Spring, when flowers are blooming everywhere, is the time for macro photography. Macro photography opens up a fascinating world that often remains hidden to the naked eye. It makes it possible to make the smallest details visible and to view everyday objects from a completely new perspective.
In this article, you will find out what macro photography is, what equipment you need and which techniques will help you create impressive shots.
What is macro photography?
Macro photography refers to the photography of subjects at a scale of 1:1 or larger. This means that the subject is reproduced in its original size on the camera's sensor. Typical subjects are insects, plants, water droplets or textures of everyday objects.
The right equipment
There are special lenses and accessories for macro photography that will help you take impressive pictures:
- Macro lens: These lenses are specially developed for close-up photography and offer high imaging performance.
- Extension rings: They are placed between the camera and lens to increase the close focus.
- Close-up lenses: These attachments work like a magnifying glass and allow greater magnification.
- Macro sled: Enables precise focusing by moving the camera with millimeter accuracy.
- Retroadapter: With the retro adapter, a wide-angle lens can be attached to the camera in reverse.
- Bellows device: The bellows device works in a similar way to the adjustment slide, except that the bellows device offers further advantages.
Macro lenses
Macro lenses are special camera lenses designed for close-up photography. They allow you to capture small subjects such as insects, plants or details of everyday objects with high magnification and impressive sharpness. A true macro lens usually offers a reproduction ratio of 1:1, which means that the subject is reproduced life-size on the camera sensor. These lenses are characterised by a short minimum focusing distance and high optical quality, even at very short distances. They are ideal for detailed shots and creative photography at close range.
Extension tubes
Extension rings are accessories used in macro photography that are inserted between the camera and the lens. They do not contain any lens elements, but simply increase the distance between the lens and the sensor. This reduces the minimum focus distance of the lens, allowing the subject to be focused closer, resulting in greater magnification. Extension tubes are an inexpensive way to get started in macro photography, especially if you already own a standard lens. They are well suited for experimenting with close-ups, but often offer less image quality and flexibility than true macro lenses.
Close-up lenses
Close-up lenses are simple and inexpensive aids for macro photography that screw onto the front of the lens like a filter. They work in a similar way to a magnifying glass: the additional refractive power of the close-up lens allows the lens to move closer to the subject, enabling greater magnification. Close-up lenses are available in different strengths (e.g. +1, +2, +4 dioptres) and some can be combined. They are particularly suitable for beginners who want to take their first steps in close-up photography. However, compared to macro lenses or extension rings, the image quality is often lower, especially at the edges of the image.
Focusing slides
Focusing slides are precise tools in macro photography that allow you to move the camera forward and backward with millimetre precision without adjusting the tripod. Manual focusing on the lens is often inaccurate, especially at high magnifications – this is where the focusing slide comes into play. It allows for precise focus shifts, which is ideal for focus stacking, where multiple images with different focal planes are combined into one consistently sharp photo. Focusing slides are an indispensable tool for photographers who value the highest precision in macro photography.
Retro adapters
Retro adapters are special adapter rings used in macro photography to attach a normal lens to the camera in reverse, i.e. in retro position. This reversal turns a standard lens into a simple macro lens with high magnification. Fast fixed focal lengths with a short focal length (e.g. 28 mm or 50 mm) are particularly suitable for this. Retro adapters are an inexpensive way to get started in extreme macro photography, but they require manual focusing and often mean foregoing automatic functions such as aperture control. With a little practice, however, they can be used to achieve impressive detailed shots.
Bellows
Bellows are flexible adapters used in macro photography that are mounted between the camera and the lens. They work similarly to extension rings, but offer a continuously adjustable extension length, allowing the image scale to be changed very flexibly – from slight close-ups to extreme magnification. Bellows allow for precise work, but are usually larger and more delicate to handle. They are particularly suitable for use in the studio or on a tripod and are ideal for photographers who want maximum control over the shooting distance and the plane of focus. Bellows are available in a wide range of prices. The Memmingen-based company Novoflex is a leader in this segment and also offers adapter solutions that allow aperture control to be maintained. With its BALPRO T/S system, it also offers a system that provides adjustment options that are otherwise only available with specialist cameras. The tilt function allows the plane of focus to be adjusted to the subject, where focus stacking would otherwise be necessary.
