[old4570]

The lens and working distance ..
This is going to be two parts , because to some degree lens choice will dictate working distance .

So just what are you going to Macro , plants ? insects ? or maybe electronic components or some other . Now as a beginner the question probably uppermost in your mind is what lens to buy and in this regard I would dare recommend you don't buy a lens at all . Rather buy some close focus filters , or perhaps a set of tubes ( Auto tubes ) . Placing a 50mm tube behind a 50mm lens should give you 1:1 macro or better if it is a close focus / macro lens already . Anyhow I would recommend the cheap option as the question begs , do you really like macro photography ? I was just on Ebay looking at all the used lenses and there were a few . These lenses end up on Ebay / gumtree / craigs list for a reason , usually because some one did not achieve the goals they set for themselves . ( Good macro photos ) .

No matter the camera brand , Pentax - Nikon - Canon , I find the some what budget kit lens ( 18-55 ) to be a very good lens . ( Surprisingly so ) For Canon and Nikon there are some inexpensive Auto focusing tubes available , unfortunately for Pentax this is perhaps not the case . I did test one , but it only worked on one camera body and on that body the results were excellent . ( Unfortunately a little on the nasty side with other bodies ) . The other option is some close focus filters to screw to the front of the lens . Again the results with the kit lens are surprisingly good .

Which lens to start with . I have found the 50mm lens to be the easier to work with ( excellent results ) . I have found it difficult to actually take a bad picture with the 50mm . I can not say the same for the 90 to 105 lenses , they take more skill and precision to get good results . If you jump to 150mm , then you are dealing with a completely different animal that gives you more non flash options . 200mm I found to be about the limit for hand held photography and anything more than that simply begged for a tripod ..

50mm Lens : Excellent results , easy to work with and easier to master . Should give aspiring Macro photographers a better chance at success . Now the 50mm ( 1:1 ) will bring you much closer to subjects than larger lenses ( working distance ) and particularly with insects a lot of people have trouble just getting that lens in the subjects face ( so to speak ) . It pays to take your time , move slowly and keep the sun in the subjects eye's . When you cast a shadow over a insect they will generally flee .. My Vivitar 55 Macro lens when focused as close as possible ( 1:1 ) is about 38mm from the subject .. Yeah that's close . And possibly too close for some . The results the 50mm lenses give are simply impressive and there is perhaps no need to have to get that close .. You do what you can .

100mm Lens : Excellent results , but harder to achieve the results as the lens is less forgiving than a 50mm . The main benefit from the 100mm lens is working distance . I have a Panagor 90mm lens on my K50 and at the closest focus capable the working distance is 130 - 140mm , that is a massive difference for 1:1 macro and explains why so many people might prefer the larger lens . Now unfortunately that larger lens is harder to master , so you may need to carefully decide which is the path of least resistance . The other benefit of being further away from the subject is aperture and being able to open the aperture for more light . So if you are using a 100mm lens and your macro is a little on the average side you may want to try a 50mm lens instead of giving up .

150mm Lens : I do have a Sigma 150 on a Canon DSLR , and it really is a good combo . The working distance is now closer to 200mm for 1:1 Macro . Again this gives us more aperture options as well the capability in good light to do away with the flash if one wishes to do so . I have actually found the 150 easier to use than the 100mm lens , and for those folks finding it hard to get close to insects , the 150 might be a viable option .

200 - 300 Lens - 200mm is the limit for me when it comes to hand held photography , and speaking for myself is about where a tripod becomes necessary . Working distance is once again increased but I find the prospect of using a tripod terribly limiting - slow - cumbersome ( been there done that ) ..

Big lenses up to 500mm - I have seen some fantastic results .. But $$ have kept them out of my hands .. Tripod is a must . Working distance is possibly now in the meters .

So there you have it in a pinch ...
The important thing is that people understand that working with a lens thats harder to master - well it might break you - and that lens ends up on Ebay or gathering mold ..
So next : It might have to be something about working with the lens .. ( or using )
Shall we start with the 50mm lens .
Is that working with or living with the 50mm Lens ? ( something like that )