Beginners Guide To Macro Photography – How To Create Great Macro Photos
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Loading... - Rodas Varma
- 07 Jun 2022
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In this beginners guide to macro photography we’ll cover everything you need to know to start shooting great macro photos.
Macro photography – what is macro photography?
Macro photography is quite simply extreme close-up photography, and traditionally defined as taking a photograph of a subject reproducing it “life size” so that it is recorded at the same size (or larger) on the camera’s sensor. Once you’ve captured the image, you can then display it larger on-screen or in print.
Macro photography lens – what is a macro lens?
A “true” macro lens is a lens that can offer 1:1 reproduction of the subject on the camera’s sensor. This is sometimes, but not always, referred to as 1x magnification. Some offer further magnification such as 1.25x magnification with the Olympus 30mm f/3.5 Macro, 1.4x with the Canon RF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM lens, or 2x with the Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro lens.
Did you know? Beyond the standard macro lens, there are specialist macro lenses available, which can offer 1-5x magnification such as the Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, and Yasuhara Nanoha x5 (Micro Four Thirds). However these are not for the faint-hearted, as they can only be used for extreme macro photography and can’t be used for general photography.
How close can your lens focus?
You’ll find the close-focus distance on the side of most lenses. If it’s not close enough, then you’ll need to look at the options available, whether that’s an extention tube or other accessory, or for the best results, have a look at a dedicated macro lens.
What are “Short”, “Mid”, and “Long” macro lenses?
You may come across this term on the internet, and this is simply to help guide you in the different focus lengths of macro lenses. Here we run through the benefits, and potential disadvantages of each type.
- Short – 50-60mm (or equivalent), can be useful where you want to use the lens as an everyday lens as well. Often compact, lightweight, and affordable.
- Mid – 90-120mm (or equivalent), 90mm and 100mm or 105mm are common focal lengths, and very commonly available for multiple camera systems. The lens gives a good distance from the subject, as well as a relatively good balance between size and weight. They also make for useful portrait lenses.
- Long – 150/180mm (or equivalent) where you want as much distance from the subject as possible, these lenses are often larger, and more expensive.
Can I use my existing lens as a macro lens?
The short answer is yes you can, but… you might not be able to get close enough to your subject without additional accessories. If you’re looking to start macro photography, but on a limited budget, then there are a number of options available that can help improve your lens’ ability to focus on close subjects including extension tubes, close-up filters, and reversing rings.
If you’ve used your current lens(es) and can’t get close enough to your subject, then there are a number of relatively wallet friendly options for those on a budget, letting you use your existing lens for close-up and macro photography, and whilst these options may not get you as bitingly sharp images as a dedicated lens, they may be enough for you, depending on your needs.
Option 1 – Extension tubes
Ensure you get ones with electrical contacts (and AF support) as this will enable auto-focus as well as lens settings to be controlled by the camera. Beware that the expense of these could be put towards a budget macro lens. However, you can get a set of budget extension tubes from as little as £22.
Option 2 – Close-up filter
Find out the filter size for your lens, buy a close-up filter (sometimes called a close-up dioptre), and add this to the front of your lens, and you’ll be able to take photos closer to the subject.
These are available for around £10, or you can spend up to £65 on a high-quality filter from NiSi, and can be a fun way to get closer to a subject, but don’t expect perfect image quality from the cheaper filters. Even buying a budget macro lens will give better results, and a dedicated 1:1 macro lens will get you much closer to true macro photography.
Option 3 – Reversing ring
A reversing ring is designed to allow you to completely reverse your lens, so that you’re shooting through it backwards. You lose all electrical connection (with most reversing rings), and therefore this works best with manual focus lenses, and those that have a manual aperture ring. Or there’s the option of a reversing ring with electrical contacts, but these are much more expensive (around £80), and with macro lenses being available from around £269 (Panasonic 30mm macro, M43) we’d be tempted to suggest you put your money towards a macro lens. Read More...
