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 Replies: 16 / Views: 6,205 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Spotlight on an excellent macro lens for coin photography: the Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D image credit: Nikon USAAs a longtime macro photography enthusiast, I thought I'd share my experiences with a Nikon lens which has proven itself excellent for coin photography. This is the prior generation of the successful 60mm macro series, which lacks the focusing motor necessary for AF functions on newer Nikon lens bodies. Yet with my older D70S, this lens functions seamlessly. Of course, focusing manually is hardly a problem for coin macros, so those with newer Nikons might appreciate the significant cost savings of this prior model. A few impressionsAnyone who bought their Nikon DSLR with one of the several included "kit lenses" will immediately appreciate the capabilities of this 60mm towards coin photography. While most lenses exhibit some degree of field-to-field distortion and drop off in clarity, captures from the 60mm are incredibly sharp and very flat throughout the image. In fact, this lens almost borders on being too sharp, with a tendency to capture minute coin imperfections over mint luster. For that reason, it's important to use diffuse lighting to best balance surface qualities. If I can offer any critique on this lens, I found the AF will "hunt" for proper focus in certain lighting conditions or when shooting through slabbed coins. Some photographers may find the 60mm focal distance a problem with their lighting setup, but this hasn't been a big issue for me. You cannot go wrong with this lens, particularly since the price has dropped significantly with the advent of the newer model. Pros• Great sharpness and flatness of field. • Very low chromatic aberration under good lighting • Lens focuses much closer than official specs, allowing me to shoot as close as 3"/75mm distance. • With higher megapixel cameras, the lens will resolve details akin to a microscope, making it an invaluable tool for variety study. • Lens has a very pleasing focus drop-off, also known as "bokeh". While not an important feature for coin photos, it's a consideration for general macro photography. • Lens is switchable between dedicated manual or AF focus modes. • Compact size and weight will be an advantage over the 105 as there will be less tripod shake. Cons• AF tends to "hunt" for focus when shooting through slabs • Short focal length may interfere in some lighting setups. In those situations, a 105mm macro lens would be superior—although far more expensive. • Lens is not IF or internal focusing, which means the focal length changes slightly while focusing, and will affect magnification of coin. Technical Specifications:Focal Length = 60mm (this varies slightly due to focus)
Maximum Aperture = 2.8, Minimum Aperture = 32, note: I've found f25-29 works very well for coin shots when using a tripod and remote.
Minimum Focus Distance = 0.66 ft. (0.22m). This is incorrect; it is actually ~3" or 76mm
Maximum Reproduction Ratio = 1:1
Dimensions:
2.8x2.9in. (Diameter x Length)
70x74.5mm (Diameter x Length)
Weight = 15.5oz. (440g)
Where would a lens review be without a few example photos?     
Examples of detail rendition: 
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Nicely done, but you're not going to draw me away from Canon any time soon.  One comment: I've found manual focus to be problematic with my aging eyes; is the LCD on this camera sharp enough for those whose vision has seen better days? Have you played with the varying AF Area settings? This model appears to have a pretty broad set of possibilities. |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5318 Posts |
Thanks Dave! Yes, I guess I'm a Nikon diehard. Good point about MF, AF is certainly useful for less eyestrain and I use it all the time. My Nikon D70S only focuses through the lens, where I use the setting with 5 selectable focus zones. I pick that over MF when I want to ensure a specific part of the coin is sharp, particularly when I shoot varieties. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2669 Posts |
I'm still trying to figure out which coin you were trying to take a picture of in that last photo..  Great pictures, Kurt.. but I, too, have a Canon (you could be outnumbered!). I just got my Macro for Christmas. What a difference! No matter what system you have, getting a Macro makes all the difference in the world. I'm still trying to figure out if I want to do top-down or prop the coin up and take pictures front-on.. but either way, picture-taking life is much sweeter with a macro lens  |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Chris Breeze already has something in the works for you, Kurt. It's called D300 Remote. Currently, it apparently only supports the D3, D90, D300 and D700. I don't know where your D70 would slot in to that; you might want to contact Chris regarding compatibility. $95 would buy you a lot of capability. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Good idea to consider when I'm back in spending mode--thanks! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Hi...since the conversation here isn't too related to my original Nikon macro lens review, very soon I will split out these posts into a new thread titled "DSLR Pro". Please keep the discussion going there. |
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New Member
Argentina
3 Posts |
I wish to use this lens with a Nikon D70s, but I still don´t get how much magnification has it. I mean, if you shoot a cell phone at the closest range with a D70s and this lens, you get all the dial key? just one key fills all the frame or what? Or if you shoot a pill, and aspirin this fills all the frame? half? I mean at closes range.
Please upload something like that, or the photos of the coins but straight from the camera.
Best Regards!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Hi Shutter and welcome to our forums, The way that Nikon describes their macro lenses, they use terms like "1:1" magnification. What this means is the image projected by the lens on the CCD collector will be the actual size of the object. This is a number one can compare to other Nikon lenses. Basically 1:1 gives you a high level of detail. I provided some detail photos on the first page just to show general detail rendition. As a frame of reference, a US cent will fill a little more than the frame of the camera at full magnification (1:1) With that magnification on the D70S, you get quite a bit of useful detail. Here's detail of a Lincoln Cent at full magnification:  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1571 Posts |
Kurt, that is a nice '70-S SD.
You know that my new camera is a Canon. Do you know if it is a "thru the lens", focus, or thru the view finder? I don't think the wording is right, but I believe you know what I mean. I studied Photography, when 35mm was the thing, but that was day before yesterday! I keep trying to get a focus on the LCD, but it might be my eyes. I didn't have on my glasses. The pictures came out fine.
I have never seen a "Rainbow" in the winter, but this one was below the hight of the mountains, and on up to the higher levels. There was a very white storm closee by.
Before I forget it, While taking some other shots, I used the optical zoom to get a close up of the subject, and it was blurred, on the LCD, however the photos came out clear enough to show the detail I was after. So what? Thru the lens, or view-finder? I looked at the LCD to make the shots. Thanks,
Dick
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Hi Dick,
Thanks...shot using my Nikkor 60mm macro lens of course!
I don't recall your camera model, but if the lens is built-in, it's probably a "viewfinder" camera.
Sounds like you got some nice shots--autofocus helps too.
Btw, you posted two comments...which do I keep? They are differences between the two.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2669 Posts |
Keep the 2nd. One more sentence |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2669 Posts |
psssst Kurt, did you break this into 2 topics because you don't like our Canon's?   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Ah ha...the Nikon vs. Canon thing? Not a biggie to me; I just use Nikon, that's all. I want to keep this thread on topic for those who own Nikon dSLRS and any questions they have about this lens. |
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New Member
Canada
18 Posts |
Nice lens
the pic in the 8th reply really shows the very detail of the surface
and the most important that it doesn't have a lens distortion caused by macro effect. very nice
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
mAnD,
Good observation on distortion! All the high-end macro lenses designed by Canon, Nikon, etc. are so built to reduce distortion that becomes very evident on close focusing. This is called "flatness of field", and it really shows up in the clean, evenly focused detail of the Australia polymer note above.
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Replies: 16 / Views: 6,205 |
Posted 01/01/2009 7:11 pm
