By Marc Langille
One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the amazing complexity of little creatures around us. The details are difficult to see with the naked eye, and this is where the world of macro photography shines.
So what exactly is macro photography? Many definitions exist! For most of us, it's capturing the detail of something that perhaps our naked eye can't see. Macro photography is the magnification of the subject by the equipment used on the camera body.
Shooting macro has the almost universal requirements of using a tripod, flash in low light, plus other aspects of technique, but those are a separate discussion. In this article, we're going to talk about the camera gear specifically.
Helpful macro photography concepts
There are several terms unique to macro photography, so I'll cover them in brief. Below are some of the important concepts you should be familiar with.
- MFD (minimum focal distance): closest in-focus distance from the plane of the sensor or film to the subject/object
- MWD (minimum working distance): closest in-focus distance from the front element of the lens to the subject/object
- Magnification: this is stated as a ratio on a dedicated macro lens. The most common ones for true macro lenses are 1:2 or 1:1, the latter being the most desirable.
As an example, my 200mm macro has an MFD of 20 inches. The MWD is 11 inches.
Common equipment setups
Here are the most common equipment setups for your camera:
- Special magnification filters;
- Reversing ring;
- An extension tube set;
- Bellows;
- Macro focusing teleconverter;
- A long telephoto lens;
- A dedicated macro lens.
The first four options are great for the newcomer, but they have their limitations. Several require that you have the SLR or DSLR camera, where the lenses are interchangeable. However, with patience, some nice results are possible with the first four options. What I will cover is the estimated cost for each option, and how they work.
So let's go through the equipment setups I mentioned above, one by one.
Special magnification filters
Also known as "close-up filters", this is probably the most flexible option if you have neither the funds for a dedicated macro lens, or are traveling with minimal equipment.
A classic situation would to attach these close-up filters to a longer telephoto lens to allow the image of the flower to fill your viewfinder. This is an excellent, inexpensive option to travel light. Note that the sharpness of the images will be compromised and you'll see more softness in the corners of the image.
The filters often come in sets, with diopter settings of +1 through +7 (a diopter is a unit that designates the refractive power of the lens). A common set is +1, +2 and +4. When stacked, you must have the strongest filter closest to the lens for it to work as intended. Pricing runs from $15+ for a single one, to the better Hoya, B&W or sets at up to $60-70.
The results I have seen from the Canon close up filter are quite good.
Reversing ring
A reversing ring is a threaded adapter that lets you mount the lens backwards on the camera body. The downside is that you expose the lens contacts, etc. to the elements, and you lose all metering capabilities. This option is best used with a lens that allows you to adjust aperture and focus manually. Roughly $5-20.
Extension tubes
Extension tubes are similar to lenses, but without the glass (elements), as shown in Figure A.
FIGURE A
This extension tube looks like a lens, but there's no glass. (click for larger image)
What this simple design does is move the back of the lens further away from the sensor or film plane. The drawback is that less light reaches the film/sensor, so the shutter speed drops, and longer exposure times are needed if you don't use faster film or higher ISO settings.
The best analogy I can provide is this: like a projector, the further you move it away from the display area, the larger the image gets. It's simple, yet very effective. They are also much lighter, since there is no glass in the tubes.
This option can be cheap to moderately expensive, depending on the features of the set. The cheapest manual focus (MF) versions can be had for about $20. The full auto-focus (AF) versions made by Kenko will run $130 or more for a new set. The aforementioned set is quite possibly one of the better options.
Figure B shows the disassembled extension tube set.
FIGURE B
Here's what the extension tube set looks like once disassembled. (click for larger image)
Bellows
Remember older cameras that had the accordion-like hoods between the front of the lens and the camera body? This option is difficult to use, and very cumbersome. The difference between it and extension tubes is the adjustability of the setup.
Another downside is that it can be somewhat front heavy, so your tripod head must be relatively strong. Not a recommended setup, given the other lighter and more flexible options available. If you still want to try one, they can be had online for around $80-$100 or more.
Macro focusing teleconverter
A macro focusing teleconverter is similar to an extension tube, but it's got glass, as shown in Figure C.
FIGURE C
Here's a macro focusing teleconverter. (click for larger image)
As with an extension tube, less light will reach the film or sensor, and a longer exposure time will be needed. However, working distance remains the same as without the teleconverter.
One of the better units is the Vivitar 2x Macro Focusing Teleconverter. Like an extension tube, it's mounted between the camera and the lens. Focusing is done with the teleconverter. Note that this particular unit is no longer in production, so you may have to troll eBay. It's no dedicated macro lens, but you can get your feet wet with this one. You can often find them used on online auction sites for $40-$60.
You can really see how the macro focusing teleconverter compares to the extension tube in Figure D.
FIGURE D
You can see the glass in the teleconverter on the left. (click for larger image)
You can see the glass in the teleconverter on the left. You can also kind of see how the two differ in Figure E, where, again, the teleconverter is on the left.
FIGURE E
The teleconverter is on the left. (click for larger image)
Long telephoto lens
Believe it or not, some very nice macro images can be had with longer telephoto lenses, as shown in Figure F.
FIGURE F
Here's my 80-200/2.8. (click for larger image)
Generally a 300mm lens, as shown in Figure G, can bring in the subject close enough, despite it's MFD of 5+ feet. Given the narrow field of view (FOV), it's at best a second place player.
FIGURE G
This beast is my 300/2.8. (click for larger image)
Add a close-up filter, however, and things change for the better. I've seen some excellent images from a 50-200mm zoom and a close-up filter. More than a few wildlife photographers use this combination when packing light for their longer wildlife trips.
Dedicated macro lens
As you might imagine, using a dedicated macro lens is the best way to photograph macro! Generally you'll want a medium telephoto (70-150mm) macro lens if your primary subjects are not products. Outdoors, the extra reach is useful for less-than-friendly subjects, such as hornets, wasps, snakes, etc.
A macro lens is often designed to provide its best performance at a magnification of 1:1. This is the most common method used by photographers. Using a fixed focal length means that your magnification remains constant, unlike zooms, which will lose some of the magnification at the longer focal lengths. Some macro lenses can go beyond this and achieve even better magnification -- up to 5:1 macro.
However, the longest 1:1 macro lenses can also bring to life the amazing structure of an insect's eyes, butterfly antennae segments, and other minuscule but detailed objects into striking focus.
Prices can range quite a bit, depending on the focal length and magnification ratio:
- $50-100 for a used MF lens
- $250-300 for a new 50mm AF lens
- $400+ for longer lenses (90-100mm)
- $800-2000 (MSRP) for the longest macro lenses (150-200mm)
The above numbers are not absolutes, but this should give you an idea of the pricing. The options are extensive, and are limited only by what your budget will allow.
Let's take a look at some of these lenses. Figure H shows a 100mm macro lens.
FIGURE H
Here's the 100mm macro lens. (click for larger image)
By contrast, Figure I shows a 200mm macro lens.
FIGURE I
This is the 200/4 lens. (click for larger image)
Finally, just in case you wanted to see what the difference is between the two lenses in a tangible way, Figure J shows the 100/2.8 and the 200/4 side-by-side.
FIGURE J
Here are the two lenses side-by-side. (click for larger image)
Go forth and take pictures
Now that you know about the different gear, you know you can go out and take macro photos with very inexpensive gear. But, as you might imagine, the more you spend, the better the gear.
Go forth and take great pictures!
Based in Fayetteville, AR, Marc is primarily involved with nature, wildlife, landscape, macro and photojournalism photography. He has had multiple images published, as well as 3 exhibits in 2007. You can see more of his work at http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/marclangille.