P1kas wrote:
"Do you want to take Macro shots or just close-ups?"
I plan to do both. Autofocus for me is really not a necessity, but would be nice to have for using the lens for longer range pics(I only have an 18-55 kit lens)
ok, avoid the screw drive AF lenses
Look for a refurbed 60mm Micro lens - it will be like a 90 mm on your DX body and will be sharp and contrasty from 1:1 to infinity
will make a great portrait lens on young women - for a lady of a certain age, it will be too sharp, so fix any pics in post before showing her photos to her
even a used or refurb 60 AF will cost a lot more than the early 50 MF lenses but will be easy to use for quick shots of insects, etc. and will have xlnt coating on them to limit flare for general use
notherenow wrote:
At that price for the Sigma 150 APO 2.8, I would make sure it is not damaged and doesn't have fungus or had water damage ETC as the lens usually does go for a fair bit more.
If it IS a good one then grab it as the lens is very nice for both macro and as a mid tele lens.
$350 is really low. When I thought about selling mine (in perfect condition with filter and a few accessories, I tried to get about $800 for it here, and when I offered it up to the used department of a major photo retailer, they offered me $500 in light of it's pristine condition. If a retail store is willing to offer me $500 (and that's typically the worst exchange rate you'll get on a given piece of hardware), someone who is selling his/hers for $350 either doesn't know its real value (lucky you), is desperate (lucky you), or is selling a lens that isn't in great condition.
Arka wrote:
$350 is really low. When I thought about selling mine (in perfect condition with filter and a few accessories, I tried to get about $800 for it here, and when I offered it up to the used department of a major photo retailer, they offered me $500 in light of it's pristine condition. If a retail store is willing to offer me $500 (and that's typically the worst exchange rate you'll get on a given piece of hardware), someone who is selling his/hers for $350 either doesn't know its real value (lucky you), is desperate (lucky you), or is selling a lens that isn't in great condition.
To be fair, the non OS version is maybe not worth what it was with so many choices now available (including the OS model) that has happened to quite a few lenses in the last couple of years as better lenses become available for some newer mounts especially (people would adapt older fast and or exotic lenses and that kept the prices up but lately there are more available natively including third party).
That said, the Sigma 150 2.8 is in my view worth a couple of hundred more than $350 US dollars.
Mine is a Canon mount version which I think is worth a bit more as it can be adapted to a few systems with AF (I use mine MF on Sony FE and AF on M43 where it makes a half decent tele lens).
$350 would actually be close to the upper limit for me for the a great copy of the even older Sigma 180 5.6 APO (actually still a nice small lens though only goes to 1:2 by itself though is also screwdrive AF).
Two23 wrote:
Macro is very challenging of technique, more so than most other kinds of photography. A solid tripod/head is probably more important than the slight differences between the three used lenses you've narrowed it down to.
To add to this I'd say lighting is the most important element then good focus stacking software and automation for it (unless you have a D850).
You can do great macro with extension rings and few macro lenses do to 1:1 anyway. Even beyond that most macro is stopped way down so where diffraction is greater than then the difference in lenses.
notherenow wrote:
To be fair, the non OS version is maybe not worth what it was with so many choices now available (including the OS model) that has happened to quite a few lenses in the last couple of years as better lenses become available for some newer mounts especially (people would adapt older fast and or exotic lenses and that kept the prices up but lately there are more available natively including third party).
That said, the Sigma 150 2.8 is in my view worth a couple of hundred more than $350 US dollars.
Mine is a Canon mount version which I think is worth a bit more as it can be adapted to a few systems with AF (I use mine MF on Sony FE and AF on M43 where it makes a half decent tele lens).
$350 would actually be close to the upper limit for me for the a great copy of the even older Sigma 180 5.6 APO (actually still a nice small lens though only goes to 1:2 by itself though is also screwdrive AF). ...Show more →
I owned the Sigma 2.8/150 (non-OS) some years ago and had to accept far below the 800 euro asking price then to sell it. I now sometimes see them for asking prices in the 300-400 euro range, so $350 sounds realistic to me. It is probably too specialized for the average buyer, people who want to spend real money on a macro lens probably buy the OS version or something else nowadays. So in practice in the used market it has to compete with the many (cheap) 90-105mm macro lenses.
Sad really, the 150mm was an excellent lens - optically better than my Canon 100L macro, but the lack of IS became too much of a limitation for me.
Be sure to consider the working distance (distance from front of lens to subject at closest focus) as you consider lenses. A few folk have suggested the Nikon 40 or 60mm micros-while I'm sure they are great, sharp lenses, the working distance is so short you can often block light or just not get in tight enough to get the 1:1 close-up you would like.
I chose the Nikon 85mm f/3.5G VR micro when I was making the same comparison years ago with a D5100. My decision was based on cost, working distance, decent sharpness and light weight for carrying on hikes up to meadows with flowers in the summer. YMMV
Peter
Nikon 105mm f2.8 AF ~$250(Used)
-No autofocus, but does allow for light metering and EXIF data on my body.
Nikon 105 F2.8 AI/AI-S ~$150-180 (Used)
-No autofocus, EXIF data or light metering on my body. Requires an extension tube for 1:1 magnification ratio.
Tokina 100mm ~$130(Used) + m42 adapter cost(?)
-No autofocus, EXIF data or light metering on my body.
Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP ~$300(New)
-Autofocus, EXIF Data, and Metering all work with my body. Slightly shorter focal length.
Sigma 105mm EX ~$250(Used)
-No autofocus with my body,but does allow for light metering and EXIF data.
Nikon 85mm Micro DX ~$300(Used)
-Autofocus, EXIF and metering work. Has Vibration Reduction for non-macro use. Not suitable for full frame cameras, should I decide to upgrade in some years.
Sigma 150mm f/2.8 APO Macro EX DG HSM ~$350(Used)
-Slightly over my budget. Focal length larger than other options, supports exif, autofocus, and metering.
-Effective Focal Length of 225 on my D5300, which may be too much to photograph my cats indoors. ...Show more →
Add to your list the Nikon 55mm f3.5 ais manual lens. It is a sharp lens. Here is an example of a photo of a rose
taken by this lens.
