As you begin to gain experience as a photographer and become an expert in the handling of your camera, you will surely begin to wish to enter new and exciting worlds within this wonderful art.Macro objectives are like a one-way passage to a new world where everything is yet to be discovered. But, as in any trip, taking the first steps can be somewhat disconcerting and more if you take into account the amount of available alternatives that exist in the market.That is why, in today's article I have prepared a list of macro objectives, classified by focal distances, so you can get an idea of ??what is the ideal macro objective for you.Buckle up, because this approach trip is about to begin!
WHAT IS A MACRO OBJECTIVE FOR?
Macro photography , as the name implies, is a branch of this wonderful art that is dedicated to photographing subjects or objects that will look “very large” in the final photograph, in real size or even more. In order to achieve this, it is necessary that you have an objective that allows you to portray them in such conditions, and these are: the macro objectives.A macro lens will allow you to reproduce a subject in a photograph, whatever it may be, in real size or even more closely thanks to its capacity and its minimum focusing distance. This means that, if you take a photograph of a bee one centimeter long, it should occupy at least one centimeter in the sensor of your camera, that is, a large portion of the frame will be occupied by it.Macro lenses specially designed for this purpose have a magnification index of 1 or a 1: 1 ratio between the size of the subject and the size it occupies in the sensor. Despite this, there are macro objectives capable of focusing on a 5 to 1 ratio, which makes them almost microscopes.
RECOMMENDED MACRO LENSES ACCORDING TO FOCAL LENGTH
Macro Shorts (from 30 to 50mm)The “short” focal length macro lenses will allow you to take close-up photographs with a greater depth of field than the “long” ones, since the shorter the focal length, the greater the depth of field achieved in your photographs. This can be really useful if you want your motives to be completely in focus.This great advantage can be seen eclipsed by the disadvantage that comes with it: you will have to get very close to your motives in order to obtain a life-size image (1: 1). If you have in mind to photograph insects or other elusive motifs, with these objectives your work will be very complicated since you will have to approximate the front lens of the lens a lot to your motive, being able to scare it away.Another disadvantage of having to get very close is that the camera itself usually hinders the light source you are using, whether natural or artificial, due to the short distance that must exist between the subject and your camera.So why even take them into consideration? Choosing a macro objective will not only depend on the use you are going to give it to define whether or not you should get one of these but also your budget. Keep in mind that these goals can cost you up to a quarter of the "long" macro goals.If you are thinking of getting one of these macro objectives, be sure to check out the following models:
Olympus M.Zuiko digital ED 60 mm / F 2.8 M.ED MACRO for sensor cameras 4/3 a - .
Photograph taken with the Sigma EX f / 2.8 DGMacro Long (60-105mm)These types of macro lenses are the most common as they will allow you to take pictures in almost any situation. Its longer focal length will allow you to work more comfortably, at a greater distance and without losing magnification.By not having to accelerate the subject so much, you can take incredible macro photographs without running the risk of driving away your motives or obstructing the light, but, unlike the “short” frame objectives, these usually cost more than double the others. The greater the focal length of the macro lens, the more comfort you will have when working but also the cost will rise.Anyway, there are many excellent alternatives in the market so you can get yours. But pay attention to my following recommendations:
Nikkor 60mm f / 2.8 DX AF Micro 1: 1 with focus motor .
Nikkor 105mm f / 2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro 1: 1 ( here ).
Tokina (for Nikon) AT-X 100mm f / 2.8 Macro 1: 1 at € 404.72 .
Canon EF 100mm f / 2.8 USM Macro 1: 1 at normal and with image stabilizer .
Sony 100mm f / 2.8 Macro 1: 1 for € 801.95 .
Pentax D-FA 100 mm f / 2.8 Macro WR 1: 1 waterproof .
Olympus M-Zuiko Digital ED 60mm (Equivalent to 120 mm) f / 2.8 for 4/3 sensor cameras ( here ).
Picture taken with a Nikkor 105 f / 2.8 on a Nikon D3200.Keep in mind that: you can use this type of “long” macro lens also for your portraits since, the perspective they provide for their focal length allows it.Tele Macro (150-200mm)This type of macro telephoto lenses are widely used by nature photographers to portray plants, animals and insects without invading their natural space. Its extremely long focal length will allow you to photograph in a 1: 1 ratio, that is, in real scale, at a much greater distance than the “long” macro without your motives even knowing you're there.As you can imagine, this type of telephoto lens is really expensive so it is rare to see a photographer not specialized in macro nature photography with one of them.Anyway, I have prepared a small selection of them:
Sigma 150mm f / 2.8 DG APO 1: 1, ones - (available for several cameras)
Tamron for Canon, 180mm f / 3.5 SP Di LD IF Macro 1: 1 at about € 831.95 .
Nikkor 200mm f / 4 ED-IF AF Micro Telephoto 1: 1, price € 1,491.95 .
Photograph taken with the Nikor 200 f / 4 ED-IF AF.Other ways to get a macro picture:While the ideal is that, to take a macro photo, you have a lens specially designed for this purpose, it is possible through the use of accessories, convert any lens so you can take a macro photo thanks to two accessories: the inverter rings and extension tubes.
Inverter rings : these rings are placed between the front lens of your lens and the body of your camera to allow you to reverse your lens. In this way, you can turn any lens into a macro one, although sacrificing a bit of sharpness and quality, of course. invest short focal length targets if you want to get the best results.
Extension tubes : extension tubes, as long as they do not have crystals in between, will not affect the quality of your photographs but will take away a lot of light. Despite this, they are widely used to turn any target into a macro. The greater the focal length of the lens to which you place the tubes and the more tubes you connect, the closer you will achieve (since the minimum focusing distance is reduced).
I hope that among the objectives referenced above you could find yours. Macro photography offers very rewarding results when you have the right objective.Oh, and as always, don't forget to spread this article on Facebook, Twitter or Google+. Thank you
