just fantastic. It has stayed on my D90 ever since. I love it. Very sharp and VR is a bonus.