Macro Lens Buying Guide!
Last week I mentioned how much I enjoy Macro (it's like therapy via photography!) but it can get quite expensive if you want to get really serious about it, as there can be a lot of gear involved!
However, if like me, you just want to be a casual macro shooter, then all you really need is a dedicated macro lens - everything else can wait until later, if at all. All I personally own is a macro lens, and I’ve never felt the need to buy any of the other “kit”, so it’s totally doable.
In fact, even if you’re not quite ready to invest in a macro lens, there are other options from free to just a few dollars that will help you take any existing lens you own and let you take macro photos with it!
Sound goo? Let’s dive in!
Before we dive in to the meat and two veg of this blog post, I first want to let you know about a brand spanking new workshop I have for you all about macro photography! It’s called Everyday Macro Magic, and it’s got core trainings on the key aspects of macro photography (light, composition, focus and camera settings), plus dedicated macro challenges, with pullbacks, suggested settings, set up guides and examples.
Plus there’s macro editing videos, gear guides and more, so be sure to check out this new macro photography workshop here!
OK, let’s get started with our macro lens buying guide!
What is a Macro Lens?
A Macro lens is what you need if you want to do any close up photography - so things like bugs, small details of a flower, or even things like jewellery or little baby eyelashes.
A true macro lens are those that have a 1:1 ratio, which basically means they can capture your subject at life size magnification. Some other macro lenses offer 2:1 magnification, which means that you can take an image twice the size of the subject, or some less than 1:1, which means that you can take an image less than the subject’s actual size.
When shopping for a macro lens, there are two main areas with are usually fraught with confusion (or at least they were for me) the focal length and whether to get IS / VR or not, so that’s what we’ll look at now.
Macro Lens - Focal Length
The focal lengths for a standard macro lens is somewhere around 50mm to 100mm.
You will get the same magnification with these these focal lengths, but the difference is in the minimum focusing distance between the lens and the subject - essentially how close you need to be to your subject to get the same magnification.
For example, with a 60mm lens you would need to have your lens around 6" from your subject to get exactly the same magnification as a 105mm lens would at around 12".
Whilst that doesn't sound like such a bad thing in theory, in practice, you'll find that having that shorter "working distance" between your lens and your subject cuts out more light, and there is the added issue of having to be careful that your body is not casting a shadow over your subject.
Also, if you want to photograph bugs or other insects - well, you will probably find they don't particularly want you to get that close and may move off (or more likely, you won't want to get that close to them!)
Of course, with every downside there is also an upside, shorter focal lengths are less expensive, and are generally much smaller and lighter to carry than their longer length counterparts. These focal lengths would probably be good for product photography or similar - where you can control the light and your position to it, and where you might not need to get in very close for detail.
Personally, I would recommend spending the bit extra and going for a macro lens around the 100mm mark.
Getting enough light on your subject is a real challenge in macro photography (because you are photographing at higher apertures that normal) so it makes sense to have that extra space between your lens and your subject. Macro lenses closer to the 100m mark will allow you that little bit of extra space whilst getting the same magnification.
There is a downside to these in that they are quite heavy and are therefore can be difficult to hand hold, but perfectly doable (I'm a total weakling and I manage fine!) The other plus side is that these double up nicely as a portrait lens.
Of course you do also get macro lenses which have longer focal lengths - around 180mm - these are best suited to insects or creatures where you need to stay a bit farther back from them. They are also a lot heavier and bulkier.
Vibration Reduction Mode (Nikon) and Image Stabilisation (Canon)
These features are one and the same thing, and are designed to counter the movement you get just from hand holding the lens - in other words, they allow you to use a slower shutter speed than you would normally use hand holding a lens of that size.
As to whether this is useful, it depends a lot on what you are shooting and where you are doing it!
If you shoot mainly indoors and don't want to take out the tripod, then IS will be very useful as you will be able to drop your shutter speed without risking motion blur too much.
However, if you prefer to use a tripod OR you are mainly going to be shooting outdoors where there is plenty of natural light, perhaps you won't get so much from this.
(As a side note, IS/VR should be turned off when using a tripod!)
Also, if you shoot moving bugs for example, your shutter speed is probably going to be high enough to cover THEIR movement, so that you don't need IS.
Personally, I mainly shoot indoors, don't shoot bugs, and don't like to break out the tripod too often so I find IS very helpful.
Some Macro Lens Examples
Now that we have a little background on the two things to look out for when buying your macro lens, let me give you some examples of macro lens, so you can see roughly how much they cost, and give them a check on Amazon:
60mm Focal Length (around $500)
100mm Focal Length (from $550)
What if I don’t want to buy a dedicated macro lens?
If you don’t want to buy a dedicated macro lens since you don’t see yourself doing much in the way of macro photography, OR you just want to try it out to see if macro is for you before splurging, there is a way to dip your toes into the world of macro without spending a fortune.
The first option is simply to take any existing lens you own, and simply flip it around so that instead of clipping the lens to the camera, the rear elements are facing outwards, like this:
You then just need to hold the lens in place (remember it won’t clip in this way around!) and take your photos!
If you find this a little cumbersome, then you can buy reversing rings which hold the backward facing lens onto the camera. This is also a lot safer, since you aren’t in danger of dropping the lens in the same way as if you were handholding it. You can buy these for under $20, so they are a good buy!
(Please note that you will need to buy a reversing ring that matches your lens thread size, so be sure to check that before you order!)
The second option is to buy extension tubes. These fit onto your camera BEFORE you thread your lens on to give you great magnification from your existing lens. Again, search for one that fits your camera model, as these will vary.
Now, none of these options will give you the same quality as a dedicated macro lens, but they are a great starting point, or just if you want to give something new a go!
If you are interested in macro, I hope this has helped a little in knowing what to look for, and in narrowing down some of the choices out there!
Don’t forget if you’d like to like some help getting started on your macro photography journey, be sure to download our FREE Macro Photography Starter Guide, where I'll break down some essentials for getting started with macro, from the equipment you’ll need (less than you think and with some inexpensive options!) tips and ideas for finding subjects advice on choosing the right camera settings, and more! Let's get you on the road to beautiful macro photography today, shall we?!
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