Opinion re: Buying Macro lens for my Nikon

I am interested in purchasing a Macro lens for my Nikon F5 and my Digital Nikon. Any ideas what would be the best match for film and digital SLRs? I am interested in close up photography of flowers, insects, stamps etc.... I have looked at the Nikkor 105mm f2.8 VR but find it is beyond my budget. Any suggestion for a sharp reasonably priced macro lens?

Given that the Nikon will be the best choice, have you sonsidered looking for a second hand one? You could try watching eBay, even put in a standing search for the item you want so you don't miss it.

Alternatively, to cut the cost even more, how about a manual focus Nikon macro, probably available used at much lower prices. Much macro work is better done with manual focus anyway.

Do you need VR when most macro should be on a tripod?

Hope these ideas help.

John

Thanks John for your input on my search for a macro lens. I will certainly look on ebay for a used manual macro.

On the thom hogan website, the Tamron 90 f2.8 Di is also recommended as an alternative to the Nikon macro. Any comments on this lens?

It is a good lens, but quite heavy and bulky compared to some marque lenses. However, it would do the job very well. One friend of mine used such a lens professionally, but he had to buy a new one every couple of years as they didn't stand up to the very hard use he put them through.

John

I wouldn't agree that the Tamron 90mm is bulky, in fact it is quite lightly built, hence the short life in hard use.
The Tokina and Sigma 3rd party offerings are better built and all of the 100mm (roughly) lenses are good performers.

The VR on the Nikon is good for hand held portraits and the like, but the effectiveness reduces as you get closer to the subject.

Ian

There were several versions I think of the Tamoron - the one I had seemed bulky to me, but if you consider that I use Pentax lenses, which are very compact, maybe that explains it.

John