First Macro purchase

snj979s

Senior Member
I'll soon be purchasing my first dedicated macro lens. Budget: Max aprox 500$. Interest: Nature, bugs, flowers, etc. Body: d800. Looking at the Tokina 100mm, Tamron 90mm, Sigma 105mm and older Nikon 105mm. Leaning towards the Tokina because reviews are great for the price but I'm interested in your experiences with these lenses or others I might consider. I don't want wider than 90mm. ty!
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
lilly2_thumb.jpg


This was taken with the Tokina 100mm Macro lens

Sorry for the small size. The forum software apparently mangled it. Click thru to my Gallery Pics to see many like it at the correct size.
 

lokatz

Senior Member
No first-hand experience with any of them, but allow me to chime in with test results from a German magazine I value highly for their diligent and consistent testing, all conducted on D800 for full frame. The scores for IQ these lenses received are as follows: Tokina 100mm - 79.5 points, Tamron AF 2.8/90 mm Di SP Macro - 78.5, Tamron AF 2.8/90 mm Di SP VC USD Macro - 81, Tamron AF 2.8/90 mm Di SP VC USD Macro II - 82.5, Sigma 105mm - 88, Nikon AF-S Nikkor 2,8/105 mm VR G ED Micro - 65.5, Nikon AF-S Nikkor 1,4/105 mm E ED - 79.5. None of these (except for the old Nikon) are bad, but the Sigma clearly stands out. Hope this helps.

 
Last edited:

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
I have the Nikon 105mm f/2.8 VR lens. It is stellar. Some people here have the Sigma which also takes incredible photos. The thing with the Sigma is some of their lenses run the risk of needing to be sent back for firmware updates. Not all Sigma lenses are compatible with the newer Nikon bodies. The Sigma lenses that attach to the dock should be able to get any firmware updates, but those that don't have to be sent back to receive firmware updates. I don't think Sigma charges to update the firmware, but I think shipping is paid by the customer. It might not matter now with the Nikon body you currently own, but please keep it in mind for future bodies.

A longer focal length lens means you won't need to get quite as close to your subject. I've seen some gorgeous macro photos taken with the Tamron 90mm, too. I'm not as familiar with the Tokina, but I *think* there are a few people here who use it. Good luck with whichever you choose.
 

Bikerbrent

Senior Member
I have the Tokina 100mm lens and find it excellent. I don't know about the tests in the German magazine, but it is almost a dead heat in DXOMark tests, which many people also value highly.
 

SkvLTD

Senior Member
Tokina of Tamron SP90, E72 model without the extra price tag for essentially same everything as the Di. I'd advise against the very newest AF motor one because you're mostly going to be at minimal focal distance anyway to use this thing right. Now, a flash would help immensely as would a Kenko 2x teleconverter to make this thing 180mm 1:1 or 90mm 2:1.
 

rob shearing

Senior Member
+1 for the Sigma. I have been blown away by the image quality of this lens. One word of warning, probably best to buy new for the sake of a warranty (I guess not a problem with your budget). I had to return mine for an auto focus error and an intermittant fault on the OS switch (common fault it seems). The turn around was very quick and I have had no issues since.
 
Top