MACRO LENSES
Marvel at macro
With a macro lens, you can explore creative possibilities and capture art in small subjects
Capturing some of the water droplets and eyes as sharp as possible helps this damselfly stand out from the backdrop.
Andrew James
Macro photography is a specialist area of photography that requires a dedicated lens, but it’s entirely accessible to enthusiast photographers. Because of the unique view it offers, a macro lens is often the third most popular choice for enthusiasts, after the general wide-angle and telephoto focal lengths.
Although the term macro is embossed on the barrel of all kinds of lenses, true macro is defined as a reproduction ratio of 1:1 – also known as 1x magnification or life-size. This means that if you were to place the subject directly on the sensor, that’s exactly the size it would appear in the image. True macro lenses are usually short telephoto primes ranging from 60 to 105mm, so they also double up as a fast portrait lens.