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What is a Macro Lens, Its Features and Tips (Top Macro Lenses for Photographing Insects)

Are you trying to understand what a macro lens is and what a macro lens is? And do you want to know how to use a macro lens?

Okay!

In this article, you'll learn everything you need to know about macro lenses: what they are, how they work, and how to use them to take stunning macro shots photo.

Are you ready to learn about macro lenses?

Let's get started.

What is a macro lens?

First of all:

You may have seen the "macro" label on various cameras and lenses. You may have heard this word in different contexts.

But what is a macro lens?

Macro lenses are all about the magnification of the camera sensor. See, there's a little sensor inside every digital camera. For full frame cameras, the sensor is 36mm24mm, which is why these cameras are often called "35mm".

Now, true macro lenses can produce life-size or larger images on the camera sensor. So a macro lens on a 35mm camera can take an object 24mm tall and fill the entire frame with it. This is the so-called 1:1 replication ratio. Any value from 1:1 and above is a macro-level reproduction rate.

Please note that when you view the image on a computer, the subject will appear enormous - many times larger than life. This is because your computer monitor is much larger than your camera sensor. That's what macro lenses are for. It allows you to capture tiny details and then blow them up to huge sizes.

Of course, a real macro lens doesn't have to focus on 1:1 or higher, it just has this function. You can easily take portraits, landscapes or street photos with a macro lens.

Faux Macro Lenses

On the other hand, many lenses are labeled "macro" but do not offer a reproduction ratio of 11. These lenses usually focus very close, but not as close as a true macro lens. I call it "close shot".

This leads to the next part:

Similar types of macro lenses: fixed focus lenses, zoom lenses, etc.

By now you should be familiar with one key difference between macro lenses:

The difference between a true macro lens and a close-up lens.

The true focal length of a macro lens is 1:1, but a close-focus lens cannot.

However, there is one important difference between macro lenses: fixed focus and zoom macro lenses.

Fixed focus macro lens

High-quality macro lenses have only one focal length. They are usually in the 90mm to 105mm area, but there are also 60mm macro lenses and 200mm macro lenses. Original macro lenses tend to be super sharp, and they are often real macro lenses.

Zoom Macro Lens

On the other hand, a zoom macro lens allows you to choose the focal length. Sometimes you'll find telephoto macro zooms, which will give you a focal length of 70-300mm and a close focus distance. It's a pity that zoom can never achieve true macro magnification. They only allow you to get close to your subject, but only in close-up. Zoom lenses often have optical defects that lead to problems such as softness, chromatic aberration, and vignetting.

Who should buy a macro lens?

Macro lenses do one thing really well: they get you close to your subject.

So if you want to take close-up photos of insects, flowers, or other small objects, you'll want to use a macro lens.

However, true macro lenses are more expensive than close-up macro lenses. So I suggest you only buy a true macro lens when you need it. If you just need a lens that can take close-ups, you probably don't need a true macro lens. Instead, you can use a macro zoom, or even a non-macro lens like the Canon "Naughty Fifty" 50mm f/1.8stm

You should also note that macro lenses are notoriously slow to autofocus Poor, especially at high magnification. So if you decide to use a macro lens, realize that you'll be doing a lot of manual focusing.

Which macro lens has the best focal length?

Once you decide to buy a macro lens, you will be faced with a big question:

What type of focal length lens should I buy?

Macro lenses are divided into three categories.

Macro lenses are 40mm to 60mm, standard macro lenses are 90mm to 110mm, and long macro lenses are 150mm to 200mm. Focal length is important for two main reasons.

First of all, the longer the focal length, the more close-ups of flying objects you can take. Therefore, if you want to photograph insects, you need a long macro lens. Or a short standard macro lens can do it. We can't get close to the insects until they fly away.

Secondly, the longer the focal length, the greater the working distance.

Working distance refers to the distance between the front of the lens and the subject. If you want to take pictures of flowers, a shorter macro lens will almost touch the flowers when zooming in and focusing at 1:1, and a longer macro lens will be able to focus at 1:1 at a long distance.

Recommendation:

If you want the lens to occasionally capture detailed photos, choose a short macro lens. If you want a serious macro lens for zooming in on still objects, get your hands on a standard macro lens. If you want to take close-ups of insects, choose a telephoto macro lens.

Challenges of Macro Lenses

There are several important challenges in using macro lenses.

First, macro lenses don’t just magnify the subject; they also magnify the blur caused by camera shake. This means you have to be very, very careful to avoid camera shake, especially at high magnifications. You should use a faster shutter speed or a tripod to prevent this problem. If you are using a handheld device, be sure to practice your skills well. Second, at high magnification you see a very shallow focal plane. Even with a small aperture, you can't focus too much. Therefore, you have to choose your focus point very carefully. It is recommended to turn off autofocus so that you can always use manual focus and then select the focus point to provide you with the best shooting results.

Best Tips for Using a Macro Lens

If you want to consistently capture stunning macro photos, you should learn how to get the most out of your macro lens. You should learn how to use it with light, composition, and color to create beautiful macro images.

Here are some tips for achieving this:

Tip 1: Shoot on a cloudy day to enhance color and detail.

Good macro photography is related to light. If you can master lighting, you won't be able to take amazing photos.

Fortunately, choosing a beautiful light for macro photography is very easy, just shoot on an overcast day.

You will see that the clouds scatter the light, making it even and soft. This soft light then shines on the subject, revealing detail and enhancing color.

This is great for macro photos of macro details and colorful subjects, and ensures well-lit macro images.

Should also help gain working distance. Soft light casts very subtle shadows, so don't worry about camera settings blocking the light.

Tip 2: Artistic macro photos that embrace shallow depth of field

As mentioned before, the depth of field of a macro lens is limited. It's true: it's difficult to focus the entire subject on the scene.

But you didn’t give up. Instead, I recommend you go for a shallow depth of field look. Choose f/4 or even f/2.8. Then try taking photos with this soft focus. Look for colors, curves, and lines, then let a wide aperture render your photos in an abstract style.

If you do this, you'll get some truly unique images.

Conclusion

Now, you should know everything about macro lenses: what they are, how to use them, and whether you need a macro lens.

If you are interested in macro photography, please grasp the macro lens and see where it takes you. I promise you will be very happy!

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