I need a macro lens

[Fortigurn]

I love taking closeups of kids, and I know I really need a macro lens (it's becoming more and more apparent), but in the meantime I have to improvise.









Recommend a good macro?

[losfp]

I wouldn't have thought that you'd need a macro lens for closeups of faces. A 50/1.8 should get you close enough IMO. With a macro lens, you'd be focusing on a nose here, an ear there..

[Fortigurn]

Well apart from the fact that I don't have a 50mm/1.8, I really meant a lens which is down in the short end of the range, rather than using a long zoom the way I'm doing now.

[Yi-P]

You'd be going for a 50mm f/1.8 for goods...

With the lens normally mounted, you get a nice 50mm prime for portaits and close up faces if used under a DSLR.

And if you mount the lens the unusual way like I always do... That is, reversed mounting, you get a fixed focus macro lens, which will get you tip of their hairs

[Fortigurn]

You'd be going for a 50mm f/1.8 for goods...

With the lens normally mounted, you get a nice 50mm prime for portaits and close up faces if used under a DSLR.

And if you mount the lens the unusual way like I always do... That is, reversed mounting, you get a fixed focus macro lens, which will get you tip of their hairs

Fantastic, thanks for the help. The above were taken on film (Dynax 5 and F80), but I'm looking at a D50 in the forseeable future.

How do you reverse mount a lens, by the way?

[Yi-P]

How do you reverse mount a lens, by the way?

You need a reversing ring, either the geniune or a 3rd party one.

I use the Nikon BR-2A reversing ring. Its fun and its useful, at least for me on tight macro budget...

Some recent samples with the 50 f/1.8 reversed

http://yiph.zenfolio.com/p269137388/

[Fortigurn]

Thanks, that's very useful. This forum has a great community.