The world of macro photography
is indeed a fascinating one, allowing you to get in so close
and see detail you wouldn't even be able to see with the naked
eye. My lens of choice is my Tamron 90mm f2.8 macro lens,
however I started with the usual cheaper options, and if you
are considering having a go yourself, this is where I would
suggest you start yourself while you decide if it is for you
or not - some people just don't have the patience, and it can
get pretty expensive.
True macro
photography is defined as producing 1:1 (lifesize)
reproduction (or greater) of the subject matter on the
camera's sensor. So if you have a flower which is say 24mm
across, it will be 24mm across on the sensor... Full Frame
sensors measure approx 36mm by 24mm, so the flower would take
up all of the sensor height and two thirds of the width.
Whilst many lenses are marked as
having 'macro' capability, they in fact are not macro lenses -
giving far less than 1:1 reproduction, with most barely
capable of producing half lifesize images. It is possible to
get close to true macro by using extension tubes, bellows or
macro filters (basically a magnifying glass). So if you have a
50mm kit lens for example, adding 50mm of extension tubes will
typically bring you to around four fifths lifesize, add on a
macro filter and you could even be slightly over 1:1. Adding
extension tubes and filters will enable you to focus much
closer than normal, however you will lose infinity focus at
the same time, so don't forget to remove them if you want to
take a 'normal' photograph.
The
frustrating part for many is the extremely narrow Depth of
Field (how much is in focus) with macro photography, often as
low as fractions of milimetres. You will notice that any
movement of the lens either side to side, up and down, or in
and out will render an out of focus subject... even the act of
breathing will impact on your ability to take the photograph.
Short of recommending you hold your breath (which is necessary
when shooting hand held) it is worth investing in a tripod or
a bean bag in order to steady your shot.
Extension tubes can be picked up
for as low as 12 quid on Amazon, but do make sure the ones you
get have electronic connections so you are able to change your
aperture (not necessary if you have a fully manual lens).
Bellows come in at around twenty to thirty quid, and filters
are a little more expensive still. For this photograph I added
a Raynox 150 filter (£55) to my Tamron, giving me
approximately 1.5:1 reproduction. This was one of the first
bluebells I saw this year, in my neighbours front garden, and
the narrow DoF mean't that ALL of the green leaves in the
background were out of focus giving a very creamy bokeh. |
