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As a real estate photographer, you might need to capture details of tiny design elements such as keyhole designs. The best macro lens for Canon features a small minimum focus distance and higher reproduction ratio, allowing you to take sharp and detailed macro photos.
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Since it's challenging to take macro photos with a tripod setup, the best macro lens for Canon comes with an image stabilization system that allows you to take sharp photos handheld. The following lenses feature bright apertures that allow you to apply selective focus techniques to isolate your subject from the background.
The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L is the best overall macro lens on my list, thanks to its excellent optical design that produces sharp and detailed images.
Unlike the other lenses on my list, this lens has a total of 15 lens elements arranged in 12 groups, including one Ultra-low Dispersion element and two hybrid aspherical elements.
The UD element helps to reduce chromatic aberrations for the production of sharper images, while the aspherical elements help to correct distortion for enhanced image quality throughout the focusing range.
When shooting at close distances, the lens needs to focus more closely, which results in a higher magnification ratio. This magnification exaggerates the slight camera movements, causing image blur.
Like the Canon RF 85mm f/2, this lens features a Hybrid Image Stabilization system that consists of both angular and shift types of stabilization, offering up to four stops of correction for camera shake, which is particularly effective when shooting at close distances.
However, the lens weighs about 1.38 pounds, which can be tiring if you use it for extended periods of time.
The Sigma 105mm f/2.8 lens has a versatile focal length of 105mm that you can use for various photographic applications, including macro
Like the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L, this lens features Optical Stabilization technology that allows for up to 4 stops of compensation, allowing you to slow the shutter speed by up to 4 stops and still produce sharper images in low light conditions.
The lens has nine circular aperture blades, which help to produce a pleasing bokeh effect with smooth and rounded out-of-focus highlights. This is particularly useful in macro
However, with physical dimensions of 5 x 3.07 x 3.07 inches and a weight of 1.6 pounds, it's the bulkiest lens on this list, making it exhausting to carry around and challenging to store in a camera bag.
If you are looking for a macro lens to use with your Canon full-frame mirrorless cameras, then the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 might be a good choice, thanks to the RF mount.
When taking macro photos of subjects such as faucet handle designs in real estate interiors, the lighting might be an issue if you don't have a Speedlight. Fortunately, this lens features an f/1.8 aperture, which is the widest on my list, allowing more light to enter the camera for brighter and sharper images, even in poorly-lit interiors.
The wider aperture also produces a shallower depth of field, which gives you more creative control over which part of the subject is sharp and which is blurred and out of focus.
Like the Sigma 105mm f/2.8, the downside is that the lens does not have weather sealing, which means it may be more susceptible to damage from moisture and dust. This makes it unsuitable for use in outdoor situations or in harsh weather conditions.
The Canon RF 85mm f/2 is an advanced lens for Canon full-frame mirrorless cameras that features a fast and accurate Dual Nano USM autofocus system, providing you with smooth and precise focusing for both stills and video shooting.
This system is further enhanced by the manual focusing override, which allows you to make fine adjustments to the focus manually without having to switch out of autofocus mode.
Additionally, this lens has a customizable control ring that you can configure to adjust the camera settings you mostly use, such as the aperture and ISO. However, this lens has a minimum focus distance of 1.15 feet, which is the largest on my list.
Typically, this might not be ideal for photographing very small subjects or capturing fine details. Like the Sigma 105mm f/2.8, this unit features a Hybrid Image Stabilizer that helps to reduce camera shake by up to five stops, allowing you to shoot at lower shutter speeds without the risk of getting blurry pictures.
If you want to capture detailed macro photos, such as the details of the body structure of a spider, then you need a lens with a high magnification ratio, such as the Laowa 100mm f/2.8.
Unlike the other lenses on my list, this lens features a 2:1 magnification ratio which allows you to capture subjects at double life size. For instance, a subject that measures 1 inch in real life will appear 2 inches on the camera's sensor, ensuring that the details are clearly visible.
Regarding the minimum focus distance, this lens features a minimum focus distance of 0.81 feet, which is just 0.25 feet larger than that of the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8.
The combination of the small minimum focus distance and high magnification ratio provides a good balance between magnification and depth of field, making it easier to capture sharp images with a pleasant out-of-focus background.
The downside is that this lens does not have autofocus capabilities, making it challenging to use if you are a beginner or shooting moving subjects.
Macro
The following features can help you choose a macro lens with a higher magnification ratio and a minimum focusing distance. Additionally, the table below outlines the key specifications you need to check in the Canon macro lenses.
| Lens | Magnification Ratio | Minimum Focus Distance (Inches) | Weight (Pounds) |
| Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L | 1:1 | 11.81 | 1.38 |
| Sigma 105mm f/2.8 | 1:1 | 12.3 | 1.6 |
| Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 | 1:2 | 6.72 | 0.675 |
| Canon RF 85mm f/2 | 1:2 | 13.8 | 1.1 |
| Laowa 100mm f/2.8 | 2:1 | 9.72 | 1.41 |
The magnification ratio in camera lenses is the relationship between the size of a subject in real life and the subject's size on the camera's sensor. Generally, this is the amount of reproduction a lens can provide for close-up
A magnification ratio of 1:1, for example, indicates that the subject on the sensor is the same size as the subject in real life. A 1:2 magnification means that the size of the subject on the camera's sensor is half the size of the subject in real life.
On the other hand, a 2:1 magnification means that the subject's size on the camera's sensor is twice the size of the subject in real life. Generally, a lens with a higher magnification ratio, such as the Laowa 100mm f/2.8, provides more detail and makes the subject appear larger in the image.
The minimum focusing distance in camera lenses is the closest distance at which a lens can focus and produce a sharp image. Since this distance affects how close you can get to your subject, it affects the usability of the lens in close-up and macro
For example, a standard 50mm lens has a minimum focusing distance of around 1.5 feet, which requires you to be farther away from the subject to be able to focus. This means you can't take detailed macro photos.
On the other hand, a lens with a small minimum focus distance, such as the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8, allows you to draw closer to the subject and take sharp and detailed photos. In most cases, a lens with a higher magnification ratio will also have a shorter minimum focus distance.
The focal length of a lens determines the angle of view and magnification of the subject being photographed. A shorter focal length lens offers a wider angle of view, while a longer one offers a narrower angle of view with greater magnification.
A lens with a focal length of 35mm and below, when paired with the 35mm full-frame sensor, is considered to be wide-angle, and a lens with a focal length of 35mm to around 70mm is considered to be a normal or standard lens.
In contrast, lenses with focal lengths longer than 70mm, like the Sigma 105mm f/2.8, are considered to be telephoto. If you are taking photos in cramped interior rooms, a wide-angle lens such as the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 is better as it allows you to capture more of the scene in a single frame.
Aperture refers to the opening in the lens of the camera that controls the amount of light that enters the camera, usually measured in f-stops. Considering that this is a fraction, a smaller f-stop number indicates a larger aperture opening.
Generally, a wider aperture, such as the f/1.8 of the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8, allows you to use a faster shutter speed and reduce blur that results from camera shakes or subject movements. Additionally, a wider aperture results in a shallower depth of field.
This helps you to isolate the subject and blur the background, creating a pleasing bokeh effect. However, instead of using the widest aperture, it's advisable to stop down the aperture by around two to three f-stops to reduce lens aberrations and optical distortion for improved image sharpness.
When you are taking real estate interior photos in low-light conditions using slower shutter speeds, the slightest camera movement seems to amplify and result in blurry images. Image stabilization in camera lenses is a technology that helps reduce these unwanted camera movements and shakes.
Usually, the mechanism compensates for the movement by shifting some optical elements, ensuring that the image stays still. The mechanism is indicated in stops, where a stop represents a doubling of the ISO sensitivity or a halving of the shutter speed.
For instance, a lens with a 5-stop optical stabilization system, such as the Canon RF 85mm f/2, can compensate for the camera shake up to 5 shutter speed stops slower without affecting the image sharpness.
If you are photographing in challenging conditions such as rain, snow, or dusty environments, where the lens could be exposed to moisture or grit, the weather elements can potentially seep into the lens, causing damage to the electronic components or mold to grow inside, leading to permanent damage of the lens.
Build quality refers to the overall durability and sturdiness of the lens construction. Generally, a well-built lens such as the Canon 100mm f/2.8L lens is constructed with a metal mount and rubber gaskets that prevent moisture and dust from entering the lens barrel and affecting the optical elements.
However, you might need to make a trade-off between portability and sturdiness, as the additional sealing materials add weight to the lens, making it heavier than a non-weather-sealed lens of the same focal length and aperture.
No, macro photography mainly relies on the lens more than the camera, and you can use crop factor or full-frame DSLR or mirrorless cameras as long as you have paired the camera with the right macro lens. The only thing you might need to ensure is that the camera doesn't lag after pressing the shutter button.
It's possible to take macro photos using modern smartphones that come with a dedicated macro camera that allows you to place the smartphone close to the subject and take a detailed shot. However, the image quality is much lower compared to one taken by a standard macro lens.
Although it's technically possible to use the camera flash when taking macro photos, the distance between the camera and the subject is small due to the small minimum focus distance of the lens. As a result, the camera flash might not be far enough to illuminate the entire image, making certain areas of the photo darker than others.
The best macro lens for Canon features a high reproduction ratio that allows you to capture tiny subjects in their real-life sizes. Get any of the above EF mount lenses if you are using a DSLR or an RF mount lens if you are using a Canon mirrorless camera.
