During my trip last weekend to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, I used a Nikon D7000 with a Tamron 180mm macro lens to take some shots while my fellow photographer, Cindy Dyer, relaxed in the shade on a hot, steamy day.
I use a Canon, so it was not immediately obvious to me where the controls were for various functions on the Nikon. I didn’t really have much time to poke around in the menus, so I just shot. I knew that the camera was set for aperture priority, but I didn’t realize until later that it was set at f/20. What that meant was that the two shots that I am posting here were shot at 1/100 and 1/80 of a second respectively. I am a little surprised that they came out relatively sharp, because the Tamron lens is pretty heavy and is not a VR lens.
The subject matter is pretty familiar for folks who follow my blog—a Cabbage White butterfly (Pieris rapae) and a Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis). I like the way that both images turned out, with beautiful backgrounds.
Did the Nikon set-up make a difference? It was nice shooting with a camera with a bigger and brighter viewfinder than my Canon Rebel XT, but that is more a function of shooting with a much newer camera. What was especially nice, though, was shooting with a 180mm macro lens. The lens felt comfortable and gave sharp results, even if focusing was a bit slow when it had to move through the full range in autofocus mode.
I probably am not ready to go over to the dark side and embrace a Nikon—in my experience it seemed that the Nikon was different from my Canon, but not necessarily better. I may consider, however, the Tamron 180mm macro lens. I love my Canon 100mm macro lens, but sometimes it would be nice to have that little extra reach and still be able to get true macro results.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
I like the second shot – that curve in the plant is the finishing touch.
I must admit I get amused and then somewhat tired of the people who take hard sides in the Canon vs Nikon debate. I think you hit the nail on the head by saying they are different. Both make excellent cameras and yet there still is lots of room for improvement so both will make much better ones in the future.
Those are nice and sharp. I know people who have gone fron Nikon to Canon, but not the other way around. I’ve seen mind blowing photos taken with a cell phone though, so I don’t get too worked up about brands, I have a canon because they made what I wanted and at the time nobody else did.
Thanks. I didn’t want to ignite a full blown debate on Canon vs Nikon, but figured it was an interesting angle to introduce the photos. I started off with a Canon and have stuck with it. The equipment matters a lot in extreme situations, such as low light or long distances.
Mike, these are gorgeous. That lens is a honey! I’ll have to remember that when considering a macro. Heavy though, huh?
Thanks, Sue. It’s a little heavy, but not so much that you can’t hand hold it. You just have to pay attention to the shutter speed, though, because there is no image stabilization.