Sue
Close up - Macro - micro - extreme macro
Without a dedicated "macro" lens
Close ups - 300mm lens are good ……… 75% of my Dragonfly images are taken with a 300mm lens
Reverse a 50mm lens will give you good
macro results
Extension tubes are good to get close and are cheap
Raynox - very good bang for your buck …. close up attachment
Dedicated macro, (micro), lens
Dedicated macro lens at 1:1 - so its 105mm minimum
The Nikon 105mm is good but expensive
The Sigma 105mm is supposed to be as good ……….. there are differences between the older and newer versions
The Sigma 150mm and 180mm are supposed to be very good
Sigma seem to have reported reliability and build problems - sometimes
To get good "macro" or "micros" you need a good flash set up - ring flash as a minimum
I get my best close up's with a 300mm
I have a Nikon 105mm f2.8 VR micro …… which is not bad but I am still learning how to use it - when you first use "macro" lens you may be disappointed ……… it takes time, especially if hand held
I have a 55mm f3.5 micro Nikon MF lens which is also good
Manual Focus
The older Nikon MF 55mm f3.5 micro is good if you want a bargain price - maybe £60
There are other good MF "macro" lens that you can get used
Buy used - decide if you want AF ….. most micros are taken using Manual focus …… but I find AF to be useful
fine "tune" the lens to the body
The earlier Sigma non VR, (OS), 105mm lens does not get great reviews
I would not buy a "macro" lens below 105mm ….. the 105mm is also good for portraits and general stuff
Do a lot of research before you buy and identify what you want to do - close ups - macros - extreme stuff
You will always be fighting DOF "problems" …….. until you become "expert"
Check out the Raynox adapters they get good reviews
I tend to use the following definition, but people argue about it all the time
1:1 to 10:1 is macro
10:1 to above is micro (not the Nikon terminology)
1:10 to 1:1 is considered closeup.
1:1 in a lens refers to the scene width. Eg 1mm will be 1mm as seen on sensor. So if your sensor is 22mm then scene width will be 22mm at closest focus point.
The D7100 give you a x1.5 crop which is very useful, i.e. a 105mm = 125mm
May help a little
http://www.bythom.com/qadmacro.htm
his recommendations are "out of date" - IMHO, of course, the new Sigma 105mm OS is good