Hello. Please excuse my ignorance but I was wondering about Macro Lenses. I like close-up photography and was wondering ...would a Macro lens make that much of a difference in close-up photography as opposed to my 17-80m kit zoom lens? Does the focal length of a Macro lens make a difference in how close up you can focus/magnify? I have heard a 100mm Macro lens is a good choice because it is more versatile than say a 50mm. You can use it for portraits, landscapes and Macros, and I've heard a Macro should be a sharper lens. I see Minolta has a 100mm Macro but it is over 500 bucks..It is a D series lens so it designed for use w/my cam.(url below) Other than it being a 100mm Macro it doesn't seem to use any special glass or anything extravegant. I have heard of this brand called Sigma. Perhaps they would have a better deal? I've noticed quite a few people here use Sigma lenses. I wonder what features to look for in a Macro lens. Thanks-Jeff http://kmpi.konicaminolta.us/eprise/main/kmpi/content/cam/cam_product_pages/Macro_Lenses?mDetail=Features