Nikon 40mm macro vs Nikon 85mm macro?

I'm currently using the nikon 40mm macro lens.
It works quite well but i shoot macro with no tripod, and i try to use high f stops to increase my depth of field. So they often come out slightly off because this causes my shutter speed to have to be lower. And more importantly i have to get right up on everything to get the minimum focus distance.

I was wondering if getting the 85mm would be helpful, seeing as the 85mm would mean i could be further away. (so to create depth of field and not scare away my subjects)
plus the fact that it has VR to stop the blur of it being hand held.

I assume it would be beneficial to upgrade, but i wanted to get some other opinions first.

The extra working difference could be helpful composing your shots. However, the longer focal length tends to make depth of field even shallower. You should get a tripod. If you are serious about macro, many people like the Vanguard Alta Pro models for their adjustability.

Not only does a longer focal length reduce depth of field, it also accentuates any camera shake.

The best reason for going to an 85 or even a 100mm macro lens would be to get you far enough from the subject to leave space for a tripod.

Depth of Field will be even worse. As you increase focal length, the DoF becomes shallower.

I have both the Nikon 40mm micro and Tokina 100mm macro lenses. I use the 40mm whenever I don't need to worry about getting too close as it has a superior DoF (which still is rather limited as you found out).

I use the 100mm mostly for the bugs.

One thing you will likely want to do is to invest in a macro flash. When stopping down to f/22 and smaller (my Tokina goes to f/64), even in daylight, there's not much light coming into the camera. So using a flash helps.

The nice thing about flashing at f/22, even in daylight, is you have a pitch-black background which makes the photo even more dramatic.

You did not say which Nikon you have, but there are three different macro flash units that will work.

1. Nikon R1 (or if you have an entry-level Nikon, the R1C1). This is the one I have after buying the others.

2. Metz MecaBlitz 15. If you have an advanced Nikon - one that has remote speedlight control capability, the Metz will work. But if you have an entry level Nikon, you will have to also buy a Nikon SU-800, or use the Metz in slave mode. I bought this flash and thought it quite nice. However, it would not work properly, and after discovering I could not get any more (backlog in production), I returned it and bought the Nikon R1.

3. Sigma EM-140, is a wired version, The other two flashes above are wireless. The wired version may be the best if you have an entry level Nikon. And the Sigma is the least expensive.

I would not buy any of the $100 and less macro flashes, such as the Bower brand and others. They are junk in my opinion.

But you will also find that you need to use a tripod. You will want one that has an articulated center column. It does look kind of silly running around with a tripod stuck to your camera, but that is the only way sometimes.