There are many different macro lenses on the market today, with focal lengths from 15mm to 200mm. Most of them hit the same 1:1 magnification ratio that gives shooters the life-sized reproduction they want for superb close-ups. With so many options to choose from, how should you go about making your decision?
To begin, you should think about what and how you plan to photograph. If you are working with jewelry in a studio, you are going to have very different concerns than someone walking around in a garden shooting flowers and insects. Also, your needs can change based on the lighting setup you require, as explained in the B&H Explora article, Lighting Options for Your Macro Photography, since some options can be more difficult to use with certain shooting styles. These basic issues all relate to a single idea: working distance.
For many situations, you will probably want a comfortable working distance, nothing too close or too far from your subject. This explains why the short telephoto macro lenses are among the most popular. The 90-105mm range is filled with options and provides a great balance of distance and performance without making the lens itself unwieldy or intimidating. In some instances, such as when shooting easily startled insects or when distance is desired, there are even longer options available. Going up to the 180mm and 200mm range, you will find some serviceable telephotos to get you close without requiring you to be right on top of your subject. Additionally, with these lenses you will have space to use larger lighting equipment without getting in the way of the light.
However, the longer the focal length, the more difficult it will be to handhold and the larger the lens will be. This is where normal and wide-angle macro lenses will come in handy. Your 40-60mm macro is a great pick for its compact size and ease of use. This is an ideal walkaround macro lens for those who want to snap some photos of their lunch or get some close-ups of flowers. Also, these standard-length lenses tend to work very well with ring lights and other macro-specific on-camera lighting, since you can get very close to your subject.
Beyond these are some very interesting and unusual options. A recent example of this is the Laowa 15mm, from Venus Optics. This is the first real ultra-wide lens with a 1:1 magnification ratio, and the types of shots you can get are very different from your standard macro. This lens features an absurd 0.2" minimum working distance and allows shooters to create very exaggerated shots. On the other end of the spectrum is the Canon EF 180mm, which can take a teleconverter to transform into a super telephoto macro lens, for when you really need to keep your distance.
You should have a basic idea of which focal length will work best for you, but there are some other considerations when it comes to the look of the image, depending on your choice of lens. To start, I will say that if you are taking photos at 1:1 magnification all the time, you will have a hard time seeing a major difference between lenses. Take the below examples, where I used the Canon 65mm, 100mm, and 180mm macro lenses to shoot the same subject.
One thing a careful observer will see is the slight differences in depth of field, which is to be expected in the same manner as you would expect with your other lenses. The longer the lens, the shallower the depth of field. This is something to consider if you consistently find yourself needing to stop down more and more to get enough of your subject in focus. If you want a smooth, less distracting background, the longer focal lengths certainly make it easier to isolate your subject, as you can see from the below images comparing the 100mm and 180mm lenses at the same aperture.
Finally, there is one more point to make about picking up a macro lens. While they are a specialized tool, many photographers can make great use of them for general-purpose shooting, as well. So, if you are looking for a general walkaround lens with good macro capabilities, then a 50mm should be on your list. Or if you want a double-purpose prime for close-ups and portraits, you can’t go wrong with a 100mm. If you keep these things in mind as you look for your next lens, you should have no problem picking out the lens that will work best for you.
3 Comments
Great overview. Just one comment...
At 1:1 magnification, the depth of field should be the same, no matter what focal length. There might be a miniscule difference depending on the design of the lens (internal focus vs a lens that gets longer as you focus closer and differences in the size of the entrance and exit pupils). In the example photos at 65mm, 100mm, and 180mm it just looks like the focus point shifted forward a bit in the 180mm photo. In the following example of the nickel with the 100 and 180 you can see that the DOF is the same, just the angle of view changes. Basically, and this applies to general photography, not just to macro, the closer you are to your subject the smaller the background items will appear. The further away from your subject the larger the background objects will appear. At the same reproduction ratio the DOF will be roughly the same, but you will see less of the background when further away making it more abstract and possibly less distracting.
Exactly right! I was thinking of leaving the same comment as I was reading the article, but you beat me to it. While it's true that DOF is smaller for a longer focal length (if focal length is the only part of the set up that's changing), you need to be farther away from the subject for it to be the same size in the frame (i.e. equivalent magnification). The article forgets that. To add just a little math, DOF is roughly proportionate to the square of the distance to the subject, and inversely proportionate to the square of the focal length. Changing both, while keeping the subject the same size in the frame, cancels out those competing effects.
Hi Everyone,
While this rule holds true most of the time (like 99% of the time for general photography), there are in fact slight differences in depth of field when the focal length changes at high magnifications, and at least with how distribution of the front and back of the focus plane. We are certainly talking about fractions here, but it can be noticeable when you are shooting details that are only a few millimeters thick. Practically speaking with these lenses in real-world use you will find slight differences that you may not normally expect given the mathematical expectations.