A non-macro lens won't get *as* close, but might be close enough for
your purposes - you'll have to try it and see.

Definitely gets you closer.  If you use a lens hood, stop *way* down,
and use a tripod since the resulting shutter speeed will be slow, you
can get decent results.

---------------
Marc Sabatella
marc@outsideshore.com

Music, art,  & educational materials
Featuring "A Jazz Improvisation Primer"
http://www.outsideshore.com/

   There are many ways of skinning that cat.

   Here are a few things to consider.

   A longer focal length will mean you can be further away from the
subject.  With living subjects like a spider on the web, this can be very
handy.  It can even be good for still subjects as it may allow better
lighting.

   The sharpest and most convenient lens is likely to be a dedicated macro
lens as you will not need add-ons to get the job done.  They are also
designed from the beginning to focus close and usually on something flat.

   Zoom lenses are a special case.  They are already compromises in order
to zoom.  If you are also asking them to focus close, then there are more
compromises that need to be made and as a result there will be some decrease
in image quality.  However many modern lenses are doing a very good juggling
act and can produce very respectable results.

   Assuming you already have that lens, I would suggest buying a +2
close-up lens (fits like a filter) for that lens and see how that does for
you.  You will not have a large investment and it may do everything you
want.

Good Luck

Another possibility is to look for a normal to wide angle non-zoom lens
designed with what Nikon calls CRC (Close Range Correction). These can
be close enough for spider webs, big leaves & large fearless insects and
are useful in other ways.

According to Paul Renfree <prenfree@telusplanet.net>:

    Aside from the other things which have been discussed, look on
eBay (or other used sources) for the 200mm f4 Medical Nikkor, which has:

1)    A set of six close-up lenses which can be used singly or in
    combination.

2)    A built in ring flash around the lens, with a built-in incandescent
    focusing illuminator.

    For the D70, the better version of this is the later one,
identifiable by:

1)    Color rings let into grooves in the OD of the close-up lenses.

2)    Matching colors on the barrel of the lens assembly documenting
    which combinations of close-up lenses give which magnification.

3)    A three-pin D-shaped connector for the ring flash power.  (The
    older one uses a four-pin round connector.)

4)    A switch on the battery power supply to cut the flash power by
    a factor of four, so you can use the closest lens combinations
    without overpowering the 200 ISO minimum of the D70.  (The
    closest combinations normally are happier with an ISO/ASA of 25.
    (The markings on the lens are in ASA -- because it is an older
    lens, after all.) I think that a D200 might work just as well
    with the older version.

5)    The battery power supply uses eight D cells on the newer unit
    while the older one uses two D cells for the focus illuminator,
    and a rather expensive and difficult to find high voltage
    battery for the flash voltage.  (Note that I have only seen the
    older battery supply documented for the older lens, not
    personally experienced it.)  What I had for the older one was the
    AC power supply which has no switch for reduced flash output.
    There was a documented cable to produce the reduced power to the
    flash unit, but no clue what the series resistance should be.

    You will need an adaptor to provide a PC contact for the flash
from the D70's hot shoe.

    Exposure is done in manual mode, and turn off the auto-ISO if
you normally have it on.  You set the ISO on one ring, and the
magnification on another ring, and this sets the aperture for the
correct exposure.

    Overall, it produces excellent and even illumination of close-up
shots, all the way in to a 2X magnification, and it works quite well
with hand-held shots.  There is no focus mechanism on the lens -- you
focus by changing lens to subject distance after selecting the desired
magnification by your choice of close-up lenses.

    It is *supposed* to document the magnification, or a frame
number, in the bottom-right corner of the frame -- but with the D70's
crop factor, this does not show up at all.  I won't be able to use that
again until Nikon comes out with a full frame DSLR. :-)

    Because this is built on the base of a 200mm lens, it does an
excellent job of putting some disance between you and the subject.
(This was a particular benefit in its design function, as you were
unlikely to get blood from the medical use on the lens elements (or
yourself).

    Enjoy,
        DoN.