Macro photography is one of the most fascinating genres of the medium. It gives one the ability to look at the minuscule beauty of nature up close, which would not have been possible without the help of macro lenses. While we understand that the setup for macro can be challenging, we present a few lenses that can help ease the burden on your pockets. Here are some offerings that will give you good performance, and with much ease.
Canon RF 35mm f1.8 USM IS
While the macro lens lacks weather sealing, it has other things working for it. The Canon 35mm has a close focusing distance of 0.17m, has a 9-bladed aperture, and a 0.5x magnification. What we liked about it was its size, weight, fast autofocus, image stabilization, and the fact that it is designed to stay on your lens at all times. On the image front, the bokeh is stellar, and there is great sharpness (but not as sharp as L-series lenses from the company).
Price: $449
Nikon Z 50mm f2.8 lens
The Nikon Z 50mm features a 1x reproduction ratio, 9 aperture blades, a minimum distance of 0.53ft, and a 46mm filter size. The lens performed well in our review, as it was sharp, weather-resistant, and could be used for multiple purposes other than macros. The drawbacks are the slow autofocus and the colors, which need a little post-production.
Price: $646
Astrhori 85mm Macro and Tilt
The only macro tilt lens on the list, the AstrHori 85mm features have +/- 8° tilt, a 1:1 reproduction ratio, and a close focusing distance of 0.25m. In addition, it has 12 aperture blades, a 55mm filter thread, and 11 Elements in 8 Groups. Some of the things we appreciated include tilt and macro, wide aperture, great sharpness, a manual focus ring, de-click aperture, and overall build. However, the challenge is a lack of EXIF due to negligible lens contact, manual focus, and heavy vignetting when used with a full-frame mount.
Price: $329
Laowa 90mm F2.8 2x Ultra Macro
One of the few macro lenses with a 2:1 ratio, the Laowa 90mm comes with 13 elements in 10 groups and 13 aperture blades. It also has a minimum focusing distance of 20.5cm and has a 67mm front filter thread. “The 2x close-up capability makes it possible to capture detail that a standard 1:1 macro can’t,” we said in our review. “That mixed with the f2.8 and the 90mm makes bokeh so smooth that backgrounds often become a solid color.” In addition, it has a nice rainbow flare, a good design, and it is quite cost-effective as well. However, it lacks autofocus, stabilization, and weather sealing.
Price: $499
Samyang 100mm f2.8 Macro
With 15 elements in 12 groups, the 100mm features a close focusing distance of 1 foot, 67mm filter thread, and comes with 9-aperture blades. It is also one of the macro lenses that lacks weather sealing, which makes it affordable than most higher-end optics. Despite the price, the 100mm shoots sharp images, has muted colors on Sony, a smooth focus, and has a decent built.
Price: $488
IRIX 150mm f2.8 Dragonfly Macro
A true 1:1 macro lens, the IRIX 150mm has a minimum focusing distance of 34cm. It is also weather sealed, has 11-aperture blades, a focus ring lock, and a detachable tripod collar ring. This is one of our favourite lenses, as it gets the Editor’s Choice Award for its bokeh, sharpness, and weather sealing. In fact, it is also ideal for portraits, thanks to the fantastic image quality.
Price: $599