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Macro cheat sheet5/15/2023 ![]() ![]() That said, the 40mm focal length can double as a standard prime, which means that you can use it for walkaround photography, street photography, portrait photography, and the like. It’s not a dealbreaker, but longer macro lenses (e.g., the Sigma 105mm) are just going to offer more smooth, creamy backgrounds compared to a 40mm lens like this. In other words, if you’re shooting at high magnifications, the front of the lens will get very close to your subject–and while this isn’t always an issue, you may find yourself casting shadows on the subject, or even bumping into it with your lens.Īnd second, the smaller the focal length, the less background compression that the lens offers (and, consequently, the less interesting the bokeh). This is an issue for two reasons:įirst, it means that your working distance is tiny. ![]() This lens is only 40mm long (a 60mm focal length equivalent on APS-C cameras). But if you use a full-frame camera, or you plan to go full-frame in the near future, just be aware that this lens will no longer be useful. Assuming you’re shooting with any one of Nikon’s excellent APS-C cameras (such as the Nikon D3500 series, the Nikon D5600 series, or the Nikon D7500 series), you’ll be just fine. Unfortunately, a lens that’s this cheap is going to come with at least one or two downsides, and here they are:įirst, this is a DX lens, which means that you can’t use it on a full-frame camera. Plus, it makes it the most travel-ready lens out of all the options on this list. ![]() If you’re looking for gorgeous detail shots of leaves, flowers, snow, and more, then the 40mm micro is an excellent choice.Īnd while you don’t get image stabilization, the lens is relatively small and light, which means that you don’t have to worry as much about camera shake. Plus, the optics are stellar the 40mm f/2.8 micro is crystal clear wide-open, and stays that way all the way through the aperture range (until diffraction sets in). And the manual focus ring offers just the right amount of stiffness for precision focusing. It offers 1:1 (true macro) magnification, which means that you’ll be able to get that ultra-close-up perspective that macro photographers love. If you’re looking to just get started with macro photography and you don’t want to spend the extra $150 or so for the Sigma (above), then I wholeheartedly recommend the Nikon 40mm f/2.8. Honestly, what’s great about the Sigma 105mm macro is that you can grab it for cheap, but you’ll never have to upgrade it’s the sort of lens that’s great for beginners and more serious photographers alike. That’s where image stabilization becomes a huge benefit, so that you can drop your shutter speed down to the 1/60-1/80s range without sacrificing sharpness. While this may not seem like a big deal–after all, plenty of macro lenses don’t offer stabilization–it’s important to remember that high magnifications magnify camera shake while reducing light (a very dangerous combination!). The big bonus here is the image stabilization (Sigma refers to this as ‘OS’). I’m also a fan of the big focus ring design if you’re not frequently using the manual focus on your macro lens, then you’re probably doing it wrong, which is where a thick rubber ring becomes very useful. Chromatic aberration is minimal (and what does exist is easily correctable in a program such as Lightroom or Luminar).īuild-quality is nice, without resulting in a lens that’s like a tank (though I wouldn’t go so far to call the lens “light). Images look great starting out at f/2.8, then become even sharper when stopping down to f/4 and f/5.6. Regarding optics: The Sigma 105mm macro is sharp across the board. The focal length is smack-dab in the middle of what most macro photographers need–at 105mm, you’re going to get enough working distance to shoot details and flowers, without so much length that you feel like you’re carrying around a barbel. It offers an incredible combination of a reasonable price, true (1:1) macro magnification, tack-sharp optics, excellent build-quality, and even some optical stabilization for the added benefit of crisp shots at high magnifications. ![]() These days, you can find dozens of macro lenses for Nikon… Now let’s take a closer look, starting with the best macro lens for Nikon available: 1. ![]()
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