Using a Macro Lens

That photograph in the magazine of the dewdrop hanging from a flower petal, or the close-up of the honey bee doing his job, may be the result of the use of a macro lens. The amazing shots that can be made with the macro lens have amazed many people, sometimes even the photographer themselves.

Macro lenses are used in many specific instances. They are very valuable in forensic work. Fingerprints, bruises, skid marks can all be carefully documented with a macro lens. Most of the food pictures in magazines are also done with a macro. Insects, flowers and those objects that are more effective close up are the ones that the photographer will concentrate on.

If you were to try to get a closeup with a regular lens, chances are your lighting would be greatly affected. When you put your lens so close to the object you are blocking the light. With a macro lens you can move back and bring the vision of the object to the camera rather than the camera to the object. This will allow you to get the photograph with the lighting that drew you to the object initially.

Long barrel lenses that are specifically designed for closeup work are macro lenses. They come in several categories and many are auto focus lenses. The 50-60 mm lens is primarily used for product photography and other tiny objects. The 90-105 mm gives a longer range to work with and is the one typically on your camera for flowers, small objects and insects. The 150-200 mm gives you a great deal of distance to work with. Some zoom lenses do not allow for the 1:1 magnification and may not suit your needs.

It is also possible to extend the distance from the lens to the film with the use of bellows. These foldable mechanisms will allow greater magnification and will require a different aperture due to the distance. Fortunately with today's digital cameras it is not as expensive to make mistakes or retake the shot. With a film camera, you will probably change aperture up or down and see which of the shots gives you the image you are looking for.

Another option is to use an auxiliary lens on the camera, It is a small lens that screws onto the front of the lens you are using. This close-up lens is inexpensive and can be very effective. They come in different strengths and can increase your magnification considerably. There may be some reduction in sharpness if you do not get a higher priced screw-in and also some aberration is possible with the cheaper close-up lenses. In most situations, they will do very well. Telephoto extenders are also available to turn your lens into a macro lens. These too will reduce the amount of light that reaches your film and you will have to adjust your aperture to get the proper shot. It does not change the working distance that you have without the teleconverter.

Your depth of field is very small with close objects. A small aperture must be used to be sure that your depth of field is adequate. It's worth the effort if photography is your passion. You can experiment and enjoy your hobby or your profession by using different techniques.

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