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 Replies: 9 / Views: 2,404 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2781 Posts |
wife is getting a D5200 for xmas, of course I want to use it for coins as well  looking for macro lens recommendations - doesn't have to be extreme performance, and not looking to spend as much as the camera costs. is there anything decent for $200ish? simply looking to take a fair picture of an entire coin for cataloging purposes. it comes with a DX18-55VR II Lens, will this get by for everyday, non-pro coin pics? thanks |
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
You are going to like the 18-55 as a walkaround lens. Nikon's version (canon does one too) is a very nice lens for being so cheap. However, good macro lenses are a bit more expensive.
Look into macro extension tubes or possibly reversing your lens - we discuss both here frequently. Both will turn that 18-55 into a decent macro lens which will meet your needs. Do that before buying anything else for $200-ish. I don't feel there's any value in a macro lens at that price point without assembling a bespoke bellows setup.
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Pillar of the Community
2087 Posts |
Quote:
Look into macro extension tubes or possibly reversing your lens - we discuss both here frequently. Both will turn that 18-55 into a decent macro lens which will meet your needs. Do that before buying anything else for $200-ish. I don't feel there's any value in a macro lens at that price point without assembling a bespoke bellows setup. That is extremely good advice please don't ignore it. When I first got a DSLR I paid good money for a macro lens that was useless for coins. Dont make my mistake!! Start off with the reversing ring, when you want to extend your skills then get the extension rings {but don't bother with the expensive ones with electrical contacts you will get you best shots with manual focusing} When you want to advance from that point move to a bellows and enlarger lenses. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4037 Posts |
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That is extremely good advice please don't ignore it. When I first got a DSLR I paid good money for a macro lens that was useless for coins. Dont make my mistake!!
Start off with the reversing ring, when you want to extend your skills then get the extension rings {but don't bother with the expensive ones with electrical contacts you will get you best shots with manual focusing} When you want to advance from that point move to a bellows and enlarger lenses. I started the same way. I expect many coin photographers did. I bought a Nikon D5000, and it came with the 18-55 kit lens. Great lens for most everything but coins as it just doesn't have the close focus capability, and if it did it would be too close for lighting. So I did my research, and decided on the Nikon 105mm f/2.8 VR Micro lens. It was strongly recommended by folks on another coin forum, but unfortunately they did not know what they were talking about! That 105VR still gets some use as a flower lens, though less and less now after I have purchased even better lenses for that purpose. I think I took a total of 50 coin photos with it. Not very economical, as this equates to almost $20 per photo. I want to caution you on attempting to reverse the 18-55, as that was my next idea when the 105VR failed so miserably. Unfortunately, the 18-55 is a "gelded" lens, ie it does not have a manual aperture control. So when reversed, it is always wide open, and image quality suffers because of it. There are workarounds, but for what you will pay to get aperture control you can buy a nice bellows. Another issue is that when held vertically, the 18-55 tends to fall into the 55mm zoom range. But it's pretty easy to use tape to keep it where you want it. |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Hadn't known that, Ray. Thanks. Did you try tubes with it? I don't know about the Nikon, but my Canon versions liked 55 from a distance better than 18 up close. Made lighting easier too; the working distance was greater than the 100mm Macro.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4037 Posts |
I never tried tubes with the 18-55 for the same reason...tubes that transfer the electronic contacts and the aperture control are expensive and I was smarting from the reversing fiasco. It didn't take me long to start looking around for better alternatives, and that's when I went down the bellows path...
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
So the Nikon 18-55 is responsible for the greatest single advance in coin imaging technique.  |
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
2781 Posts |
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tubes that transfer the electronic contacts and the aperture control are expensive seeing multiple sets on the 'Bay for $50-$60. not name brand quality but how high tech can a hollow tube be? |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
That's about right for a cheap version with contacts. Without them, they're $10.
Realistically, your $200 budget will easily assemble one of the bellows/duplicating lens rigs we're so fond of, and you'll be able to shoot images of quality equal to anyone in the Forum. It's a learning-intensive process, and probably not worth undertaking if all you want is full-face images for archival purposes.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
I'll just toss in that I've been very happy with my 60mm Nikon--it's the sharpest of my Nikon macro lenses--and the older AF type. While the D5200 requires lenses with internal motors to autofocus (AF-S type), most of the time I'm manually focusing on coins. I bought mine used--but in excellent shape--from KEH for ~$250. I can't recommend the outfit enough for used gear. Of course, I can't argue with the spirit of experimentation--using less specialized lenses with bellows and extension tubes produces some great results, as I've seen here!  Edited by DVCollector
12/24/2014 3:04 pm
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Replies: 9 / Views: 2,404 |
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Posted 12/23/2014 1:21 pm
