Hi folks
So I've been doing landscape photography for a while but would now like to get into macro photography, mainly shooting flowers and basically anything natural to create abstract images.
I currently have a Nikon D7000 but have heard that mirrorless systems are much lighter and this may be better doing hand-held work round the garden etc? So should I sell my Nikon (which I haven't used for a few years now) and get a mirrorless? And what lens would you recommend? I'd like to get really close to the subject, capturing the textures and detail.
Or should I still with the D7000 and spend a few hundred on a nice lens! The Nikon is a few years old now so I'm not sure how behind it is compared to modern ones? TBH I've been using my (shhhh) iPhone the last few years so I'm kind of out of the DSLR loop.
Would rather keep it under £1k if possible all in.
Thanks
The D7000 is a good camera for macro photography, and it still holds up very well today. I'd say that the potential improvements from getting a mirrorless camera are not as meaningful as what you'd see from getting a good macro lens. Frankly, mirrorless is not much lighter than the D7000.
For your situation, I'd say that the two best macro lenses from Nikon would be the 105mm f/2.8 VR Macro (a little heavy but a great lens) or the 85mm f/3.5 DX Macro (lighter, less expensive, and still a great lens, but not as future-proof because it's not a full-frame lens, if you ever plan to get a full-frame camera).
There are also various options from third-party companies like Sigma and Tamron. I would recommend something in the 90-105mm range as the best balance of capabilities and weight. All of these lenses will be nice and sharp.
For £1k, if you buy the lens used, you should have some budget left over for a good flash and diffuser (something like this for the diffuser: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1499346-REG/angler_psfd_100_portable_speedlight_flash_diffuser.html ). These will help a lot for macro photography, especially as you use increasingly higher magnifications.
Best of luck!
P.S., a few of my macro photos from the Nikon D7000! I used Nikon's 105mm f/2.8 VR for these shots, but I could have used anything in the 85-105mm range for similar results:
