Macro (or Micro) photography typically refers to photography which (using a combination of longer focal lengths and close-focusing lenses) aims to achieve a high magnification rate.
Macro photography can typically be divided into three categories based on the level of magnification achieved:
- ‘True macro’, reaching a 1:1 magnification (an object’s image is projected onto the sensor/film in real-life size)
- ‘Supermacro’, reaching higher than 1:1 magnification
- ‘Close-up photography’, reaching a magnification of greater that 1:3 but less than 1:1
(The issue is somewhat confused by many lens manufacturers calling their lenses ‘macro’ even though the actual maximum magnification would fall significantly short of 1:1.)
Besides using dedicated macro lenses, macro photography can also be achieved using:
- close-up -lenses (in essence, a filter acting as a magnifying glass)
- extension tubes (tubes moving the lens further from the film/sensor, thus shifting the lens focusing range closer)
- teleconverters (teleconverters do not change the MFD, but increase the focal length, thus increasing magnification)