As TCav mentioned, most macros are very good so it's hard to pick just one to
recommend... It all boils down to working distance and features so all you need
do is pick one that fits your requirments...

Decide about how far away you want to shoot your subjects, check the minimum
focus distance of different lenses and make a list of the ones that qualify, then
decide on the one on that list that has the features that are important to you and
is the price you want to pay...

These two sites are great for comparing lenses...

LensTip
http://www.lenstip.com/lenses_reviews.html

PhotoZone
http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikkor-aps-c-lens-tests

I'm really liking the one I mentioned above but there are many in that range that
are just as good, just a matter of personal preference...

In my case I've decided that one macro won't cover all the range I want to shoot
so later, when I can afford it, I'm probably going to pick up one of these as well...

http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikko...w--test-report

Between both lenses I'll be able to cover the whole range from close/medium to
medium/long(ish) focus distance...

Don't know if that helps at all but good luck with whatever lens you decide on...

Hi Dave,

In addition to posting here for answers to your questions regarding the appropriate lens to use in a particular application, you may also want to visit photo sharing sites such as Smugmug.com and PBase.com. There you can run a search on the type of photography in which you have a particular question.
And, in the case of PBase.com, you can also run a search by camera or lens that your interested in.

By so doing, you can see all the photos posted using the specific lens in question.

I found this to be of great value when evaluating lenses.

Just another tools to help you evaluate equipment.

regards,

Zig

I have the 105 VR. Its a nice lens.

The reason I chose it over others was because I also wanted versatility. The VR would help in non-macro low light situations and the focus with the limiter locking out the macro range is quicker and more positive than any macro lens I've used yet. I'm pleased.

If you only choose to use it for macro, you could save a bunch and choose one of the other lenses. If you ever decide to move to FX, you might want to steer clear of the DX choices.

Some pics.

Mosquito at f20 on a D3x. Notice how small the DOF is, even with being stopped down.







Greg

Those are great shots, Greg...!

Great shots Greg
love the one with the bee,
was that hand held?
was it cropped ?

Dave
Nikontrini

Its full height, but cropped to 5:4 and was shot with the TC-14 for a bit more magnufication. It was handheld, as is usual for my macro stuff.

Greg

fldspringer,

The focal lengths of all those shots are 150mm, which works out for a 105mm with a 1.4X TC, but they show a maximum aperture of f/6.73, f/5.28, and f/5.86, respectively.

Wouldn't the max aperture vary with the focal distance on the macro lens in macro mode?

I re-checked Smugmug, and f20 for all. Went another step back, and Lightroom confirms f20, raw and jpeg. Some glitch with the EXIF viewer I'd guess.

Either that or Smug is messing it up when linked to the photo. It used to be they couldn't get the EXIF to follow at all.

For wide open, the shots wouldn't have been f2.8 (or f4 with the converter), but these were shot well stopped down.