The old Micro Nikkor 55mm f3.5 AI manual lens

One of those old gems: the Nikkor 55 f3.5

This lens is an interesting cheap alternative to more modern lenses. It is incredibly sharp, and a joy to use. There are now better options like the 60mm AF-D or the very recent 60mm AF-S macro lens but from a picture quality point of view, this old lens is still an excellent performer and should not be underestimated. More modern designs have two advantages: autofocus and 1:1 magnification ratio. For product photography, this is not really an issue, but you just have to know that you will not be able to photograph very tiny objects with a D3 for instance: the minimum size of the subject you are photographing will be 48mmx36mm (twice the sensor size).

Pros

• a cheap solution for macro on pro and semi-pro bodies
• nice build
• excellent picture quality
• razor sharp
• compact and light package
• works very well on the D3, D2 cameras

Cons

• only 1:2 magnification factor
• manual focusing (the new 60mm 2.8 AF-S is more versatile thanks to the fast AF, for other applications than macro)

Conclusion: highly recommended (for closeup work and product photography, not really for macro work)

An example: