Flash and Macro Advice

So the time has come......spend more money....CHA CHING!

We are looking to add 2 items to the D90 collection...a macro lens and a flash.

Done a lot of research online in the D90 forums and related. Folks seem to be pretty much split on 1 thing.....Nikon branded versus others.

Originally had planned to get a SB900 Speedlight....but there are a number of professional types who use Nikon camera who pan the SB900 as being still to limited. A lot of folks speak highly of a Sigma flash that is about 1/2 the price and from what I can sort out has the same functionality or slightly more.

For the macro lens we have been looking at Nikon Micro-Nikkor Macro lens - 105 mm - F/2.8 - Nikon F, but dang at over $700 plus seems a bit high. Again folks in the Nikon forums speak very highly of the Sigma, Tokina and Tamron lenses that are "equivalent" to the Nikkor lens. The difference being again in the price....the later are about 1/2 the price of the Nikkor lens. And the claim in the forums is you are paying a minimum of 25-30% premium for the Nikon packaging and name....since the mechanics and optics are virtually the same on the other lenses.

Looking forward to any opinions/advice.

Also, what are your thoughts of buying "used" equipment from a camera shop or camera web site?

I'll weigh in on the aftermarket lens. Sure a premier Nikon lens or Canon L lens is sweet but that is some serious change.

I have a Tokina 80-200 2.8 that was $650 and it rocks. I have some Sigma lenses and they are just ok. I'd pony up and get Tamron or Tokina myself.

The Sigma Flash will be decent but build quality won't be up to a Nikon. If you don't beat your equipment, it should be fine. Don't overlook Metz brand either.
They are a lil' cheaper than Nikon but are on par with the Camera Brand Flashes.

You could also just buy a Vivatar 285 flash that offers auto and manual but no TTL. Old Technology but still works well.

I've bought used gear off Adorama and ebay and never had a problem. Use common sense and you probably won't have a problem either. I'd avoid gray market and flashes that have seen a lot of use.

You are going to want TTL for macro work. There's a light drop off the higher the magnification that makes it harder to control your exposure unless you are running TTL . You will also HAVE to get your flash off camera, so look for a flash cord that will work for you. One thing to really think about is that down the road you may want a second flash, the Nikon flashes will slave with eachother and have more functionality than the other brands. For macro that's essentially what I use, a flash on camera controlling my off camera main.

As far as glass, I'm completely convinced that the name brand lenses are worth the extra money. The focusing systems are so much better, build quality is better, and in most cases, image quality is better. Sure there are a few exceptions to this...

I've used Sigma's, Tokinas, and Tamrons... all my camera bag has in it now are Canon lenses... not sure if that helps or not though.. more $$

I've wrestled with the same questions, so here's my take....

A friend shoots a Nikon D300 and he loaned me his SB900 strobe. He said "...just put it on top, turn it on and it'll do the rest". So that's what I did for a mid-afternoon wedding shoot. I was amazed at the results for not doing anything other than turning it on. I bought the SB900 and haven't looked back.

Another friend shoots a D90 and does a lot of portrait/macro work. She recommended the Nikon 105 as well. After looking at probably the same forums and her work, again I purchased the Nikon f/2.8 105Macro and haven't looked back. Here is a gallery of her 105 work:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hillaryboyd/sets/72157621417650064/

Now I'll toss a wrench in the mix. I wanted a super-wide and wound up with a Sigma 10-20mm f/4 and am pleased with the results. I would recommend doing some searches on various photohost sites on the specific lens/body combinations you are considering to see actual shots coming out of them.

Personally, I think I'm sticking with Nikon gear for the next ones (both f/2.8 in 24-70 and 70-200) to complete my kit.

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Doc....get the SB ray gun....you are gonna want to get that flash off of the camera (see Rusty's new avatar) for the best possible shots and the SB900 will enable you do that. Go to youtube and look up "Joe McNally" and see what he does with off camera Nikon flashes....you will be amazed and motivated.

Scott....haven't you figured out that no kit is ever complete? Just wait till you start playing with prime lenses!!

Some amazing things can be done with on-camera flash and the right technique.

Check out Neil van Niekerk's work: http://neilvn.com/tangents/

OK. dumb question of the day.
What's the different between a 105 telephoto and a 105 macro? And then I see something called a macro tube. Is it a matter of the minimum focal length of the lens?

signed Perplexed in Plano

It becomes even weirder for me in that Nikon calls it a "micro" vs macro.

Tracker said:

OK. dumb question of the day.
What's the different between a 105 telephoto and a 105 macro?

Click to expand...

The functional difference is in how close the lens can be to the subject and still focus. Macro lens have a much shorter minimum focusing distance than other lenses.

For example, Canon's 50mm macro lens has a minimum focusing distance of .8ft while it's normal 50mm lens has a minimum focusing distance of 1.5 ft

Tracker said:

OK. dumb question of the day.
What's the different between a 105 telephoto and a 105 macro? And then I see something called a macro tube. Is it a matter of the minimum focal length of the lens?

signed Perplexed in Plano

Click to expand...

The word "Macro" has been misused a lot - you'll find it on a very wide variety of lenses.

In theory, a true macro lens can resolve an image down to 1:1 ratio (or greater), that is, the image of the 4mm grain of rice you are photographing will be 4mm on the sensor.

Macro work is very demanding in terms of lighting and lens quality. You are working with an extremely shallow depth of field (which is why my canon macro can go to f/32) and correctly focusing on something that is just a few inches from the lens is not easy. Extension tubes or bellows can give you a similar effect, but always with a loss of light and image quality.