Sigma dg 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 macro

[surfg1mp]

Hi guys....

Looking for a relatively cheap macro lens and been looking at this....not a true macro, but is it any good.

[yelvertoft]

Are you looking to use it primarily for macro type work?

[surfg1mp]

Well I was thinking I dont have anything that long so maybe using it between 200-300 as well, I do have a similar lens, the sigma 18-200 and it isn't to great really. Its ok on a tripod at the long end but suffers from barrel distortion at the wide end. Not sure if the long end of the 70-300 will be any good in low light or whether the macro will get me close enough. But it is cheap and i need something to tie me over till I can get a decent macro lens.

[Alex1994]

If you want proper macro then get some extension tubes, not a whole new lens. If you want a long lens for wild birds or whatever then get a dedicated long lens (perhaps a prime?)

[yelvertoft]

Lee,

"relatively cheap" and "any good" are usually fairly exclusive terms when it comes to photographic equipment.

I'd second Alex's suggestion for tubes if you want macro on the cheap. If you want a general purpose long lens then see my first comment. You could buy something 2nd hand and flog it on when you can afford something better.

Any cheap long lens is going to be quite slow, and not the best quality either wide open or at the extremes of its zoom range.

You could look around for an old manual focus prime that would be cheap, but check that it can work with your body first. that'll give you quality on the cheap, but you'll have to work a bit harder for it. There's a thread somewhere written by Don Hoey (where are you these days Don?) "The ins and outs of the Nikon lens system", or something like that.

[Alex1994]

For birds manual focus ain't great, they're fast moving little critters and a 300mm gives little DoF. These days you can get a 55-250 which is a lot of focal length in 35mm equivalent so I'd have a look at a secondhand one of those.

[surfg1mp]

Thank you for the advice alex and duncan. Going to look into getting the extension tube i think.

Is there anything I need to know? Can I buy any tube or are they camera specific.

I have a Nikon d90, sigma 18-200, nikon 35mm 1.8, and a nikon 50mm 1.8, which will be the best lens to use with the tube.

Thanks in advance.

update....just had a look on ebay. There are manual and auto focus tubes, the manual ones are so much cheaper.

[yelvertoft]

For macro work, you really don't need AF, in fact you'll probably be better off using MF.

I suspect the 50mm will be the lens to use with tubes.

You need ones that fit Nikon system.

[surfg1mp]

Thank you for the help duncan, just bought a manual one off ebay for under a tenner. should be fun trying to get the head round it....

Plus hopefully it will be a problem solved for now and at a stupidly cheap price.