FOCUS FOR MACRO

All focusing is critical – but there is no room for error with macro, so take your time. Switch to manual focus, otherwise the lens will ‘hunt’ to find focus in the relatively low light levels. Use Live View to zoom in and make sure the point you are focusing on is critically sharp.

The other hugely important factor is how you fire the shutter. When you zoom in to look at your point of focus, the magnified image may well be moving slightly. This is camera shake, caused by you, and it’ll happen even on the sturdiest of tripods. To fire the shutter, use a cable/remote release, or just set the Drive Mode to Self-Timer so there is a time delay, to allow vibrations to settle before your exposure is made.