Portrait
Perfect for capturing images of friends and family, ideal for weddings, events and parties.
Macro lenses allow close-up photography of very small subjects, revealing details that cannot be seen with the naked eye. They are used for images of insects and flowers, as well as by those shooting still-life images in the studio.
Macro lenses are used by wildlife and nature photographers for images of insects and flowers. However, with their excellent image quality and large maximum apertures, macro lenses are a great option for portraits too. To ensure you are selecting the right lens for your shoot, you need to consider what your subject is as well as what you're trying to achieve.
If you want to get closer to your subject and pick up the finer detail then macro lenses will give you the edge, allowing you to take close-up shots with extreme detail. The unique advantage of the macro lens is that they allow you to magnify the subject so that it appears from 0.5x life-size or ideally 1.0x life-size or greater, on the camera sensor.
When you want to capture a close-up shot of a nervous animal or insect and pick up the finer details, you want to do so without disturbing the subject. A lens with a longer focal length, from 100mm to 180mm, will ensure that you have enough working distance between you and your subject not to disturb it or the light around it.
The unique feature of a macro lens is its ability to magnify an object to ideally life-size (or greater). This is defined through the lenses magnification ratio between the physical size of an image on your camera sensor and the physical size of the object being photographed. For example, a ratio of 1:1 (or 1.0x life-size) means the object you are photographing is the same size on your camera sensor as is in real life. Specialist macro lenses, such as the Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro lens, allows for a magnification ratio of up to 1:5, meaning the subject is 5x bigger on your sensor than in real life.
Canon's EF-S lenses are designed exclusively for APS-C sensor cameras such as the EOS 760D and are not compatible with full-frame models such as the EOS 5D series of cameras.
EF lenses can be used with any EOS camera, but when an EF lens is used on an APS-C type EOS, it will give an angle view equivalent to a lens with a focal length 1.6x longer than on a full-frame camera. For example, the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM used on an EOS 760D gives an angle of view equivalent to a 160mm lens on a full-frame camera. The comparison below shows the real world effect of this when shooting macro photography.
Focal length for macro isn't always about getting closer to your subject. A higher focal length (i.e. higher number) enables you to have the same magnification ratio whilst being able to stand further away. For example, using a 180mm lens to capture butterflies gives you the distance you need so as not to disturb your subject, whilst still retaining the macro magnification.
As you increase your focal length, your working distance will also increase, so you will still be able to achieve the same magnification ratio. Your working distance is the distance from your subject to your focal plane.
The diagram on the right shows the distance from the end of the lens to the subject.
Selecting the right focal length is something to seriously consider in macro photography, as any changes can affect your shot. As you increase the focal length the background and foreground appear to get closer together, allowing you to change the look of your shot.
After taking these things into consideration, you need to think about what is important for your shoot.
Longer focal lengths in the macro lens genre may cause higher levels of camera shake making it harder to capture a sharp, crisp image. The Image Stabilizer in the lens helps to eliminate most hand-held camera shake, if you select a lens without IS you can use a tripod to stabilise the camera and lens but your camera and lens are not as easy to move around.
The right lighting set-up will allow you to use a higher shutter speed, giving you crisp shots of moving objects. Canon's Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX Il and Twin Lite MT-24EX provide specialised lighting systems, that help to illuminate your subject, either with more even light, as with the Ring Lite or more directional light, for texture, with the Twin Lite. While the EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM comes with two built-in, controllable, LED (Macro Lite) to provide extra illumination and eliminate shadows cast.
Most dedicated macro lenses allow you to achieve a 1:1 magnification ratio, however, you can easily get closer and achieve a 1:2 ratio (meaning your subject appears twice its size on your cameras sensor), by using extension tubes, if your camera and lens support one. If you're looking to get as close as possible to your subject, the MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo can achieve a ratio of 1:5, this level of magnification is capable of showing air bubbles in water droplets.
A professional RF macro lens, the RF 100mm F2.8L MACRO IS USM is perfect for handheld 1.4x life size images and stunning portraits, with L-series quality.
Perfect for capturing images of friends and family, ideal for weddings, events and parties.
Photograph sweeping views from hillsides and seascapes to city landmarks and urban landscapes.
Capturing your subject in its natural environment. You need to know the habits of your subject.
A professional RF macro lens, the RF 100mm F2.8L MACRO IS USM is perfect for handheld 1.4x life size images and stunning portraits, with L-series quality.
A professional grade telephoto USM, L-series macro lens that enables close-ups from a distance.
A specialist macro lens with magnification 5x larger than life size, capture detail beyond the human eye