Understanding your camera and your macro lens is fundamental to mastering photography. From wide-angle vistas to intimate close-ups, each lens possesses a unique character that dictates the look and feel of your images. In this post, we’ll break down the key aspects of camera lenses, demystifying the jargon and providing you with the knowledge to make informed decisions that will elevate your photographic journey
Why a 100mm/105mm Macro Lens is a Favorite:
This focal length and lens type hold significant appeal for both amateurs and professionals for several key reasons:
For Amateurs:
- Introduction to the Macro World: It provides an accessible entry point into the fascinating world of macro photography. The 1:1 magnification allows for the capture of incredible detail in small subjects that might otherwise go unnoticed.
- Versatility Beyond Macro: While excellent for macro, the medium telephoto focal length is also very flattering for portraits. This dual functionality makes it a valuable lens for hobbyists who enjoy photographing both nature up close and people in their everyday lives.
- Learning About Depth of Field: The typically wide maximum aperture (f/2.8) allows for significant background blur (bokeh), helping amateurs learn about and creatively utilize shallow depth of field to isolate their subjects.
- Sharpness and Detail: The exceptional sharpness of these lenses can significantly enhance image quality compared to kit lenses, enabling amateurs to see and capture details they might have previously overlooked.
- Relatively Affordable Entry into Quality: Compared to other high-end prime lenses, 100mm and 105mm macro lenses often offer excellent optical performance at a more accessible price point.
For Professionals:
- Dedicated Macro Tool: For professionals who require capturing extreme close-ups (e.g., product photography, scientific research, food photography), a dedicated 1:1 macro lens is essential. The 100mm/105mm focal length provides a comfortable working distance from the subject, which is crucial for lighting and avoiding disturbance, especially with live subjects like insects.
- Exceptional Image Quality: Professionals demand the highest levels of sharpness, clarity, and low distortion. These macro lenses are designed to deliver exactly that, ensuring stunning detail reproduction for their clients or projects.
- Portraiture Capabilities: The medium telephoto focal length is also highly desirable for portraiture. It offers a flattering perspective with minimal distortion, allowing for beautiful background separation and making it a dual-purpose tool in a professional’s kit.
- Controlled Bokeh: The wide aperture allows for precise control over depth of field, enabling professionals to create visually appealing backgrounds that enhance their subject.
- Reliability and Build Quality: Professional-grade macro lenses from reputable manufacturers are often built to withstand the rigors of professional use, offering durability and consistent performance.
In essence, the 100mm/105mm macro lens offers a unique combination of extreme close-up capability and a flattering portrait perspective, coupled with excellent image quality. This versatility, along with a manageable size and often a competitive price point, makes it a favorite among photographers of all skill levels.
Comparison of a 100mm/105mm Macro Lens (General Characteristics):
Comparison of Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art, SIGMA 105mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro, and Tamron 90mm Macro
Here’s a table comparing the three macro lenses you mentioned:
Why the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art is a Favorite (Especially for Mirrorless):
- Optimized for Mirrorless: As a DG DN lens, it is specifically designed to meet the unique demands of mirrorless systems. This often translates to faster and more accurate autofocus performance compared to adapted DSLR lenses.
- Exceptional Optical Performance: As part of Sigma’s Art line, this lens prioritizes image quality with outstanding sharpness, minimal aberrations, and excellent detail rendition, which is crucial for macro work.
- Dedicated Features: The inclusion of a physical aperture ring with a de-click switch is highly valued by photographers who prefer tactile control over aperture, especially for video. The AFL button offers customizable functionality for a more personalized shooting experience.
- Modern Build Quality: The dust and splash-resistant construction provides added durability and peace of mind when shooting in various conditions.
SIGMA 105mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro is a Favorite (For DSLR Users), Why?
- Built-in Optical Stabilization (OS): For DSLR shooters, especially those without in-body image stabilization (IBIS), the OS is a significant advantage, helping to reduce camera shake and achieve sharper images, particularly at higher magnifications or slower shutter speeds.
- Established Reputation: This lens has been a well-regarded option for DSLR users for many years, known for its good optical performance and reliability.
- HSM Autofocus: The Hyper Sonic Motor delivers relatively quick and quiet autofocus performance, which is beneficial for both macro and portrait photography.
Why the Tamron 90mm Macro is a Favorite:
- Excellent Sharpness and Image Quality: Tamron’s 90mm macro lenses have consistently delivered impressive sharpness and image quality, often rivaling more expensive options.
- Compact Size and Weight: Compared to some 100mm/105mm macro lenses, the 90mm Tamron is often slightly more compact and lighter, making it a bit more portable for some users.
- Vibration Compensation (VC): Newer generations of the Tamron 90mm macro (especially those with USD and VC) offer effective image stabilization, a crucial feature for handheld macro shooting.
- Good Value for Money: Tamron has historically positioned its 90mm macro lenses as a compelling option that strikes a balance between performance and affordability, making them accessible to a broader range of photographers.
Canon EOS 850D and Canon EF 100mm F2.8 USM Macro
The Canon EOS 850D is a capable entry-level to mid-level DSLR camera featuring a 24.1-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor and Canon’s DIGIC 8 image processor. It features a 45-point all-cross-type autofocus system for precise subject tracking through the optical viewfinder, as well as Dual Pixel CMOS AF for smooth and responsive autofocus during live view and video recording.
The 850D can shoot continuously at up to 7 frames per second, making it suitable for capturing action. It also features 4K video recording at 25fps with a significant crop, as well as Full HD recording at up to 60 frames per second (fps). The camera has a 3.0-inch vari-angle touchscreen LCD, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for connectivity, and a traditional DSLR design with a comfortable grip and a good array of physical controls, including a top dial and rear control wheel.
The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro lens is a well-regarded prime lens designed for both macro and portrait photography. Its 100mm focal length provides a comfortable working distance for macro subjects, achieving a 1:1 life-size magnification. The f/2.8 maximum aperture allows for a shallow depth of field, ideal for isolating subjects and creating pleasing bokeh with its 8-blade circular diaphragm.
Optically, the lens features a UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) element to minimize chromatic aberrations and Super Spectra coatings to reduce flare and ghosting, resulting in sharp, high-contrast images with accurate colors. The USM (Ultrasonic Motor) provides fast and quiet autofocus, with a focus limiter switch to improve AF speed within specific shooting distances. The lens features a 58mm filter thread, and an optional tripod collar is available for enhanced stability on a tripod.
Compatibility and Performance:
The Canon EOS 850D, with its EF/EF-S lens mount, is fully compatible with the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro lens. This combination creates a versatile setup suitable for various photographic pursuits, with a particular strength in close-up and portraiture.
Macro Photography: The 1:1 magnification of the 100mm macro lens enables the 850D’s 24.1MP sensor to capture incredible detail in small subjects, such as insects, flowers, and textures. The comfortable working distance provided by the 100mm focal length is beneficial for lighting and avoiding disturbance. The accurate autofocus of the lens, combined with the 850D’s focus aids in live view (like focus peaking), can help achieve sharp results.
Portrait Photography: The 100mm focal length on the 850D’s APS-C sensor provides a 160mm equivalent field of view, which is excellent for portraiture. This perspective offers flattering compression of facial features. The wide f/2.8 aperture allows for beautiful background blur, making the subject stand out. The sharp optics of the 100mm macro lens also ensure excellent detail in portraits.
Other Uses: Beyond macro and portraits, this combination can also be used for product photography, still life, and other situations where sharp detail and controlled depth of field are desired. The 100mm focal length offers a functional short telephoto perspective for various subjects.
Considerations:
- No Image Stabilization in Lens: The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro does not have built-in image stabilization. For handheld macro shooting, which can be challenging due to the high magnification of camera shake, a tripod or careful technique will be essential. The 850D does offer digital image stabilization for video recording, but not for stills.
- APS-C Crop Factor: When using the 100mm lens on the EOS 850D’s APS-C sensor, the effective focal length becomes 160mm. While beneficial for portrait reach, it also increases the magnification for macro, potentially making it harder to keep very small or moving subjects entirely in the frame.
- Autofocus for Macro: While the USM autofocus is generally fast and accurate, achieving precise focus in macro can still be tricky due to the shallow depth of field. Manual focus with live view magnification is often preferred for critical sharpness in close-up work.
Conclusion:
The Canon EOS 850D, paired with the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro lens, is a potent combination, particularly for photographers interested in exploring the world of macro photography and capturing stunning portraits. The sharp optics and 1:1 magnification of the lens complement the 850D’s capable sensor and autofocus system. While the lack of in-lens image stabilization for stills is a factor to consider, the overall versatility and image quality of this setup make it a worthwhile choice for enthusiasts looking to expand their creative possibilities.
Macro Photography Tips for Beginners: Unveiling the Miniature World
Embarking on the journey of macro photography opens a captivating realm where the minuscule becomes monumental, revealing intricate details often unseen by the naked eye. However, capturing these close-up perspectives effectively requires a different approach and set of techniques compared to traditional photography. For beginners eager to explore this fascinating genre, a few fundamental tips can significantly improve their results and make the learning process more enjoyable.
Invest in the Right Gear (Gradually): While specialized macro lenses offering 1:1 magnification are ideal, beginners don’t necessarily need to break the bank immediately. Extension tubes, which fit between the camera body and a standard lens, can reduce the minimum focusing distance and achieve higher magnification. Similarly, close-up filters screw onto the front of a lens to magnify the subject. While these options may not offer the same optical quality as a dedicated macro lens, they provide an affordable entry point for experimenting with close-up photography. Ultimately, a dedicated macro lens in the 90-105mm range is a worthwhile investment for serious macro enthusiasts, thanks to its superior sharpness, flat field correction, and comfortable working distance.
Master Manual Focus: Autofocus systems can struggle with the shallow depth of field inherent in macro photography, often locking onto the wrong part of the subject. Learning to use manual focus accurately is crucial for achieving pinpoint sharpness on the desired detail. Utilize the camera’s live view mode with magnification to precisely fine-tune focus. Rocking the focus ring back and forth gently until the subject snaps into sharp focus is a common and effective technique.
Embrace Stability: Even the slightest camera shake is magnified significantly at close-up distances, resulting in blurry images. A sturdy tripod is an essential tool for macro photography. For added stability, consider using a remote shutter release or the camera’s self-timer to avoid introducing vibrations when pressing the shutter button. In situations where a tripod is impractical, explore using beanbags, ground pods, or other forms of support to stabilize the camera.
Control Your Depth of Field: Macro photography often involves an extremely shallow depth of field, where only a tiny portion of the subject is in focus. Understanding how aperture affects depth of field is critical. Smaller apertures (higher f-numbers like f/8, f/11, or even smaller) will increase the depth of the field, bringing more of the subject into focus. However, smaller apertures also reduce the amount of light reaching the sensor, potentially requiring longer shutter speeds or higher ISO. Experiment with different apertures to achieve the desired balance between sharpness and background blur. Focus stacking, a technique that involves combining multiple images with different focus points, can be used to achieve a greater depth of field across the entire subject.
Light Your Subject Carefully: Natural light can be beautiful for macro photography, but it can also be challenging to control. Harsh sunlight can create strong shadows and blown-out highlights. Diffused light, such as on an overcast day or in the shade, is often more flattering for revealing delicate details. Consider using reflectors to bounce light onto the subject or diffusers to soften harsh light. For more control, consider exploring artificial lighting options, such as ring flashes or macro twin lights, which are specifically designed to provide even and controlled illumination at close distances.
Patience is Key: Macro photography often requires a significant amount of patience. Finding interesting subjects, waiting for the right light, and carefully composing the shot can take time. Don’t be discouraged by initial failures. Embrace the learning process, experiment with different techniques, and take your time to observe the miniature world around you. With practice and persistence, you’ll start to capture stunning close-up images that reveal the hidden beauty in everyday objects.
