Your 50mm lens might be a macro lens. Some are. But many are not. Without more specific info about it, we really can't say. Is it a Nikkor? What, exactly, is written on it?

Some people define that as able to do 1:1 magnification, full "life size", or higher... Others folks, including some of the manufacturers themselves, define it as a lens able to do 1:2 magnification, or half life size. (Canon has a number of "Macro" lenses that are 1:2 capable.)

What 1:1 life size means is that with your D750 you can fill the image with a shot of something 24x36mm, the same size as your camera's sensor. For example, a US quarter (25 cent coin) is 25mm in diameter, so it can "fill" your D750's viewfinder at full 1:1. Your D5300 is an APS-C camera with a smaller sensor, so 1:1 with it means approx. 14x22mm area. I think a US dime (10 cent coin) is slightly larger than 14mm diameter.

Even if your 50mm lens is not a macro lens, it can be made to focus close and produce higher magnification by adding "macro extension rings" behind it. Those come in sets. Nikon makes them (but should be avoided because they're expensive and have limited capabilities). A set from Kenko in F-mount costs roughly $125 and included three tubes: 12mm, 20mm and 36mm. The more extension you put between the lens and the camera, the higher magnification it will be able to do.

However, you may not be happy with the image quality that produces. Simply, a normal or "non macro" 50mm lens isn't designed to focus super close. It's actually has some field curvature designed into it, probably optimized for 8 or 10 feet away. A true macro lens is a "flat field" design. This means is will be sharper from corner to corner, as well as more evenly illuminated. With a non-macro lens and extension tubes, it's not unusual to see some darkening of the corners of images, called "vignetting".

Now, these aren't necessary bad things. To photograph the yellow rose bud below I wanted a soft, dreamy look and chose to use a non-macro 50mm lens with extension tube specifically because I knew it would produce those effects. I also didn't need full 1:1 magnification. This is probably around 1:3 magnification, I would guess:



In my opinion, 50mm is somewhat short for a lot of purposes and the most versatile macro lenses are around 100mm. This is long enough to give you reasonable working distance for many subjects, without being so long that it's difficult to get a steady shot.

Shorter focal lengths get awfully close when focused to high magnifications, which can be a problem with shy live subjects and make it difficult to not shade your subject. Longer focal lengths are not only challenging to hold steady, more likely to require a tripod, but it's made worse because they tend to have extremely shallow depth of field, too... which can require you to stop them down more. Besides, it appears Nikon has quietly discontinued their 200mm f/4 Micro lens.

That still leaves you a lot of choices. Nikon themselves makes a 105mm f/2.8 "Micro" lens that's very good. There also are a Tamron 90mm, Tokina 100mm and Sigma 105mm.

The Tamron and Sigma would work fine on both your cameras, are very capable and cost less than the Nikkor 105mm. The Tokina is the least expensive of all, but it would only be able to autofocus on your D750. It will be manual focus only on a D5300.

If I were buying a macro lens today, I'd seriously consider the Sigma. It's a really nice lens, with all the features of and image quality competitive with the Nikkor 105mm. The Sigma actually used to be the most expensive lens around this focal length, but Sigma dropped the price considerably a couple years ago and it's now a very good value. The Tamron is also a fine, full featured lens that's the latest in a line of 90mm macro lenses they've offered since the 1980s.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/products/SLR-Camera-Lenses/ci/274/N/4288584247?sort=PRICE_HIGH_TO_LOW&filters=fct_a_focus-type_5738%3Aautofocus%2Cfct_lens-mount_3442%3Anikon-f%2Cfct_lenses-kits_7315%3Alenses-only%2Cfct_special-designs_3320%3Amacro

For casual macro photography use a set of autofocus extension tubes can be had new for $38.00.
https://www.amazon.com/SHOOT-Extension-Focus-Digital-Cameras/dp/B072PYB94B/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=nikon+autofocus+extension+tubes&qid=1623599829&sr=8-3

They come in a set of three different sizes and can be used individually or all together depending upon how much magnification is desirable for the subject. They are used with your existing lenses so they are all that is required for extreme closeup through macro ranges.

Enjoy the adventure..!

Indeed you can just purchase a set of extension tubes. Automatic tubes are more a bit more expensive but well worth it and the camera remains in contact with the lens. Kenko is a decent brand.

Reversing the lens is also possible but is a real PIA. Stay away from cheap close up lenses as they are optically terrible.

A 50mm will have a rather short working distance that may pose difficulties with certain subjects like insects but is workable. Indeed you can press many lenses into macro duty including some wide angle lenses that can produce interesting results.


A macro(micro) lens is optimized for close focus. These lenses have no barrel or pincushion distortion and thus are good for copying art work, stamps and other documents. They also have excellent edge sharpness. A 105mm Nikkor would be an excellent choice for both your cameras. There are various lenses made in the range of 85 - 105mm that would be an excellent place to start. The 200mm lens is very good but is a bit difficult to use as it is large. If you really like macro it would be a lens to consider as an addition to your collection.

Remember I did say it is not for everybody.

For example if your 50mm lens is a G type lens with no aperture ring there will be no way to adjust the aperture.

If it is an AF-D which I doubt because it would not AF on your D5300 you could adjust the aperture, but would also have to program the combination of lens and aperture into the camera. To do so you would have to enter focal length and maximum aperture keeping in mind that the aperture value would be doubled due to the teleconvertor.

For example using my 50mm f/1.4 I would have to enter 100mm and f/2.8.

While that is certainly true the poster also mentioned that he has a D750 and it will autofocus fine with that camera.

That being said I'll mention something I picked up back in the mid 80s for use on my film cameras that I will be trying soon on my D610 with my 50mm f/1.4 AF-D.

It's a Vivitar macro-focusing 2X telextender. It turned my 50mm f/1.4 AI-S Nikkor into a 100mm f/2.8 macro with 1:1 reproduction.

Of course, you had to manual focus and use the aperture ring to set the aperture. I'll have to do the same with the D610, but it worked pretty well on my film Nikons.

I used to participate in a coin collecting newsgroup and one of the regulars there made an inquiry about macro solutions for his DX Nikon to shoot pics of his coins. Knowing that he was active duty Air Force I thought a dedicated macro lens might stretch his budget a bit so I told him about the teleconvertor and explained the limitations, but also mentioned that since he could pick one up on eBay for perhaps $25 it might be worth a try. He managed to get one for $20 and was soon posting some excellent images of his coins...he was very pleased. But it's not for everybody.

Nikon CL-L2 Soft Case for a 200-400mm f/4 is awesome for carrying long glass with a Pro Body attached...

This case came with my AF-S 200-400mm f/4 IF ED VR and is designed specifically to hold a full size Nikon Pro Camera Body attached to the lens. I use this for shooting league soccer (Spring/Summer/Fall)... I works extremely well and has not shown any signs of wear or damage after more than a 8 years of heavy use.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/247039-REG/Nikon_4315_CL_L2_Soft_Case.html

eshlemania your Nikon D750 doesn't have the same robust design of a full size pro body...
I use my D3x and D3 on this lens... no problem... no worry... And it only has a Single Nikon Logo on it which I cover with Gaffers Tape... (looks like a Spectator's folding chair then) :)

With a D750 I would certainly be a tad more concerned...
So yes carrying the body and lens suppurate might be wise.
I would recommend using caution here... That said, others with the same Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary lens may have more wisdom on this... this Sigma lens (and it's Sport variant) are heavily represented on UHH...

btw if you are interested in the Nikon CL-L2 Case be prepared to wait in line...
It's always on back order...

Hope this helps...
All the best with your wonderful Nikon D750... probably the most popular FX DSLR in use today!

Paul covered some options very well. For specifics, the Micro Nikkor 105mm f2.8 AF D is quite good, and an excellent copy can usually be bought for about $350. My personal favorite for the Nikon F mount is the superb Tokina 100mm f2.8, which costs only $429 brand new. I still regret selling my own Tokina to get the overpriced yet crummy Micro Nikkor 105mm AF-S G VR. Resolution and sharpness were superior with the Tokina at all apertures smaller than f2.8, and I couldn't tolerate the Nikkor AF-S G VR's softness of detail when photographing small insects, so I gladly rid myself of that Nikkor. And, yes, I compulsively calibrate all my lenses.

One limitation of the typical macro lens is its magnification. If you want to do higher magnification, which is a lot of fun by the way, you'll need to get a specialty lens like the Laowa, or reverse mount a sharp prime lens or enlarger lens with an extension tube, or use a microscope objective like the experts on UHH's Macro Forum do. Other than the Laowa lens, these other methods are not expensive. Reverse adaptors and focusing helicoid extension tubes are dirt cheap, as are manual prime lenses or good enlarger lenses. Try it. You might like it, and at a fraction of the cost
of even a used macro lens.
With regard to focusing, I pretty much focus manually so I can precisely control where exactly on the bug I want to have maximum sharpness.

Hope that helps your decision.

NY