I have to take close-up photos of small items all the time. The sizes vary, so I have to have a flexible lens. I've found vibration reduction can really help when I'm in a spot where a tripod is hard to position. Here is a photo I needed to take of a brake line flare. I took it with a 18-200 lens zoomed to 18. I shoot the highest resolution and lowest ISO I have light for and adjust the aperture for the depth of focus I need, and crop the heck out of it in photoshop.
