InSights on Macro Lenses

By Allan Weitz

There are few things that elicit a bigger 'wow' than a strong close-up of something — it can be anything - especially when the image is viewed larger-than-life on a large screen or in print-form. This holds true for many of the 'mundane' things we see on a daily basis from afar, and only in passing. And that's one of the reasons close-up photography is so visually seductive. In a world of non-stop hustle and bustle, close-ups make us pause and observe.

Overview - Macro lenses, which are designed specifically for close-up photography are one of the most effective tools for eyeballing the details of everything around us. Available in a selection of focal lengths for most every camera system we sell at B&H, macro lenses by definition allow focusing down to life-size (1:1), though a few only focus down to half life-size (1:2). On the other hand Canon's Macro Photo MP-E 65mm f/2.8m, a special purpose macro lens designed for extreme close-focusing can magnify your subject up to 5x life-size.

Note-While Nikon calls their macro lenses 'Micro-Nikkors', they only focus down to life-size (1:1) despite the fact 'micro' is traditionally defined as greater, i.e., closer than life-size.

Macro lenses can (usually) be identified by their recessed front elements (most macros do not need lens hoods), which tend to have less of a curved surface compared to traditional lenses. This shallow curve of the front element is similarly reflected in the focusing qualities of macro lenses, which like enlarging lenses, are designed to maintain edge-to-edge sharpness even when shooting at widest apertures. Traditional lenses resolve more detail towards the center of the frame and less-so towards the edges at wide apertures, though sharpness levels even out as you stop the lens down to smaller apertures. Still and all, the resolving of macro imagery is noticeably better than non-macro lenses.

This flatter plane-of-focus also results in finer control of selective focus, which comes in handy when you want to isolate your subject from the foreground and background. Conversely, this flatter focus plane also requires you to stop the lens down more than normally required to increase depth-of-focus. As such, apertures as small as f/32 and f/45 are not unusual on macros, especially the longer focal-length macro lenses.

It should also be noted many lenses, especially zoom lenses, make 'close-focusing' or 'macro-focusing' claims; and it should be understood there is a great difference in terms of resolving power and overall image quality between lenses that can focus extra close and true macro lenses. Depending on your actual needs, these differences may not be critical, but be advised, a trained eye can spot the difference.

Focal Lengths — Macros come in a variety of focal lengths, and are commonly available in the form of 'normal', short-telephoto (portrait), and longer telephoto. (Note - If you're looking for a 'normal' macro lens for your DSLR, keep in mind some of these optics are specifically designed for use with smaller (APS-C) format sensors and others for both full-frame and APS-C format cameras. Mid-range (100-105mm) and longer (180-200mm) macros work equally well with APS-C and full-frame DSLRs).

As for deciding which focal range is best for your needs, keep in mind if you plan on photographing easily-accessible flowers and similar static subjects, most any focal length will do. If however, you plan on photographing easily-startled subjects — i.e., butterflies and other skittish, camera-shy subjects, you might want to invest in a longer focal length macro to eliminate the spook factor. Another reason you might want to go the longer route is that when photographing subjects at close range it's inevitable you'll also be casting your own (or the camera's) shadow on your subject. When shooting with a longer lens you're much less prone to run into this problem. As with conventional telephoto lenses, tele macros also allow you to easily isolate your subject from the foreground and background, which is important for shooters into wider-aperture, selective focus.

It's also worth noting some macros now feature image stabilization technology, which can come in handy when shooting at closer distances. And while there are few if any wide-angle macro lenses, the 24mm tilt-shift wide-angle lenses from Canon and Nikon are macros by design and focus near or down to half life-size.

The following is a selection of macro lenses we carry at B&H designed to enable snappy close-ups of the world around you-