Macro Lenses

Getting the perfect up-close shot can be frustrating when your camera can't focus on it. Macro lenses get you up close and personal with your photo's subject, magnifying it to create sharp images with lots of detail. Commonly used to capture minute details, macro lenses are perfect for photographs of flowers, insects and other animals, jewelry, food, and even portraiture -- the possibilities are endless. You can also use a macro lens to capture small details on larger subjects to highlight artistic elements or create abstract images.

Macro camera lenses have a magnification ratio of at least 1:1, and can focus on subjects at least 30 cm away or closer. You can, however, also use your macro lens like a regular camera lens to take photos of subjects farther away, though you will likely sacrifice a little image sharpness on more distant shots. That's because the macro lens is optimized with a flatter focusing plane that allows sharp image quality edge-to-edge close-up, but can slightly narrow the depth of field and depth of focus farther away. Shop Samy's Camera for a wide selection of Sony, Nikon, and Canon macro lenses, as well as third-party lenses from Sigma, Tamron and more.

Do You Need a Lot of Light with a Macro Lens

Lighting is important to the composition of any photo, but even more so with macro photography. If you're not gifted with good natural light when you need to take a shot, make sure you have a flash for your camera or another source of lighting.

What Type of Focus Field Does a Macro Camera Lens Have?

A macro camera lens has a flat focus field, unlike a typical camera lens with a curved field. The curved focus field is clearer in the center than at the edge of the frame, but a macro lens' flat field focus allows for a clear, sharp image from edge to edge.