Since I don’t have a “real” macro lens yet I’ve been making do with the lenses I have for close up photos. For very small insects I’m using an old 50mm Pentax M f1.7 lens - it does a fine job for small subjects that are not easily frightened away , but with a working distance of only a few centimetres from the lens to the subject it is hopeless for skittish insects like butterflies. This is where I’ve found my Samsung Schneider 50-200mm zoom comes in handy. (This is the same lens as the Pentax DA 50-200mm).

With a working distance of about a metre, this works fine for close ups of large bugs, small lizards, frogs etc. For these kind of shots, I usually use ISO 800 so I can get a smallish aperture about f11 to improve depth of field.

Here are a couple of butterfly shots with the 50-200mm.

(1) Meadow Argus Butterfly

(2) Blue Tiger Butterfly

Not macro quality by any means, but for my purpose of getting web shots of butterflies with working distance of over a metre it is a handy lens.