[Rommel]

I've been thinking about starting some macro photography. Of course the cost of the lenses is a bit prohibitive at the moment, since I spent a ton on my new camera (D80). I'm slowly starting to get to the point where I can use it and get a feel for how to use it (this is my first SLR and have been using a little over a month now). So I'm certainly still in the infancy stages of photography. However, I an avid nature lover and macro photography is one of the main reasons why I went with a dSLR.

After reading around here and a bunch of other places on the web (like some of the Flickr macro groups), I saw that a lot of people said that extension tubes is a good way to start. So a couple of questions - first is this true? Also, do people find themselves ever using extension tubes for anything other than macro work? If you wind up getting a dedicated macro lens or two in the future, do you still use the extension tubes, or are do they become a rarely used piece of equipment.

Also, I have seen a little bit of talk about close-up filters as well. These have the advantage of being in the $50 range for a set whereas the an extension tube set seems to be around $150. Could someone compare these two approaches as to which is better, which has longer lasting use, and potential shooting differences between the two approaches?

Thanks and Happy New Year