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<blockquote data-quote="STM" data-source="post: 153746" data-attributes="member: 12827">Re: 18-55 Nikon lenseMacro is a very often misapplied term. In the 70's and 80's and even into today, a lot of zoom lenses had a &quot;macro&quot; setting, which got you down to maybe 1:4 to 1:5. It was not a macro lens, but a close focusing lens. And the image quality usually really sucked at that setting too. Very soft corners and very poor flatness of field. To be a true macro lens, it really should be able to get you down to 1:2 without the aid of any close-up lenses, extension tubes, etc. They do it by having extra long focusing helicoids. In most cases at this focal length, the front element is deeply recessed within the front of the lens so it protects it and also acts as a built in lens shade. My 55mm f/2.8 AIS Micro-Nikkor pictured below gets you down to 1:2 unaided and 1:1 with the PK-13&nbsp; 27.5mm automatic extension ring. It of course is also an outstanding prime lens as well, in fact one of the sharpest &quot;normal&quot; lenses Nikon ever made. It is usually my &quot;go to&quot; lens whenever I need a lens of that focal length. <img src="http://scottmurphyphotography.org/images/Macro article/55mm Micro.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></blockquote>

[QUOTE="STM, post: 153746, member: 12827"] [b]Re: 18-55 Nikon lense[/b] Macro is a [I]very often [/I]misapplied term. In the 70's and 80's and even into today, a lot of zoom lenses had a "macro" setting, which got you down to maybe 1:4 to 1:5. It was [I][B]not[/B][/I] a macro lens, but a [I]close focusing [/I]lens. And the image quality [I]usually really[/I] [I]sucked[/I] at that setting too. Very soft corners and very poor flatness of field. To be a true macro lens, it really should be able to get you down to 1:2 without the aid of any close-up lenses, extension tubes, etc. They do it by having extra long focusing helicoids. In most cases at this focal length, the front element is deeply recessed within the front of the lens so it protects it and also acts as a built in lens shade. My 55mm f/2.8 AIS Micro-Nikkor pictured below gets you down to 1:2 unaided and 1:1 with the PK-13 27.5mm automatic extension ring. It of course is also an outstanding prime lens as well, in fact one of the sharpest "normal" lenses Nikon ever made. It is usually my "go to" lens whenever I need a lens of that focal length. [IMG]http://scottmurphyphotography.org/images/Macro article/55mm Micro.jpg[/IMG] [/QUOTE]

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