Best micro lens for my camera?

[PookaDotted]

Not sure of the terminology, "micro" or "macro" lens. I have a Nikon D3200 right now the lens I have on it is a 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 lens (I don't even know what that means haha) but I find its just not good enough to get a close up photo. I don't need a crazy $2000 photographer lens, just one that I can take clear close up photos of my small critters. Any recommendations?

 

[Precarious]

I don't know anything about Nikon so I can't make any specific recommendations, but what you're looking for is a macro lens. A true macro lens goes down to 1:1 or 1x which is actual size of the subject in comparison to the size of your camera's sensor. I have Canon gear; a 100mm lens that goes down to 1x and a 65mm that goes all the way down to 5x. There is likely a Nikon equivalent to the 100mm but no other on the market that comes close to the 65mm.

 

[papilio_]

I've owned and tested quite a few macro lenses, and IMO if you're looking for the most bang for the buck the Tokina 100mm f/2.8 AT-X PRO is a no-brainer, new at Adorama for only about $400 or pay even less for a good used one on eBay. It's an incredibly light lens for a 100mm macro yet the build quality is superb. In my resolution performance tests of various lenses the Tokina was marginally sharper than even my $1000 Nikon 105mm VR Micro, granting that actual performance will always vary slightly from unit to unit for any given lens. (It is rumored that Tokina was founded by ex-Nikon lens designers.)

This lens will also function as a 100mm telephoto, and macro lenses are generally considered to be superb for portrait shooting as well because of the beautiful bokeh which they tend to display. Be sure to get a Tokina with a Nikon mount, as they make them for attachment to other cameras as well.

If you decide one day to increase your magnification beyond 1:1, the small Raynox DCR-250 lens clips or screws onto the front of your macro lens and will get you has high as about 2.5:1 with quite remarkable image quality despite its modest price of $75 or so.

Have fun and be warned, macro can be quite addictive!

 

[aesculpius]

Another option is to instead get a nikon mount bellows and use your existing lense.

http://www.amazon.com/Fotodiox-Macro-Bellows-Nikon-Camera/dp/B003EDYDVM

Pros:

Cheap

great degree of magnification

relies on lenses you own (if you buy better lenses it will perform better)

Cons:

Cheap

not sturdy

pre-set your aperture

difficult to use

When you use a bellows that doesn't have electrical contacts you can't change the aperture while the camera is mounted to the bellows. You have to place the lens on the camera set your aperture, press the dof preview button, and then remove the lens. This also makes it very difficult to focus because the viewfinder will be very dark. It's what you get for a 35$ option. There's plenty of blogs around about this, read up and see if it's option for you.