Best Macro Lenses for Nikon

The Nikkor is the Nikon's brand, dedicated specifically to the lens product. The first model of this Micro-Nikkor lens was manufactured in 2006 as the further expansion to the company's lens series for professional photographers, and the golden ring on the barrel is the indicator of this. As expected, both body and the mount are made of durable metal that rise no question about quality. As for the optics, the lens features the low-dispersed glass with a nano-crystal coating that reduces lens flares, chromatic aberrations and improves light transmittance. If you are looking for a lens to take handheld photos, then this model will be perfect for you as it has a built-in optical image stabilization. Thus, you can freely take stunning photos of small objects like bugs or plants even without a tripod. The "IF" mark is the indicator of the internal focusing mechanism. With it, the outer rim of the lens doesn't turn around during hunting. That way, you can use partially coated filters to add unbelievable colors or some other effects to your photos.

What's more, the lens has 2 modes: standard manual and Nikon's special M/A mode. When it's switched on, you can override the AF at any moment by turning the focusing ring with your fingers. This mode offers a valuable support in getting crisp, sharp macro photos as sometimes the AF hunting can be slow, especially in dim lighting. Furthermore, the aperture's 9 blades produce the artistic bokeh effect on the background. Still, if you want to shoot portraits, you might need a tripod to get a deeper focus range. Luckily, we have the review of the best tripods right at hand.

Additionally, if you love to experiment with your camera and constantly try to expand the boundaries of your imagination, we can readily recommend you a camera ring light that can help you take stunningly sharp macro shots of nighttime insects or the flowers, that only bloom at night, by illuminating them with this device.

Tamron SP 90mm is a macro lens for Nikon that picks up where its predecessor left off, improving the features that made the previous iterations successful in the first place in order to provide the most outstanding optical performance. But before talking about performance, we would be remiss to forget about some of the elements of the model's construction. Well, for the most part, it is the moisture-proof and dust-resistant properties of the latter that do a pretty job of denying water droplets and dust specks entrance to the lens. Though the fluorine coating that prevents condensation of moisture certainly doesn't hurt either.

As for the aforementioned optical performance, the "outstanding" part of it mostly stems from the optical construction that features 14 elements in 11 groups, including one LD (Low Dispersion) and two XLD (Extra Low Dispersion) glass elements. Without relying too much on the technical mumbo jumbo, these elements are quite helpful in terms of controlling lateral and on-axis chromatic aberrations, especially at a high level of performance. Plus, there's the model's Floating System that works in conjunction with this optical construction in order to compensate for fundamental aberration changes that are subject to varying distances. In conclusion, all of these elements ensure the seamless yet exceptional depictive capabilities of the lens across the entire shooting range.

To reiterate our earlier point, Tamron SP 90mm is a macro lens for Nikon that picks up where its predecessor left off. The model upgrades those features that made the previous iterations successful in the first place, providing, in turn, the most outstanding optical performance.

If you are looking for an affordable, yet capable macro lens to mount on your camera with APS-C sensor, this is the model to go. Despite having a comparatively short focal length, wide-angle distortion is less noticeable due to the crop-factor that cuts off the edges of image when compared to the full-frames. This lightweight, compact model turned out surprisingly fast and sharp for the price. The key feature of this Micro-NIKKOR lens is the short minimum focus distance - only 0.53 ft. By turning on the AF, you can get really close to a live subject without scaring it off due to the Silent Wave Motor that hunts quickly and quietly. With the 1:1 reproduction ratio, you can get nice clear macro photos. The blurring is sufficient in most cases, too. Considering the wide f/2.8 aperture and 40mm focal length, you can readily grab this lens in order to take bright portrait shots on a bright day as well. However, if your shots appear hazy in a sunny weather, we totally recommend getting a UV Haze filter that can give your images additional clarity and also the necessary protection from scratches and dust.

Overall, this is probably one of the most affordable macro lenses that can be recommended for the photographers with a Nikon APS-C camera body. Due to the built-in focusing motor, Micro-NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G AF-S DX is probably the best macro lens for Nikon D3200 or Nikon D5600 camera bodies that have no integral mechanism for this.

Tokina is a longtime lens manufacturer for Nikon and Canon SLR cameras. For over 60 years, the company has been producing quality optics with a wide range of fast lenses for Nikon and Canon. Lately, Tokina team of specialists have turned mostly to designing glass for Micro Four Thirds system of mirrorless cameras. Anyhow, this macro lens for Nikon DSLRs boasts great build and image quality. The metal parts feel solid and reliable. The focusing rubber ring is wide and responsive to touch - you can readily adjust a shallow focus range on the required object in no time. The barrel also has a special diaphragm ring that allows you to manually control the amount of light that falls on the sensor to adjust the brightness and depth of the field. Besides, by changing the limiting switch position, you can restrict the range for a focus hunting either from 1.0 to 1.18 ft. or from 1.25 ft. to infinity, depending on the focus position when you turn the limit on. Sometimes, tiny chromatic aberrations may appear on your shots but they can be fixed in almost any image editor in a couple of clicks.

Speaking of the focus, Tokina special One-touch Clutch Mechanism allows you to switch between AF and manual modes by sliding the focusing ring forward or backward accordingly. Most of the company's lenses support full-time manual focus in AF-mode with Nikon camera bodies. And this Tokina AT-X 100mm f/2.8 PRO D macro is no exception as well.

There is a lot to like about Nikon AF-S DX. First off, there's the respectable 85 mm of focal length that makes this lens particularly suitable for close-up, portrait, and nature photography, though the model isn't half-bad when it comes to general photography either. Of course, there's also the somewhat obligatory but all the more necessary 0.9-feet close focusing that increases the camera's versatility, offering the ability to focus from infinity to life-size with the standard 1:1 reproduction (magnification) ratio.

These lenses were always known for their image stabilization technologies and the model in question is no exception to this rule. Vibration Reduction, a technology that was designed and implemented specifically for each VR NIKKOR lens, will allow you to enjoy the possibility of handheld shooting at up to 4 shutter speeds slower compared to your everyday lens. Naturally, the latter will also result in much sharper images. The company's Super Integrated Coating is another element of the model's design that is worth mentioning since it improves light transmission, so you will have the opportunity to work with better color consistency and reduced flare. Finally, there are the Extra-low Dispersion element and the Silent Wave Motor. The former is the driving force behind the product's superior sharpness and color correction while the latter is responsible for autofocus that is as fast and accurate as it is quiet.

Again, Nikon AF-S DX is a versatile macro lens for Nikon that is especially suitable for close-up, portrait, and nature photography. But if you do not have these kinds of specific requirements, the model isn't half-bad in terms of general photography either, so you might want to give it a try.