PRO MACRO FEATURES

FOCUS BRACKETING

1 Some cameras, like Canon’s EOS R5 and R6, have a focus bracketing mode that rapidly fires off a sequence of shots, changing the focus distance by a small amount in between frames. Focus bracketing will increase the chance of getting a shot where the focus is exactly where you want it to be, and also gives you a batch of images where you can merge the sharpest bits together for a pin-sharp shot. If your camera has this feature then it’s certainly worth experimenting with!

FOCUS DISTANCE WINDOW

2 This is a window on the lens that tells you exactly where the focus distance is set. This is handy for quickly setting the lens to its highest level of magnification, such as 1:1 to produce lifesize shots, or to set it to 1:2 for half-lifesize images and so on. Some specialist lenses offer even more magnification, such as 5:1, which will take you in five times closer than lifesize, handy for the tiniest of subjects. A large focusing ring is also desirable for a finer level of control when setting the focus.

DSLR MIRROR LOCKUP

3 Even tiny vibrations are picked up and recorded as camera shake when shooting close-ups. The simple action of pressing the camera shutter button can introduce camera shake, so it’s worth using the 2-sec self-timer mode or a remote shutter release if you have one. If you use a DSLR, the mirror slap can be enough to produce tiny vibrations and cause a softer shot. For the sharpest possible macro photographs on a DSLR, the solution is to enable your Mirror Lockup mode.