What is this lense best suited for can it be used for macro as well as farther away images

Extension tubes will not affect the zoom range. They simply allow the lens to focus closer by moving the glass farther away from the film or image sensor. I use them for my own close-up work.

The 18-135mm will let you focus down to 0.45m for a maximum magnification of about 1:4.8. True macro is at least 1:1 (lifesize) so this lens can't really be called a macro.

If you mean the 50mm f/2.5 lens, this will let you get to 1:1.

Switch to the macro mode to take pictures of subjects closer than about 20 inches. See full details in the "Using the Macro Mode" section on page 86 of the manual.

Diopter is for your eye only and does not effect the focus of the camera. By using the 1/2 down method, by pressing the photo taking button half way down, you can set the cameras focus. on some cameras this is shown where it will focus by a red square. If you change the diopter this is like adding by focal lenses for reading a book. and setting the distance your particular eye needs for eye relief. On binoculars this is done with screwing the eyepiece closer or farther away from the other lens. check out online http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyeglass_prescription this will give you more details of what a diopter is or does. Always know what setting your shooting at as well. for instance if you are on a flower setting or Macro then this is for up close work. But up close doesn't mean too close. Most cameras on Macro need to be 6 inches to 12 inches away. But if you are say 24 inches away it won't focus right so don't try to zoom in, use your optical instead of digital and simply move closer or change the settings on the camera to a different setting or it may be blurry.

That depends on the type of camera.

Many compact cameras have a macro mode, which allows the lens to focus much closer than normal.

With an interchangeable lens camera, one usually uses a macro lens which is designed to focus closer than non-macro lenses. One can also use extension tubes or bellows to put the lens farther away from the camera (which brings the focal plane closer). Another technique that works for many lenses is to reverse it (putting the lens on backward), though this requires a reverse adapter.

To get even closer, many cameras can be mounted onto a microscope.

If you have the camera set to "macro" it will not take normal distance pictures...you must get it out of the "macro" setting.

If you're right "on top" of the subject - then, yes - it should indicate "macro". Macro focusing is for "very up close" photography and is exactly as you describe. You simply physically move the camera a little closer to or further from the subject to focus.

Not all lenses are capable of macro focusing. The vast majority of these non-macro lenses are required to be at least a couple (or more) feet away to focus. Macro lenses on the other hand can usually get just inches away - which is a great capability.

Enjoy your macro lens!

There is a minimal focusing distance for all lenses. If you move closer to the subject than that distance then the camera won't focus on it. Check you lens manual for minimal focusing distance. It is 11 inches for Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM, for example.

That depends. A true macro lens allows you to get a 1:1 reproduction ratio; most manufacturers call a lens "macro" if it allows 1:4 or so. Some lenses work better for close work if you reverse them, using a reverse adaptor to put the nose of the lens onto the mount. Bellows and extension rings behind the lens will give you sharper results than close-up adaptors that screw onto the front of the lens.

The focal length will affect perspective; to get the same image size with a wide angle lens, you'll have to get closer, wihch will make the background seem smaller and farther away. You don't have to get as close with a longer lens, which will make the background seem larger and closer.

The aperture affects depth-of-field. If you're photographing something flat, like a piece of paper, you don't need much DoF. If you're photographing something three-dimensional, you'll need more DoF.

The exposure mode might depend on the lighting conditions and your personal preferences. I tend to do most of my close-up work in Manual. I also tend to focus manually, for better control.

There's no one set of "best" settings for close-up photography, any more than there's a set of "best" settings for any other type of photography.

With an SLR you only get true macro focussing on a lens that has proper macro focussing abilities. Unfortunately in the photogaraphy world, there are a huge number of lenses which claim to have macro ability but are stretching the term far too much.

Strictly speaking, macro means that the lens is capable of producing images on the sensor which are the same size as the actual subject or even bigger, at life size this is described as 1:1 macro. Your Tamron lens is only capable of a maximum 1:3.7 "macro", and that's only at the 200mm zoom setting with the subject no closer than 45cm from the lens. By SLR zoom lens standards, that's actually pretty good, but if you want to go closer and get greater magnification you need to either use a supplementary close-up filter lens or for better optical quality use a set of extension rings. The trade off with close up filter lenses is poor image quality and usually plenty of colour fringing and with extension rings is that if you're using a 2x magnification at 200mm, your f5-ish maximum aperture at 200mm becomes a very dark f10.

The only way to get good macro results is to either use a proper (=expensive) macro lens and excellent lighting, or use extension rings plus a good ring flash unit. However you can improve your macro by investing in a more capable zoom lens with a closer minimum focus distance and a better aperture at the telephoto end of the range. This can be expensive, or you can pick up some very cheap 35mm film SLR lenses. Using an adapter will never allow you to achieve infinity focus on a Canon digital SLR but you can get a close focussing 200mm f3.8 very cheaply. The crop factor of your smaller sensor means it will have the same angle of view as a 310mm lens but the aperture will remain at f3.8. As Canon digital SLR's have the deepest body register (lens to sensor distance) of the current systems then you'll also have the effect of using it on an extension ring. The downside is that you'll have to use the lens in a totally manual mode as no information will be communicated to your camera body. By mounting the lens back to front using a reversing ring you can achieve some really stunning macro magnifications but then you need a tripod, powerful flash and absolutely no wind... There was also a Makinon 80-200mm zoom which sells for next to nothing on auction websites, but it had a macro collar which allowed it to achieve around half size macro (1:2).

Alternatively, if the Fuji still works and does the job just keep it in your camera bag ready for those types of shots. overall, that seems the easiest and best solution unless you really want to get heavily into macro shooting.

I hope that I've helped you, please ask more if there's anything unclear. I've tried to keep a very complicated subject as simple as possible. Please also take a moment to rate my answer.

I will try to help you, but please understand that my experience is with Nikon film cameras. Assuming that the D60 works in a manner similar to a Nikon 35 mm body and that Sigma macro lens work like Nikon macro lens, you should be able to determine the usable subject to lens distance by experimentation. First, make sure the lens is in the macro mode. To do this you must set the auto-focus mode control to the manual focus mode (see your manual). On Nikon lenses, you must first set the focus ring to infinity, then move slider switch, which has two positions marked; "normal" and "macro., to the macro position. You should now be able to rotate the focus ring to the macro range. Use the zoom ring to zoom in and out and focus with the focus ring. The the range over which the lens to subject to lens distance will yield an in focus image will be rather limited and in the range of an inch or so to 6 or 8 inches.