Nikon Lens Recommendation?

[Iguanasan]

A friend of mine has a Nikon D90 and finds he's not getting enough detail in his flower shots. He wants to take shots like this: Close Up Flower | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

My first instinct is to suggest the Nikon version of the nifty fifty but I was wondering if any of the Nikon shooters have any suggestions?

[Marko]

What lens is he using now?

[Bucky]

A budget would also help.

My first gut would be the 60mm 2.8 micro. It is an incredibly sharp lens.

[Marko]

I was gonna suggest the 105mm 2.8 Micro, but bucky is right - budget is key here. The 105 is around 800. (New) plus tax. in canada

[Barefoot]

My first gut would be the 60mm 2.8 micro. It is an incredibly sharp lens.

I have the 60mm 2.8 and it is sharp as a tack. It's great for botanical work but not so much for insects or anything else thats scared away easily because you have to get so close to your subject for true 1:1 representation. It also serves as a fairly good portraiture lens on a crop sensor. It will auto focus on the D90.

I

[Iguanasan]

I'll suggest both of these, however, he said that he's only looking to spend a couple of hundred dollars. He's not a photographer as much as he is a gardener I think. He's currently shooting with the 18-105.

[Marko]

He's going to need to give up coin to get a good tool.
Tokina 100 - is about 5 hundred Tokina 100mm f/2.8 AT-X M100 AF Pro D Macro ATXAFM100PRON B&H but I have not used it.
Maybe he can find it used....

[Bambi]

or if he's more of a gardener as you say, perhaps he'd be better off with a nice p&s for close ups

[Barefoot]

Maybe he could plan ahead for the bloom and rent a really nice one for a few days. That way he could try a few out and see which one suites his needs best. Three days usually goes for less than $100 at most rental spots and they have used ones for sale sometimes. A good place to look is borrowlenses.com

[QuietOne]

They're nowhere as sharp as a macro, but he could always go for a set of close-up filters. They'd be as sharp as the example you linked to. I see them used on KEH for $40 on a regular basis. I once saw a set of B+Ws, but didn't move fast enough. Otherwise, Barefoot's idea of renting and seeing what he wants badly enough sounds like a good idea.