Two weeks ago, I spent my time get up close and personal with many subjects around me with my macro lens. I love macro photography. If I could only shoot one type of photograph, and thankfully I don’t have to, I would pick macro. There’s something about getting close enough to a subjects to capture a view of the small details that we take for granted every day. Whether it be the fine details in a leaf or a flower, or perhaps the intricate colors and patterns of the human iris, the world up close is always amazing to me. So now that I have briefly espoused the wonders of macro photographs, what equipment do you need and how do you take them?
First off, you can take macro shots with most P/S cameras as well as with DSLRs and ILCs. The difference being that with point and shoot cameras, you are stuck with a single lens to cover a wide range of uses. As such, macro photographs taken with a point and shoot may not actually be truly macro, and often come out less sharp than desired. But this certainly does not mean that you can’t grab great macro shoots with a P/S, but it does mean you need to test out you camera to see how well it performs. For DSLRs and ILCs, the magic of macro is all in the lens. Any camera body will be able to take a macro shot. For this reason, I am focusing the majority of this post on macro lenses, but I will revisit P/S macro later on, so keep reading if you are in that camp.
What is a macro lens? In general, a macro lens is one that can focus on a subject that is closer to the front element of the lens than would normally be possible on a standard lens. That’s really about it. Post over….
…ok, not really, because there is really more to it. More specifically, it is commonly agreed that a macro lens is a lens with a reproduction ration of 1:1 or greater. This means that 15 mm of space on a subject takes up equivalent amount of space on the sensor. This means that if you have a sensor that is 36mm wide (for a full frame sensor), a 1:1 macro lens is one that can focus on the metric ruler with 0mm hitting one edge of the frame and 36mm hitting the opposite edge. A 2:1 macro lens would be one where the lens could focus closely enough that the 0mm mark would be on one side and the 18mm mark would be on the other. That’s pretty close up. To give some perspective to what 1:1 means, if you took a photo of your thumb (width-wise) with a 1:1 macro, you could get close enough to have it fill the over half of the image while still being able to focus on it. As an example, my Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 has a minimum focusing distance of about 1.5ft. That means if the end of my lens gets any closer than 1.5 feet to the subject I am trying to focus on, I will not be able to obtain focus. 1.5 ft is pretty good too. On the flip side, a 50mm macro lens would be able to obtain focus at about 6-7 inches, bit in many cases, even though the listed focus distance is 7 inches it will focus much closer. As an example, I have used my 60mm AF-S Micro-Nikkor and been able to achieve focus as close as 2 inches away (Note: When shooting this close, be sure to check your light as being this close can cause the lens to actually block out a lot of light). Using a longer macro lens with 1:1 capabilities just means you can get the same reproduction, but you can be physically further away from your subject. This is why Nikon makes a 1:1 105mm Micro-Nikkor and a 1:1 200mm Micro-Nikkor. Neither of these lenses can reproduce the same size image as the 1:1 60mm Micro-Nikkor, but from a greater distance. As an example, this is particularly handy when shooting bees pollinating flowers without disturbing the bee or the flower. However, when working with products or handheld, I really like a 50 or 60mm lens as I can look for the details with my eyes, in addition to through the camera, by just lowering the camera.
Most macro lenses are 1:1, although some that are 1:2 often are marketed as macro although they technically are not true macro lenses. You can also find 2:1 macros. Canon also makes a fantastic macro lens (Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8) that is capable of 5:1 reproduction. Honestly, I have thought about getting a used digital Canon body (yes, a Nikon guy giving props to Canon does happen), just so I can use this lens, but I have not pulled the trigger (primarily because the lens itself is about $1000 when bought new). It should also be noted, that lenses that are 1:1 and designed for full frame which actually get a boost in magnifying performance when used on a cropped sensor, similar to how they get a boost when using telephoto lenses.
Most macro lenses include many features such as special lens coatings to reduce reflections and to help with super sharp images. The best macro lenses also using an internal focusing mechanism. This means that when the focus ring is turned, the only movement occurs within the lens body. This helps as when you are close to a subject as it often can cause issues if parts of the lens are turning (especially when using certain types of filters) as well as the lens getting physically longer and shorter. I have used macro lenses of both designs and the internal focusing lens are much easier to use and often have better focus.
Another way to get a very good macro lens, and often times one that is greater than 1:1, is to reverse mount a fast prime lens directly to the camera. Many companies make adapters to do this and they are fairly cheap. The best lenses for this type are normal and wide angle. How does this work? Well it works because a lens is designed to gather light and focus it down into a small circle that hits the image sensor. If the lens is inverted the lens works in the opposite fashion; expanding the image before it hits the sensor. For this reason, wider angle lenses provide more magnification than do normal lenses. The problems with this setup are that it leaves the rear element of the lens exposed to the element. Some companies, Nikon being one, makes an adapter than can be attached to the bayonet end of the lens and allows you to attach a 52mm filter for some added protection. In this setup the focus works similarly, but often it works best to focus to infinity and just move closer and further away in order to obtain proper focus. Also it is best to use the lens wide open (largest aperture), which often means that the depth of field is very shallow. To combat this, a technique known as focus stacking can be used to get an image with a larger depth of field. I’ll touch on this in a future post.
This same reversed technique can be taken a step further. A reversed lens can be mounted on the front of another lens (often referred to as a “supermacro” lens). This is often best done using a fast wide angle to normal lens reversed and mounted to a telephoto lens that is attached to the camera. The reversed lens works as it does just when attached to the camera, however with the telephoto lens increases the magnification even more. Coupling adapters are available from a bunch of sources for a few dollars apiece. Ideally it is best to use lenses with the same filter diameter, but if they are close (52mm diameter mounted on 62mm diameter lens) it will work fine with minimal vignetting. This technique has an incredibly shallow depth of field so it is best to use the same focusing techniques mentioned above. The overall effect can yield 4:1 and 5:1 magnifications with lenses you may already have in your camera bag. The general rule is to divide the focal length of the telephoto lens by the focal length of the reversed lens. For example, if a 28mm lens is reversed on a 105mm lens, the approximate magnification power is 3.75:1. This can be even more if the telephoto is a 1:1 macro lens. With these set ups, unless you have a ton of light, you should definitely use a tripod.
As mentioned point and shoot cameras often have a “macro” mode, but it really should be called a close-up mode. These cameras while still able to produce great images, cannot reproduce at a ratio of 1:1 like a dedicated macro lens. Again, this is because the lens and systems are designed to cover a really large range, and being able to reproduce at 1:1 is why there is so much engineering that goes into dedicated lenses. Again, with that being said, even though it may not be 1:1, P/S cameras are still capable of taking some great close up shots.
Now that you know about the lenses and different setups, it’s time to touch on some techniques and considerations when shooting macro photographs. The first thing, and I have already mentioned it above, if shooting macro, the way to get super sharp photos is to use a tripod. Because the magnification is so close and the area you are focusing on it small, any slight movements can cause soft focus, or blur. When using very close magnification, even the slight vibration from pressing the shutter release can cause shake, so using a remote shutter release can help eliminate this shake. Essentially you use a lot of the same techniques used when using a long telephoto lens to eliminate shake.
The process of focusing when using a macro lens, and when taking macro photographs with a non-macro lens, can be a little trickier due to the small subjects and fine details. As such, it is recommended to forgo the autofocus and grab hold of the focus ring to really dial in focus on the details you are after. As lens manufacturers know that you would need to really dial in the focus, the focus ring on a macro lens has a much finer control than on standard lenses. This means that is takes more turns of the ring to sweep from near focus to infinity. While this is great for macro shooting, it is something to take into consideration when using the lens to go between near and far objects. The macro mode on a point of shoot camera often changes the way the camera focuses. Typically it goes into a mode where it constantly tries to maintain focus even prior to touching the shutter release. It will also typically limit the zoom range of the lens in while macro shooting is available. This mode and type of focus is great for obtaining focus for macro shots, but it can drain the battery fairly quickly so be sure to turn it off when you are not using it.
Another factor to take into account, more so than when shooting subjects further away, is the amount of light needed and where the light sources are. As the process of shooting close up and often mean placing your lens is closer proximity to the subject, this can mean that the lens or the photographer can potentially get in the way of the light source. For example, an on camera flash is often useless for macro as the light is blocked by the lens itself. There are macro flash setups, such as ring flashes, that put the light source out near the end of the lens or allow the light to be angled directly in line with front of the lens. If you are out using the sun, be wary of the direction of the sun, so your body does not shade the subject. Lastly, the small shadows on a magnified shot are also magnified. This is why it is essential to make sure you have plenty of light. You are better off with more light than you need as you can always stop down or increase your shutter speed.
In addition to movements of the camera as discussed above, movement of the subject can also wreak havoc when shooting macro photographs. From a slight breeze moving a flower, or an insect that won’t stand still, you must be aware of what you are shooting and if it will stay still long enough to get a good shot. I personally do not do a lot of insect macros, but I have read and heard that many photographers who focus on these small living subjects, will often use cold temperatures (catching and refrigerating the insect, or using an cold bowl) to slow down the insects long enough to catch multiple shots very close up. While this is just one trick for shooting insects, the most important is being aware of the circumstances of the shot to make sure movement can be minimized.
I kept this post shorter than past weeks, but covered many aspects of shooting in macro. As I said at the beginning, I love shooting macros, and I think everyone should give it a try. If you don’t want to invest in a true 1:1 macro lens, try reversing a fast prime lens, or at least try working around the minimum focusing distance of your favorite normal lens. Any way you try it out, you will see there is a whole new world found in the small details all around us. Go out and capture it.
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