Haven't-got-a-clue

Hello,

I would appreciate help with choosing a budget macro lens.

I will be photographing close ups of still objects, mostly toys.

The end product would be illustrations for children's books.

Sometimes these finished photos will be altered with some type of filter (ie. to make it look like an antique photo, watercolor painting, comic etc.).

I just purchased a program called Filter Forge to do the photo effects.

Some of my scenes might include multiple toys. So maybe I need a combo wide angle/macro lens?

I want to use an old Nikon D40 that I have; cannot afford a new camera, struggling just to get the macro lens. I have tried using macro setting but it's not what I need.

Would this be a good lens for me to buy?
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2,8 Di Macro (motorized)
http://www.lensora.com/lens.asp?id=376

Where is the best place to buy the lens used and so I can be confident that I won't get a scratched or defective lens? Who is your most trusted source?

What should I expect to pay for the macro lens?

ANY tips/suggestions for getting the best shots would be greatly appreciated. I am totally clueless.

Do I need special lighting?

Should I have one of those pop up photography boxes made out of fabric mesh?

I have a tripod, some aluminum clamp on lights (special bulbs to put in these?). Should I cover the lamp with some type of parchment or fabric?

Should I shoot outdoors? Time of day?

Recommended reading for me? I don't understand white balance or any of that type of thing.

Thanks so much

Wanderer2 Loc: Colorado Rocky Mountains

I haven't personally used it but the Tamron 90mm has a very good reputation in the Pentax community and is often recommended. There are many reviews of these lenses available on the internet. You might find some useful info on this one: https://www.lenstip.com/lenses_reviews.html

LDB415 Loc: Houston south suburb

I have had good luck buying from KEH.com in the past. I haven't bought from them but have heard a number of good things about MPB.com as well. Good luck.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

No such thing as a "budget" macro, though there may be some lower cost options.

The 90mm Tamron is a great lens. But do you need a macro? Are your subjects that tiny?

To get a wider view you just need to put more distance between the camera and your subjects

D40 is probably ok.

You can buy a used lens from a variety of sources - to ensure you get what you want, ask all the questions you need to ask and get the responses in writing. This way if it turns out to not be as described, the seller will need to accept a return, and pay for your shipping. If they balk, then you invoke your PayPal buyer protection. You can open ebay, go to advanced search, and check the prices on recently completed auctions to see what a fair price is.

You need lighting, a table to work on, etc. Your biggest challenge will be to get the lighting, exposure, stage and compose the shot, etc. This forum is not a great place to learn how to do to that. A better place might be a local camera club. This will get you the most amount of clues in the shortest amount of time. But you'll have to change your name. In fact after you read this post and other responses, you should probably do that anyway.

I don't know what you mean by pop up box made of mesh.

Putting paper or fabric on a hot light could pose a fire risk.

Shooting outdoors is ok. Controlling the light may be hard to do for your purposes.

Read everything you can get your hands on. Use Google.

You're welcome

repleo Loc: Boston

TO keep it simple, you probably don't need a macro lens for what you want to do. Just move the camera (on tripod) until you are within the close focus range of the camera and crop the photo if you need it to fill more of the frame. Set your camera to aperture mode and use the widest aperture that keeps all of the subject in focus.
Lighting is much more important. A simple kit like this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CX9S8A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 would make a big difference to your results. It comes with a phone tripod and a phone may be all you need. Set your camera to whatever white balance setting looks best - eg cloudy, sun, tungsten etc or create a custom setting with a gray card set up in front of your object. It should stay the same if you are using the same lighting.

chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY

The Tamron 90mm macro is a great lens - I have it...but if you are on budget there are alternatives... close up extension tubes (what lenses do you have now?), or the Tokina 100mm (manual focus only on the D40), or even less a used Nikkor 60mm 2.8 D lens from Japan on ebay (about $250 or less ballpark)...again manual focus only...but for what you are shooting is perfect.

Also note you may get close enough without buying anything - have you checked your existing lenses?

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Definitely look for used.
KEH is an option and Ebay is very good.
Make sure you can return though. Set that filter.

ELNikkor

The lens that came with my D40 focused close enough to do photos of toys. There are also cheaper ways of getting close, such as close-up diopters or extension tubes. I tested my 18-55 against my macro lens for sharpness, and couldn't tell the difference. I would try shooting with the lens you have before buying a macro lens.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

If the toys are not too small(likely they are not) you may be able to use a normal 50mm or 35mm lens. If you have an 18-55mm zoom that came with your camera try using it.

I have a 50mm sigma macro lens and there are older Nikon 50mm macro lenses available. The 60mm micro Nikkor might may be acceptable also. Look to KEH for used lenses and check kenrockwell.com for compatability with your camera. You may have to give up auto focus and/or exposure if you need to go super cheap.

If your objects are shiny then you may need a popup box. you can also build one using tinker toys and old sheets or tracing paper. I use photo LED and photo spiral florescent bulbs these are much much cooler than the old photo floods.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

All Macro lenses are good so if you are just going to be doing product photos or something similar then it should be a fine lens, you may also want to consider the Tokina another excellent lens at a very reasonable price point.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Consider getting a set of decent quality extension tubes. They come in a set of three and the better ones are metal. With your limited subject matter, working distances, and controlled lighting, you should be able to quickly figure out the right combination to use with your lens. And remember, the longer the focal length of the lens, the greater your working distance. In my file days I got some decent outdoor closeup shots using my Mamiya 1000, a manual 135mm lens, and an extension tube.

lsaguy Loc: Udall, KS, USA

As so many have said, first try the lens(es) you have. If that won't do you might consider going to KEH and setting their filters for the lens mount you want and select "price ascending" to sort. You'll find it was a rage in the 70's and 80's to make 60/70/80 mm - 200/250/300 mm zooms with "macro" capability. It's not really macro but it is close focusing and usually at the big end of the zoom range. It will cost more to ship the lens than to buy it but for around $10 you can experiment pretty cheaply. The lower end of the range might also give you an idea about what focal length you want if you do decide to go with a true macro lens.

Rick

PS your local thrift shop might also have examples, too.

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

The one point is: That with micro lenses and the length relate to how close you may have to be. That is, with a 60mm micro lens you must be closer than with a 90 or 100mm lens. The 180mm can even let you be a greater distance from the object.
With cost in mind I would look at the 90 and 100mm lens.

Bill P

KEH and MPB are good. I've heard nothing bad about B&H.
Ebay=the wild west. You're on your own.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

You mention that your primary use for this lens "will be photographing close ups of still objects, mostly toys."

You don't tell us what camera you'll be using, which is an important factor.

But, quite frankly, I'm not sure you need a macro lens for this purpose, which is often referred to as "small product photography" and "table-top studio" work.

If you are using a "full frame" camera, a 1:1 capable macro lens, able to shoot "life size" images, can fill the camera's viewfinder and image area with a US 25¢ coin. The image area of a full frame camera is approx. 24x36mm and a quarter is approx. 24mm in diameter.

If, on the other hand, you are using a more common "APS-C" format camera, the same 1:1 lens will fill the viewfinder and image area with a US 10¢ coin. The image area of an APS-C camera is approx 15x22mm and a dime is about 15mm in diameter.

A Micro 4/3 format camera (Olympus/Panasonic, for example) uses even smaller size sensor, so would more than fill the viewfinder with a dime.

How small are the objects you'll be photographing? Will you need to photography details of those objects, using higher magnifications? How will the images be used? If you have a fairly recent camera with 20MP or more resolution, especially if the images will only be used for online display, you can probably just crop the image to some extent without any loss of quality. If you're shooting for a printed magazine, it may require more resolution, but probably still can tolerate some cropping, if needed.

The Tamron 90mm lens you pointed to is a good macro lens. They actually make two versions... the one you linked is the cheaper one (about $500) which is capable of high quality images up to 1:1, that uses slower micro motor focusing, is non-internal focusing, has no image stabilization (some cameras have IS built into the camera, rather than in the lenses) and uses a simpler two-stage focus limiter. There is a more advanced model (approx. $650) also able to make top quality images up to 1:1, but with faster ultrasonic autofocus, internal focusing ("IF", doesn't increase in length when focused closer), has image stabilization and uses a more advanced three-stage focus limiter.

With any macro lens, auto focus performance may not matter much while making close-ups, since it's pretty easy to just use manual focus. Image stabilization also is of limited value for high magnification shooting. Non-IF lenses, which grow longer when focused closer, reduce working space between the front of the lens and the subject, which can be minimal at full 1:1 magnification. A macro lens in the 90mm, 100mm or 105mm focal length has a Minimum Focus Distance (MFD) of about 12". MFD is measured from the film/sensor plane of the camera... so part of the MFD distance is occupied by portions of the camera body and the lens itself.

The two Tamron 90mm lenses are almost identical length when retracted: 4-1/2". The more expensive, IF version doesn't increase in length at all when focused to full 1:1 magnification. As a result, the lens and camera occupy about 6.25" of the approx. 12" MFD.... leaving roughly 5.75" working space between the end of the lens and the subject matter. The less expensive Tamron 90mm, on the other hand, increases in length nearly 2.25".... so with this lens working space at full 1:1 will be reduced to about 3.5". This may or may not be a problem. With live subjects, getting so close can be difficult. With inanimate objects, being so close might cause problems with lighting. Anything mounted to the front of the lens (such as a lens hood, filter or macro flash will further reduce working space).

Over the years I've done some small product photography. These are nowhere near 1:1 magnification typically and I usually don't use a macro lens. When I'm shooting with an APS-C digital my "go to" lens is a Canon TS-E 45mm f/2.8 "Tilt Shift". That lens alone is only able to do approx. 1:3 (one third life size), but that's more than enough for most small products. If I'm shooting small products with a full frame camera, with smaller items I have used the Canon TS-E 90mm Tilt-Shift lens in the past, but if it's not a particularly small item I may use the 45mm lens on full frame, too.

For outdoor, actual macro work - sometimes with animate subjects and occasionally even ones that might bite or sting - I prefer a longer focal length (100mm usually, sometimes even 180mm or more). However for table-top studio work I prefer the shorter focal length. This puts me close enough to the subject to be able to reach out and adjust the subject while keeping my eye to the camera's viewfinder. This is a huge time saver when I have 100 or 200 items to shoot in an afternoon! There's not a problem with too little working space, simply because I'm nowhere near full 1:1 magnification.

The Tilt-Shift lenses also have "movements"... obviously, tilts and shifts. These can be useful when doing close-up work. A tilt can help control Depth of Field, which can be a challenge with close-ups. A shift can be used to "dodge" a reflection from shiny objects.

Tilt-shift lenses are also what's used for effects where scenes are made to look like a miniature world.

Tilt-shift lenses are manual focus only and a pretty expensive (but are widely available on the used market.... pros often buy them for a job, then sell them off when finished).

You don't say what camera system you're using... tilt-shift aren't available for all systems. Canon has their TS-E (the latest 17mm, 24mm, 50mm, 90mm and 135mm TS-E are closer focusing than my old 45mm). Nikon offers a number of "PC" or "perspective control" lenses that do the same thing. There are also some third party manufacturer lenses for certain systems, but those can be extremely expensive.

You could accomplish a lot of this with a simple, non-macro 50mm lens. Tamron also makes a 60mm macro (about $525), though it's for crop sensor cameras only. It would give you full 1:1 capabilities, if ever needed (but only about 8" MFD). Of course, you don't need to use that high magnification, if the subjects you are shooting don't require it. This lens has high image quality, is Internal Focusing, and has an unusually large f/2 aperture for a macro lens (makes it more dual purpose, useful for portraiture)... but uses a slower micro motor autofocus and doesn't have a focus limiter. It will never be useful lens for sports/action photography... but is fine for a lot of other things. I like that it's reasonably compact and takes the place of three lenses in my bag.... a macro and two portrait lenses. Again, it's crop sensor only, but might be an option you should consider (and it's about the same price as the Tamron 90mm you linked above).

Here are some small product image examples...

"Brandy snifter" (lighting test, 85mm non-macro lens), approx. 6 or 7" tall.


"Glass squirrel" (lighting test, 85mm f/1.8 non-macro lens), approx. 4 or 5" tall.


"Fortune cookie" soaps (45mm TS-E lens), approx. 6" tall.


"Mini purse w/soaps" (45mm TS-E lens), approx 2.5" tall.


"Soap bar" (45mm TS-E lens), approx 4" long.


Some of the soap items were plastic wrapped, where I had to deal with reflections. The shift movement of the lens was helpful, but in some cases I also needed to use a Circular Polarizing filter.

I used a plain white plastic "seamless" stage for the soap shots (two days, several hundred items photographed to illustrate a website catalog). I used natural window light for all the soap shots (although I have studio strobes, if needed). For some shots I "bounced" some light using small white, silver or gold reflectors. I set a custom white balance for correct color rendition.

The glass items were shot at a friend's studio using only the modeling lights of one or more large soft boxes. Glass is tricky... requires use of black and white "flags" to delineate the shape of objects. Back-lighting was used on one image. The other was bottom-lit on a translucent stage. These were just test shots, so I didn't bother setting a custom white balance. Auto WB was used.

I mention setting a custom white balance above. That's something you need to learn to do. It's easy and allows you to get good shots in almost any type of lighting.

A product "tent" is one way to control lighting. It will diffuse lighting nicely. You might want to go to a fabric shop and get some velvet or other cloth in a few different colors, to use as a "stage" inside the light tent (or outside). Poster board in various colors can be used too. It also comes in handy to make flags and reflectors, to help control lighting on a table-top. Some sort of non-hardening putty can be useful to position items and hold flags or reflectors in place.

Alternatives are various light modifiers such as soft boxes. But those may not be usable with your clamp lights, if they are using standard tungsten bulbs (called "hot lights", for good reason).

Try just using window light, as I did for all the soap photos above (and the 500 or 600 other photos in that session). I had a room with large windows on two walls, North light, roughly speaking. Ideal in many ways. You'll probably need that tripod, though, for longer exposures.

Continuous lighting (clamp lights, window light, LED lighting, specialized fluorescent are all some examples) is easier to see what you're setting up, than studio strobes with an brief instant of intensive light (even when they have modeling lights for setup). You may need light stands. (I saw three or four lightweight ones at my local second hand store the other day... If I didn't already have a full set, a 9 foot backdrop and a half dozen or more tripods, I would have been tempted!) "Cool lights" (LED, fluorescent) are a lot more pleasant to work with, and potentially less damaging than "hot lights" (tungsten, halogen).

Note: Standard fluorescent can be a problem unless you have a camera with an "Anti-Flicker" feature, like most current or recent Canon and Nikon D500 or D850 have. The problem is that fluorescent lamps actually cycle on and off rapidly... 60 Hz or 120X per second. We don't see it with our eyes, but our cameras sure see it! Shooting under that type of lighting makes for a lot of underexposed images, when the shutter is release during the lights' "off" condition. The Anti-Flicker feature detects the lights' cycling and times the camera's shutter release to coincide with the peak output, making for almost no underexposure problems. Another solution when shooting inanimate objects is to simply use a longer exposure, so that the lights fully cycle on one or more times during the shot.

You'll definitely need your tripod though, to make longer exposures! I hope it's a good, steady tripod. Also use a remote release or the camera's self-timer so that you aren't touching the camera during the exposure, to prevent unwanted movements... if using a DSLR, at shutter speeds between approx 1/30 and 2 seconds, you also might want to use mirror lockup to minimize camera vibrations during exposure.

Hope this helps!