Hi--

>Thanks for the lens eval page. I found it most interesting.
>I just purchased an SB-21a macro flash for my F3. I want to get a zoom lense
>that I can also double as a macro with bellows or extensions.
>Which would you recommend as the better lens for close up:
>50-135 f3.5
>75-150 f3.5
>100-300 f5.6
>I know these are not macro lenses, but I need double duty!
>Thanks for your time.
>Ray Price
>rlprice@uci.edu

Hmmm, you're not going to like the answer, but it is probably none.
Zooms are particularly sensitive to focus distance in optical quality,
and adding tubes to most zooms will get the worst from them. The Nikon
"T" achromatic close-up lenses may be better, though it will still
require small apertures, and will probably not equal even a mediocre
macro lens in performance (and the rig will be awkwardly large). The
above lenses are excellent over their normal focus ranges, but I would
hesitate to use any of them for macro. I would probably put the price
of the achromat or tube toward a beater 55mm f3.5 Micro-Nikkor (maybe
$125?). If you must go with one of the above, I would try the 75-150
with the 4T achromat - stopped down some, it probably has the best
chance of being good.
David Ruether