Macro photography is an exciting way to explore and capture the details of the world around you.  As a macro photographer, you will capture surreal images of tiny things that most of us often overlook.  

Most modern smartphones today come with some great cameras, and you hardly need the best macro lenses on Android phones to boost capacity.  We can take photos in unprecedented detail, and some of our smartphones can even take photos and videos in 4K resolution.  

This is crazy!  Today’s smartphones, however, have at least one problem — it boils down to digital and optical zoom.  Unfortunately, the former does damage camera quality, but the latter remains intact.  However, optical zoom is not a smartphone option, at least not yet a native solution.  

However, this is a problem that a clip on a macro lens can easily solve.  Clip the external clip-on macro lens into your smartphone and you can instantly convert the lens to something that can take high-quality close-ups.  

You can now zoom in on mobile photography with the best macro lens available for your smartphone.  When you’re unsure what macro lens to choose for your phone, consider Apexel’s macro lens. Imaging anywhere and macro now makes it easy to access distant objects without having to carry a heavy camera and professional lenses.  

Things to know before buying the best macro lens for your smartphone  

(1) Macro lens ratio  

To understand macro lens ratios, you first need to understand the basic concepts of digital cameras.  As light enters the camera through the lens, the scene you see hits the sensor and is recorded as a digital image.  The lens ratio gives us an idea of how much space an object takes up on the camera sensor, as well as how much space it takes up in real life.  If you are photographing an object six centimeters high and it occupies one centimeter on the sensor, the camera will photograph it at a scale of 1:6.  

The minimum focal length will be listed in the technical specifications of the lens and it simply indicates the distance at which you can get close to the subject and still focus.  To achieve the maximum scale, such as 1:1, you need to be as close as the lens allows, or at the minimum focal length.  The focal length of the lens is also important at the minimum focal length.  A 35mm lens requires a very small minimum focal length, requiring less than ten centimeters to achieve a 1:1 macro ratio.  However, due to the zoom ability of the lens, a 200mm lens can achieve this scale from tens of centimeters away.  

(2) Should you use a wide-angle or telephoto lens?  

Macro lenses have several different focal lengths.  You can choose from a 35mm wide-angle lens, a 50mm standard lens, or a 300mm telephoto lens.  Which one is the best?  It depends on what you’re shooting.  

Wide-angle lenses can certainly take a wider view.  You’ll get more scenes in the shot.  But you also need to get closer to achieving a 1:1 ratio.  If you’re photographing insects or other small animals, it’s hard to get as close to them as possible without scaring them and possibly even getting bitten.  But for other subjects, wide-angle macro lenses work just fine.  

Telephoto lenses reduce more background, so many macro photographers prefer telephoto lenses.  Also, since a telephoto lens lets you shoot away from your subject, it’s easier to use when shooting insects, for example.  

(3) Prime or zoom lens?  

Like other lenses, macro lenses can be prime (that is, they don’t zoom in or out) or zoom lenses that cover a range of focal lengths.  

Zoom lenses have the advantage of covering a range of focal points, so there is no need to switch lenses.  They were also better at tracking moving subjects, such as taking macro photos of insects. It’s just that zoom macro lenses are expensive.  

Prime lenses are usually cheap, making them more accessible to amateurs and beginners.  Since many macro subjects are still, you don’t need a zoom lens to shoot things like flowers or jewelry.  Prime lenses also tend to have large apertures.  It is usually impossible to shoot f1.8 with a long zoom lens, so we should not spend so much money on it.  

(4) Maximum aperture  

The maximum aperture you can use is determined by the lens.  Some lenses can be shot at f / 1.8 or even F / 1.4.  Less expensive or longer focal length lenses often have smaller operations, such as F / 3.6.  But do you need an F / 1.8 lens for macro photography?  The aperture determines the depth of field or the amount of focus on the image, and F / 1.8 can produce very smooth bokeh.  But aperture isn’t the only thing that plays a role in depth of field. 

 The distance between the camera and the subject also plays a role.  The closer you get to the subject, the softer the background.  Of course, when you shoot macro, you get very close to the subject.  When combined with a large f / 1.8 aperture, only a small percentage of the image tends to be in focus.  

When shooting macro, it is usually best to use a smaller aperture to keep the subject fully in focus.  A larger aperture can be used to blur the background, but F / 1.8 is usually too large for macro.  This means that if you buy lenses only for macro shots, you can save a little money by buying an F / 3.6 instead of an F / 1.8.  Of course, most macro lenses are used for more than just macro lenses.  Larger aperture values like F / 1.8 can be used to blur portrait backgrounds or in dim light.  Keep in mind that for most macro photography, large apertures usually have a smaller focus range.  

With this in mind, you have a pretty good idea of how to buy the macro lens you want.  Setting a budget before you start shopping can have a huge impact on the quality of the macro lens you choose for your smartphone.  Anywhere from $20 to hundreds of dollars will give you a great lens, but may leave you with a lens that feels cheap and easy to replace.  Setting a budget will help you choose the option that best suits your needs.