jabe750

I have a Nikon D7100 and am seeking advice about the best macro lens and a lens extender for my camera. Years ago, I bought a camera "kit" which included a 18-55 mm zoom lens and also a 55-300 zoom lens which came with the camera. Both are VR lenses with automatic and manual focusing.

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

What do you mean by an "extender"?

In my experience, there are no bad macro lenses. Some, like the Sigma 150mm F2.8 Macro can be used with their 1.4X teleconverter.

jabe750

Yes, I meant a teleconverter. In my 50+ years of shooting photographs, I've never owned one. It was always with fixed lenses.

jabe750

How well do telecoverters work with zoom lenses? As I've said, I've only had fixed focus lenses. Are there any limitations using them, such as sharpness and f/stops?

photosbytw Loc: Blue Ridge Mountains

A teleconverter, also known as an “extender”, is a magnifying secondary lens that is typically attached between a camera body and an existing (primary) compatible lens. The purpose of a teleconverter (TC) is to increase the effective focal length of the primary lens, which unfortunately comes at the cost of decreased sharpness and reduced maximum aperture (due to loss of light). The magnification effect of a teleconverter and its effect on maximum aperture depends on its multiplication factor, which varies from 1.2x all the way to 3.0x (the most common ones are typically 1.4x and 2.0x). For example, if one uses a 300mm f/2.8 prime telephoto lens, a 2.0x teleconverter will double its focal length and decrease its maximum aperture by two full stops, which will make it a 600mm f/5.6 lens. Teleconverters also have the same effect on zoom lenses – the whole zoom range will get magnified and their maximum aperture decreased. For example, a 1.4x TC would make a 70-200mm f/2.8 into a 98-280mm f/4.0 lens.

BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

I personally wouldn’t use a tc as you can get the same or better magnification with extension tubes which have no glass to degrade the image.
Also if you’re talking about “real” macro shooting most or all of these lenses are primes.

Edit: also you might want to wander around this forum section: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-102-1.html

Oops I see photosbytw alsready covered part of this while I was typing.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Some teleconvertors, like those meant to be matched to particular zoom or prime lenses, work really well. They are not inexpensive!

By saying fixed focus, you probably mean “prime” as in a single or fixed focal length as opposed to a zoom lens.
Fixed focus means a lens that is focused to only one distance, usually the hyperfocal distance, so everything is in an acceptable focus.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Your current lenses are not compatible with Nikon teleconverters, they cannot physically be connected. Take the suggestions for macro lenses in the 90 to 105mm range. They'll work great. Rather than a teleconverter / extender, look at extension tubes to increase the close-focus capabilities of all your lenses. In fact, you might find a 25mm ish tube on your zoom at 300mm is all the 'macro' capability you need. The Nikon / F-mount compatible Kenko tubes are a modest cost and great way to start.

rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

All of the real macro lenses are primes and can achieve 1:1 magnification.
As someone above said, you would be hard pressed to find a bad one in the 90-105mm f2.8 range.
As far using a teleconverter, I shoot a Sigma 180mm f3.5 macro with a Sigma 1.4X TC with good results.
I don't think a "random" teleconverter would be as effective as one, like my Sigma, that is designed to work with my lens.
The zoom lenses that are marked 'macro' are not actually macro lenses and the macro designation is largely a marketing gimic.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

An excellent Macro lens for your camera would be the Nikon 60mm 2.8 D. You can still get a mint one off ebay. You will not need an extender, it goes to 1:1. A much older manual focus model needed an extender to go to 1:1 but not the newer version.
There are many to chose from on ebay.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1311.R1.TR11.TRC1.A0.H0.XNikon+60+mm+.TRS0&_nkw=nikon+60mm+2.8d&_sacat=0

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

An extender can also be an extension tube, which will allow higher magnification, by placing the lens a little further away from the sensor plane, which in turn allows closer working distances. There is usually no optical downside, and only a little light loss as the distance between the lens and the camera sensor is increased. Lenses optimized for close work (true macro primes) will work better with extension tubes than general purpose lenses.

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

The "best" macro lens will be determined by your subject matter. Larger subjects like flowers, may need less magnification than insects or parts of flowers or other very tiny subject matter. Also, working distances can be a factor. A 180 mm macro lens would be ideal for live natural subjects, or settings where you can't get too close - like a botanical garden. If you are shooting jewelry, small insects, coins, stamps and other small stuff that doesn't move around much, and you are shooting indoors, a shorter lens will work. Unless you have the indoor setting, your needs may be better served with a longer macro lens (>100mm) than a shorter one.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

What is your subject matter, desired working distance and end use of the images?

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

I use a D7100 for my macro shooting and I have 9 macro prime lenses ranging from 55 to 180mm in length. Various brands from Sigma, Nikon, Tamron, Vivitar etc. They all will deliver great images as long as your technique is good.. Some lenses are autofocus, others are manual focus. My go-to lens is an older Lester Dine 105mm F2.8 manual focus macro from my film days. Even though it meters on the camera in "M' and "A" modes I use it entirely in manual. I also suggest a focal length between 90 and 105 mm. Shorter puts you right on top of your subject (not good for many insects) and longer lengths give great separation at the expense of being big and bulky. Prices vary, name brands always cost more. Look for one with the features you want. Many use them for other than macro situations. I don't as I have other lenses that are better in those situations. Autofocus and Vibration reduction are great for non-macro applications but are relatively ineffective when shooting closer to life-sized. Oh, and I don't use a tripod for most of my macro (insects) as they skedaddle before I could ever get the tripod set up. I do use additional light as the short duration of the flash stops motion (be it my own or my subjects, replaces VR and it allows me to stop down the lens for added DOF). You can look at my Flickr stream for examples...

hammond

The Nikkor 60mm AF-S Micro is a highly recommended macro lens for Nikon, and also useful for digitizing slides.

I have the Nikkor AF-S DX Micro 40mm f/2.8G - which is about half the cost. With an extension tube, I pretty much have to manually focus or it just hunts forever. I do like that it's very small/light, and when combined with extension tubes, I can get with an inch of my subject. I think it would be pretty difficult to work with a large/heavy lens when shooting macro, even with a tripod.

The more expensive Nikkor Micros (105mm and 200mm) are bigger and heavier, and have a pretty limited field of view (and are more expensive): so if you just want to take pictures of an insect's head, those might be cool, but for the full insect, 40mm or 60mm might serve you better. Sort of depends on your subject matter.

I assume the OP is referring to Extension Tubes, rather than a teleconverter.
Since these don't have any glass in them, you really just want something that has the electronic connection pins so the AF in your lens works.
I bought these off Amazon and they work great:

https://www.amazon.com/Mcoplus-Extnp-Focus-Extension-Cameras/dp/B00ORLQJR6/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2UG39M1BNMD0Y&keywords=extension+tubes+for+nikon&qid=1583413757&sprefix=extension+tub%2Caps%2C235&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzSTdQVFBRTExQWjM4JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTE4NjczMjRZSjU1S1JZNTdORCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjgwODM5TTE5OEhLQVE4SU9BJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==