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Wow - probably opening a can of worms here !
Because everyone will have an opinion here and people might think their opinion is more valid than some one else's . So here is my $1 opinion . ( is that over priced ? )
If you are new to photography , or relatively inexperienced = Don't Buy A Macro Lens !
Chances are you purchased a Camera Kit with a 18-55 kit lens that is capable of close focus .
Honestly this is good enough for a prospective macro photographer to go out and see what results they can get .
If you are getting good results and your interest is growing then maybe some close focus filters or Tubes to get you even closer . Good thing about tubes is the value is increasing , the bad thing is a good set of auto tubes is getting harder to find and more expensive . ( Probably as new old stock is drying up ) so even used tubes are increasing in value . ( Get them while you can )
Good news is there are relatively cheap Auto focusing tubes available , the bad news is that the Pentax one I tested was NQR . Out of all my cameras the tube only worked with one camera . I also tested the cheap Canon Tubes and they worked just fine .. ( Haven't tried the Nikon tubes yet - Cheap nasty budget tubes )
So my advice would be to spend as little of your hard earned as possible till you actually know that you are going to like macro photography . And screwing on a close focus filter to a kit lens has given me some really good results , for Pentax - Canon and Nikon kit lenses . ( I would recommend +4 and +8 close focus filters )
To a beginner - If you have to buy a Lens ! , then I would say find a 50 in your price range . You can still pick up the Pentax M 50 F4 for less than $100 and this lens can produce some wonderful results as well as maintain its resale value should you decide to upgrade or what ever . ( Tubes might be cheaper and give you 1:1 macro )
I see developing skill in macro a little like developing driver skill .. You dont put learner drivers in a formula one car , you try and start them of gently in a user friendly car that is not challenging to drive . And I see developing Skill in Macro along the same lines , gently using equipment that rewards rather than punishes ..
Obviously everyone will have their own thoughts on this , just sharing mine .
Another consideration to keep in mind : What are you going to Macro ?
Insects - objects ( jewelry perhaps ) - Macro landscapes ( lots of people shoot mushrooms ) or maybe lizards and frogs ( also popular ) .. Are you going to venture into your back yard or perhaps the Bolivian Jungle ? And then there is obviously the question of money . Do you have an endless supply or do you have to work within a budget .
And not everyone can have the same perspective on things , especially equipment . One person might be happy wit ha 2nd hand $100 digital camera with a $50 kit lens and a $5 close focus filter and a $10 flash .. ( and take very good pictures ) , whilst some one else might look down on this equipment only too happy to ridicule it because they have a $15K camera with a $2.5K lens and a $1k flash solution . My perspective is - surely there is enough room on this planet for more than one way of doing things .
Here is my perspective on perspective and opinion :
2 people are looking at a mountain , both are 50 miles away from said mountain . One is sue south from the mountain and the other is due north ..
Bot hare looking at the same mountain , but have a completely different perspective and there for opinion regarding the mountain . Who's opinion is right , and who's is wrong ?
Just in case you dont know , neither is right and neither is wrong - its just an opinion born of perspective . Because there are so many ways of looking at the mountain , there simply can be no right or wrong .
Is this all confusing , well yes and no .. If you have no clear direction , then yes perhaps . Which is why I recommend doing ! ( Doing ! ) Do the deed , take the photo .. As cheaply and easily as possible - Do ! It is in the doing that we gain perspective and direction . So if you invest $5 only to find out you don't like Macro , then that's $5 well spent . If you invest $500 or $1000 in Macro only to find out you don't like it , then that's perhaps money poorly spent .
So that's my advice to Noobs - Don't buy a macro lens till you actually know that you are actually going to like macro ..