+852 6066 4630

info@apexeloptic.com

Help Center
Track your oders
Search
Apexel
  • Home
  • Shop
    • Outdoor Optics
      • Monoculars
      • Binoculars
      • Rangefinder
      • Night vision
    • Mobile Lens
      • Macro Lens
      • Wide Angle Lens
      • Telephoto Lens
      • Fisheye Lens
      • Anamorphic Lens
      • Mobile Lens Kit
    • Microscope
      • Digital microscope
    • Vlogging Accessories
      • Gimbal Stabilizer
      • Video Lighting
      • Vlogging Kit
  • Capabilities
    • Manufacturing Capabilities
      • Aspheric
      • Spherical
      • Optical Coatings
      • Filter Coatings
      • Prisms
    • Research and development
    • Manufacturing
    • Quality
  • Volume OEM&ODM
  • Solutions
    • Security and Surveillance
    • Automotive
    • Medical imaging
    • Machine vision
    • LOT Lenses
    • AR/VR
  • Become Our Partner
    • About us
    • Contact us
    • Recruit Internet Celebrity in the World
  • Resource
    • Service & Support
    • Blog
    • Video
    • Warranty
    • Optical knowledge

Blog

Best settings for macro photography

Apexeloptic2021-12-07T09:52:39+00:00
Macro Lens

Choosing the best settings for macro photography can be difficult. After all, you’re in the wild and now want to capture amazing pictures, not fiddle with the camera.

Fortunately, you can use some simple guidelines to choose the perfect macro settings every time. I’ll share them with you in this article. By becoming familiar with these settings, your macro photography will advance by leaps and bounds.

A macro shot of flowers

1. Manual focus

Manual focus is one of the most important tools in the macro photographer’s toolkit. When working at high magnification, you can’t rely on the lens’s autofocus function for a number of reasons.

First, manual focus is necessary for creative macro photography. In macro photography, especially in more abstract macro photography, you have to let the focus do its work. Only with the manual focus can you achieve the accuracy you need.

Second, the autofocus ability of macro lenses is often poor, especially at high magnification. Sitting and waiting as the camera pans back and forth becomes frustrating.

2. Use Aperture Priority as your preferred camera mode

Aperture Priority mode allows you to set the lens aperture. Your camera will do the rest of the work, ensuring good exposure.

Aperture is the size of the aperture in a lens. A wide aperture lets in a lot of light and also blurs the background. A narrow aperture lets in less light but makes the background clear.

Aperture priority is a good camera mode for macro photography. This is because the aperture is the most important thing to consider. However, if your shutter speed fluctuates slightly, that’s fine. After all, your aperture gives you creative control over background blur.

A macro shot of flowers

Now, if you want a soft-focus macro photo, you can use the aperture priority mode and lower the aperture to F/2.8 or F/3.2.

If you want your subject to be sharp throughout the photo, use the aperture priority mode to set the aperture to F/8 or higher. That’s why aperture priority is so valuable. It allows you to choose the overall appearance of the photo.

Now, I recommend that you always use an aperture first, unless you’re shooting a moving object or you’re shooting in low light.

3. Live view

Live view is useful in macro photography for several reasons.

First, a live view allows you to check your focus. As mentioned above, determining the desired focus is critical in macro photography. With a live view, you can enlarge the LCD screen to ensure that you are not in front or back focus.

In addition, on some camera bodies, the real-time display allows you to reduce camera shake and keep images sharp.

For the relevant camera body, the mirror in the camera flips immediately when the live view is activated. Typically, this mirror flip happens when you press the shutter release button, causing the camera to vibrate, which reduces sharpness.

Honeybees photographed with a macro lens

But for living view, this pre-flip means that when you finally press the shutter, there’s no extra vibration.

4. Continuous shooting mode

If you always use a tripod for macro shots, ignore this tip. But for those who don’t like the weight or reduced flexibility that comes with a tripod, continuous shooting mode can be a great tool.

What is continuous shooting mode? This is the camera setting that allows quick shots when you hold down the shutter release button. It ranges from a few frames per second to more than 10 (depending on your camera model).

While primarily used by wildlife, sports, and bird photographers to capture the split-second action of the scene, macro photographers can also use continuous shooting mode to ensure maximum focus accuracy.

Macro photography of insects

5. Two-second selfies

The final setting useful to macro photographers is the two-second selfie. When shooting in low light with a large depth of field, you may struggle to get a clear image. Part of the problem may be a camera shake caused by pressing the shutter release button. Your finger shakes the camera as you press the button.

The solution is to take a two-second selfie. This is the setting that most DSLR cameras offer, allowing you to get maximum sharpness, which can be the difference between an available image and a blurry one.

6. Increase ISO only in low light

ISO refers to the sensitivity of your camera to light. That is, the higher your ISO, the brighter your photos will be (all things being equal).

Because each increase in ISO adds more “noise” to your photos, adding ISO is generally only done in low light. The better your camera is, the better it will perform at a higher ISO.

Macro lens of ants

7. Conclusion

Choosing the best macro settings can seem difficult. But you don’t have to worry. Because you can use simple guidelines to choose the perfect macro settings.

After reading this guide, hopefully, you will start to feel more confident and competent when it comes to macro photography.

FAQ:

What is the macro setting on a camera?

The Macro mode is a setting on your camera that you can use to take close-up pictures of small objects such as insects or flowers.

Is macro photography hard?

Macro photography is a difficult genre — you’re pushing up against the physical limits of depth of field, diffraction, and motion blur. Naturally, focusing on macro photography isn’t an easy task, but it’s a crucial one.

What is the best ISO for macro photography?

It’s not unusual to use ISOs in the range of 800 to 3200 for macro photography. I recommend using Auto ISO here. Set your minimum shutter speed to 1/320 second and your ISO to 100.

Share this post

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google + Email

Related Posts

How to use natural light for macro photography?

Sunlight is one of the most common things in life. Natural light is the term... read more

Things to know before buying the best macro lens

Macro photography is an exciting way to explore and capture the details of the world... read more

Macro photography: Photographing the wonderful world of insects

Insects can be found almost everywhere on trees in forests, in vast grasslands, in noisy... read more

How to choose a macro lens for your iPhone?

The best lenses for iPhone can revolutionize your smartphone photography.  While smartphone camera arrays are getting... read more

6 fast suggestions for outdoor macro photography

Spring is in full swing and summer is almost here. With the arrival of summer,... read more

How to take macro photos with an SLR camera?

Friends who like to take photos have experienced that if you want to take clear... read more

How to use macro lenses in mobile phone photography?

Macro can possibly transform the information of life into unusual photos. Read on to learn... read more

Tips for macro photography of insects

With macro lenses, you can reveal a whole new world of life in new and... read more

Pros and cons of using a macro lens to shoot portraits

When you plan to shoot people, what lens do you consider? 90 mm, 56 mm, or... read more

Macro lens to make your shooting easier

Now mobile phones have a very good macro function, and macro is also one of... read more

  • Optical solutions
  • Binoculars
  • Hunting/Shooting Advice & Tips
  • Macro Lens
  • Telephoto Lens
  • Wide Angle Lens
  • Stick Tripod
  • Pre Sales

About The Blog

Recent Posts

Apexel Smartphone Adapter(APL-F002)
Apexel Optic Camber Technology
Optical coating technology
Apexel Optic Camber Technology
Optical coating

Apexel

OPTICAL SOLUTIONS

  • Security lenses
  • Automotive lenses
  • Medical imaging
  • Machine vision
  • loT lenses
Instagram Facebook-f Linkedin Youtube

CUSTOMER SERVICES

  • Return policy
  • Mode of transport
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Track your orders
  • Terms of service

SUBSCRIBE NEWSLETTER

Get all the latest information on events, sales and offers. Sign up for newsletter:

Check your inbox or spam folder now to confirm your subscription.

©  2022 Shenzhen Apexel.  All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Shop
    • Outdoor Optics
      • Monoculars
      • Binoculars
      • Rangefinder
      • Night vision
    • Mobile Lens
      • Macro Lens
      • Wide Angle Lens
      • Telephoto Lens
      • Fisheye Lens
      • Anamorphic Lens
      • Mobile Lens Kit
    • Microscope
      • Digital microscope
    • Vlogging Accessories
      • Gimbal Stabilizer
      • Video Lighting
      • Vlogging Kit
  • Capabilities
    • Manufacturing Capabilities
      • Aspheric
      • Spherical
      • Optical Coatings
      • Filter Coatings
      • Prisms
    • Research and development
    • Manufacturing
    • Quality
  • Volume OEM&ODM
  • Solutions
    • Security and Surveillance
    • Automotive
    • Medical imaging
    • Machine vision
    • LOT Lenses
    • AR/VR
  • Become Our Partner
    • About us
    • Contact us
    • Recruit Internet Celebrity in the World
  • Resource
    • Service & Support
    • Blog
    • Video
    • Warranty
    • Optical knowledge
  • Log In
  • Register