Macro

the_fatman76

Hi, I am looking for a good macro lens any brands to steer clear of and which do you recommend?

the_fatman76

D3200

bruto

I'd first try to decide, if possible, what your quarry will be. If you expect to do close but not extreme macro, and if you expect to do mostly still life and objects, then a short lens is fine. If you're chasing bugs and the like, a short lens must come too close, and is likely to scare them off.

I've used various older and oddball macros with the D3200, and many things will work well, including old manual lenses with extensions if one is willing to do the metering. For AF, 85 and 105 are a nice length to use, giving a decent working distance, but still not so big as to require a tripod when hunting insects. A bug on a flower will rarely require the full 1:1 macro, so you can get a pretty good distance.

With the D3200 you may find manual focusing difficult owing to the small viewfinder. I have a DK-21M magnifying eyepiece for mine, which is not radical but helps a good deal. You'll have to jam your eye right up to the magnifier to get the full screen view, but it helps a lot with critical focus.

Sorry I can't be more specific, as most of the macro work I've done has been with non-AF gear, including typesetting lenses machined to fit into a microscope adapter - not easy to shop for.

the_fatman76

Thanks heaps Bruto