I have a nikon 70-300 F4-5.6 VR and it takes pretty good pics till it gets in low light then it hunts to focus but that is what you get if you are not going to spend several thousand dollars on a lens. I would go to a local shop and take my camera in and see if you like it. If they wont let you do that then you need to go somewhere else to buy. If you are buying online go to a local store I am sure they eill let you if they have it in stock. I hvae a 18-55 Nikon kit lense and it is a F2.8 and it takes good shots but is very limited so again you get what you pay for. Dont be afraid to ask the local stores to use what they have on their shelves and see how you like them. Ritz has allowed me to do just that. Good Luck

Difference between a macro and regular lense:

A macro lens is designed to bring flat objects into sharp focus at the film or sensor plane. Examples: A painting on a wall, or a postage stamp. When making a close-up of a stamp, the edges of the stamp are farther from the lens than the center of the stamp.

A regular lens brings into focus objects that are equi-distant from the ray cross point within or behind the lens. For example, if you were inside and at the center of a large ball, the interior spherical surface of the globe could be made to come into focus on the flat film or sensor plane.

A regular lens is not a good choice for making close-ups of flat objects.