The How Zone

D70 Macro Photography

Introduction

I really enjoy macro photography. After upgrading to a D70 DSLR I was looking for an economical way to take close-ups of the flowers and insects around the yard. This article describes a relatively low cost solution along with a few macro photography techniques.

Close-up Thumb #2

This article covers how I photographed the flowers found here. In the process I'll review some equipment, discuss some photography principles (as I understand them) and share a few more photos.

The Nikon D70 kit comes with a nice 18-70mm/3.5-4.5 zoom lens. Unlike the point-and-shoot cameras I've been using for the past few years it isn't really capable of doing macro close-ups right out of the box.

Instead of rushing out and buying a macro lens (price them, you'll see why) I bought a cheaper Nikon 70-300mm/4-5.6 zoom lens. There are two versions of this lens: the 70-300mm/4-5.6D and the much cheaper 70-300mm/4-5.6G which has a composite plastic bayonet instead of metal. It costs almost two hundred dollars less and the grey market version of the G (no Nikon warranty) can be found for just under a hundred dollars.

I'm not a professional photographer and I'm learning as I go, so a cheap zoom fit my needs. It also brought the D70 a little closer to having macro capabilities. You can zoom right in on distance subjects, like this butterfly.

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