Macro Zoom Lens
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Why use a zoom lens for macro?
Good and bad points...
First, despite what the lens manufacturers may try to sell you, there are NO true macro zoom lenses.
Traditionally, Macro lenses are lenses that provide a 1:1 magnification ratio or greater. This means that the size of the object is the size projected onto your film or sensor... To visualize, you can think of filling your entire 35mm frame with a mid-sized coin. That's macro.
Macro lenses do not zoom. Some zoom lenses allow a closer-than-average focusing distance, creating a "near-macro" situation that lens manufacturers are quick to call macro. This may be adequate for taking pictures of flowers or larger critters, but won't (on its own) get you to taking those insane insect pictures or water droplets... etc.
Nowadays, some prime macro lenses don't even reach 1:1, but require additional components like a "life size converter" to reach that magnification.
Just because you don't have a true macro lens, doesn't mean you can't do macro, though. There are a number of tricks to getting macro magnification out of non-macro lenses. Two of the most popular are the use of extension tubes, which fit in between your lens and camera and extend the distance from the rear of the lens to the film or sensor, and close-up lenses that screw on like a filter. Generally, extension tubes are considered the superior choice in terms of image quality, as they do not add another piece of glass into the equation.
So given that one could make a "macro lens" out of a zoom using extension tubes (for instance), I can't imagine finding it terribly useful. Prime lenses typically provide better image quality at a given focal length, which is key when one is looking to capture fine detail. Further, depth-of-field gets smaller as one gets closer to an object, and often you are dealing with truly razor-thin DOF. This is why macro is typically done primarily with manual focus, even if the lens has AF. Thus, the ability to quickly adapt by zooming (rather than moving one's position) is relatively useless when shots must be carefully set up anyway.
I typically encourage photographers new to Macro to consider any of the major manufacturers' or third party (Sigma, Tamron, Tokina) macro lenses in the 90mm to 105mm range. All of them offer excellent image quality and a good value for what you're getting. This focal range will give you a fair bit of working distance if you get into chasing skittish creepy crawlies, and since these lenses allow infinite (normal) focusing, they double as excellent portrait lenses.
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