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With the best macro lenses, photographers can find all kinds of small wonders in nature. Macro lenses are made with a special optical design that makes it possible to make small things look much bigger. If you’ve ever seen a picture of a small plant or insect that fills the whole frame and has amazing detail that you can’t see with the naked eye, it was probably taken with a macro lens.
The best macro lenses have a fast aperture, a close focusing distance, and that all-important 1.0x magnification ratio. What does the second part mean? A magnification ratio of 1.0x, or 1:1 as it is often written, means that when you frame a subject at the closest possible focusing distance of your macro lens, it will make the subject look the same size on your camera‘s sensor as it does in real life.
Best Macro Lenses
Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Features
The Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM improves on everything that was good about the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM. Magnification? 1.4x was added. Stabilization? to eight stops (on the EOS R5 and R6). Bokeh? A ring that moves the lens elements makes it even more beautiful. Pay attention and breathe?
More controlled and faster than ever. It’s also a great portrait lens on its own, thanks to its sharpness and flattering focal length. If you have an EOS R-series camera and want to take close-up pictures of both small and big things, you’ve just found your next purchase.
Pros
- 1:1.4 reproduction ratio
- Ridiculously sharp
- Near-zero focus breathing
- Possible 8 stops of IS
Cons
- Expensive, inevitably
- Only for Canon RF cameras
Canon RF 85mm F2 Macro IS STM
Features
The Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens is still a very popular model, even though it came out 28 years before the Canon RF 85mm F2 Macro IS STM Lens. It is the lens that deserves to be called the Canon RF 85mm F2 Macro IS STM Lens’s predecessor. This old lens was popular for a long time because it was useful.
Its focal length and relatively wide aperture made it perfect for our most important subjects, which are people. Small size, light weight, and low price were also big reasons why it was so popular. The RF 85 has all of the just-mentioned key features that make it a winner.
Pros
- 5-stop image stabilization
- Doubles as a great portrait lens
- Quiet focusing
Cons
- Not 1:1 magnification
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Features
The Canon 100mm macro lens has a sturdy L-series build and hybrid optical stabilisation. Autofocus features like ring-type ultrasonic autofocus and a three-position autofocus limiter switch that can lock out the short or long end of the range are typical of high-end cameras.
A weather seal and an Ultra-low Dispersion element are also part of the lens. Image quality is good all the way down to f/22, which lets you get a little more depth of field. Autofocus is fast, accurate, quiet, but the manual focus ring is smooth and accurate, which is more important for most macro shots.
Pros
- Typically strong ‘L’ series build quality
- Hybrid optical stabilization
Cons
- Relatively expensive to buy
Panasonic Lumix S PRO 14-28mm F/4-5.6 Macro
Features
With this lens, Panasonic made some good choices about how to make it. Compared to what else is out there, the focal length range has been increased, the hood catch has been changed so it doesn’t come loose, and the smallest aperture has been capped at f/22 so the quality stays the same. The price is keen.
The size and shape are light and not too big. Even though the wide-open apertures aren’t very big, this is the kind of trade-off that makes the other benefits possible. There’s a lot to like about this lens and Panasonic’s lenses in general, whether they’re small and cheap primes or bigger, faster lenses.
Pros
- Well-priced
- Lightweight and small
- Macro capability
Cons
- Variable aperture, fairly narrow
Sigma Macro 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM
Features
Even though this Sigma lens is affordable (at least in the UK and Europe), it has a fast, quiet, and accurate ring-type ultrasonic autofocus, a range limiter switch with three settings, and optical stabilisation with both static and panning modes.
Two SLD (Special Low Dispersion) optical elements are made of high-quality glass, and the lens comes with a soft case, a hood, and even a hood converter so that it works best with APS-C format cameras instead of full-frame cameras.
Pros
- Good build quality and stabilization
- Impressive overall performance
Cons
- No weather-seals
Voigtlander 110mm F/2.5 Macro APO Lanthar
Features
The Voigtlander 110mm f/2.5 Macro APO Lanthar is a great macro lens that works very well with the Sony A7R III body and probably with other Sony bodies as well. It’s pretty big and heavy, so it might not be a good idea to use it with a crop sensor camera, but it works great on a full-frame camera.
Electronic compatibility is a nice touch, and this makes sure that focusing in the field is smooth and easy. When shooting with a tripod and a macro lens, the performance is great and AF isn’t really needed. The verdict is that it is a very stylish lens that is fun to use and gives great results.
Pros
- 1:1 macro reproduction
- Electronic communication with camera
- Optics suppress chromatic aberration
Cons
- Visible focus breathing effect
- Only available in E-mount
Tamron SP 90mm F/2.8 Di VC USD Macro
Features
The SP 90mm F/2.8 Di VC USD Macro from Tamron is one of the best macro lenses for DSLRs. Unfortunately, it is no longer available. It’s still widely available on the second-hand market, so we’re keeping it in our guide, but stock and prices will change.
Two XLD (eXtra Low Dispersion) elements and one LD element, as well as dual nano-structure and traditional coatings, were added to the previous version’s optics to make them better. The front element is weather-sealed and has a fluorine coating that helps keep it clean.
Pros
- Superb image quality
- Effective hybrid stabilizer
- Robust weather-sealed construction
Cons
- Getting harder to find
FAQs
What size is a good macro lens?
Macro lenses come in different focal lengths that are used for different things. The most common focal lengths are around 50mm, 100mm, and 180mm, but the exact values depend on the camera maker. Short focal length (50mm to 60mm) macro lenses are less expensive, smaller, and lighter.
What is a super macro lens?
With the super macro lens, you can get closer to the subject so that small animals take up more of the picture. When set to macro or super macro focus, the DC2000 can focus as close as 3.5″ (9cm) without the lens. With the lens, the camera can get as close as 1.5 inches (4 cm), which makes the subject look about 2.3 times bigger.
What is the disadvantages of macro lens?
When you get close to your subject with a macro lens, the depth of field gets very shallow, making it hard to use at close range. They tend to be more expensive as well.
How many megapixels is good for macro photography?
The other reason is that crop sensors are great for macro photography, especially if you want to get really close to your subject. A full-frame camera with 36 megapixels and an APS-C camera with 16 megapixels have about the same pixel density. This means that they can both see close details about the same amount.