Essential macro photography equipment

If you want to get serious about macro photography and capture true macro, i.e. 1:1, shots there are two essential pieces of equipment you need to buy.

The first is a specific macro lens. You can capture close up photos using reversing rings, close up filters and extension tubes however these are a bit amateurish. It is possible to get okay (and sometimes good) close up photos using this equipment, but you won’t get true macro shots and you won’t get great macro shots either. You may have read posts, articles and stories by photographers claiming you don’t need a macro lens to get proper macro shots, but this simply isn’t true. Trust me, you need a macro lens to get decent macro photos.

The macro lens I use is the Canon 100mm f2.8L IS macro lens (full review here) and it is a cracking lens. It wasn’t cheap, but it is worth every penny. 

FOCAL LENGTH – FULL FRAME/APS-C:- 100MM/ 160MM/ APERTURE:- 2.8 - 32/ MIN FOCUS:- 11.8"/DIMENSIONS:- 3.1" X 4.7"/ WEIGHT:- 22.1 OZ/ IMAGE STABILIZATION:- YES/ PRICE (APPROX.) $USD/£ GBP:-$800.00/£685.00 

Before I bought the Canon 100mm f2.8L IS macro lens I used the Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens and this was also a great lens. Had I not needed image stabilisation (for insect photography) I would still be using my 100mm f2.8 macro lens today. If you don’t need image stabilization or the superior build quality of the L series macro lens this version is going to be right up your street. 

The second bit of essential kit you need for macro photography is a specific macro flash. Lighting is crucial in macro photography, and whilst it is nice to use ambient light only this is not possible most of the time, and a macro flash will give the burst of light you need to get a good exposure.

When I first started out in macro photography I used a standard speed light and soon discovered it was far from ideal. If I used the speed light on the camera when taking photos of very small subjects (bugs and beetles for example) the lens cast a shadow over the subject that even the speed light wouldn’t illuminate. When I took the flash off camera having to hand hold the flash whilst taking photos of insects was cumbersome and I ended up missing many shots. The other issue with standard speed lights is they are too powerful for taking close up photos of small subjects, and even when the power was dialled down to the lowest setting over exposure was a big problem.

The best way to add a much needed burst of light in macro photography is to use a ring flash. The ring flash is attached to the end of the lens so there is no way the lens casts a shadow over small subjects. The ring flash is also low powered so you can get real close to the subject without flash overexposure.

A ring flash may look a little awkward on the camera but once you get used to it, which doesn’t take long, using the setup is a pleasure.

The ring flash I use is the Yongnuo YN14EX (full review here):-

GUIDE NUMBER (ISO 100) – 14M/ ZOOM HEAD – NO/ TTL AUTO EXPOSURE – YES/ HSS – NO/ MANUAL – YES. 1/1 – 1/64/ FLASH EXPOSURE COMPENSATION – YES/ WIRELESS TTL TRANSMITTER - YES/ COVERAGE – 360 DEGREES/ POWER – 4 X AA BATTERIES/ MINIMUM RECYCLING TIME – 0.1 – 3.0 SECONDS/ WEIGHT – 420G

The Yongnuo YN14EX is based on the Canon MR14 and Sigma EF14 ring flashes. The build quality of the Yongnuo ring flash isn’t as good as the Canon or Sigma ring flashes, but given the price of the Yongnuo this is to be expected. Whilst the build quality may not be up to the same standard as the Canon and Sigma ring flashes it isn’t really that bad. The Yongnuo is still a well-constructed bit of kit and I have used the YN14EX for several years with no problems.

The Yongnuo has all the features of the Canon and Sigma ring flashes, everything works in the same way as the Canon and Sigma ring flashes and it does exactly the same job as the Canon and Sigma ring flashes. In my opinion there really is no point in paying a premium for the Canon and Sigma ring flash when the cheaper Yongnuo YN14EX does exactly the same thing.

Another macro light I own is the Yongnuo YN24EX (full review here), which is a macro light based on the (much more expensive Canon MT24 macro light).

GUIDE NUMBER (ISO 100) – 24M/ ZOOM HEAD – NO/ TTL AUTO EXPOSURE – YES/ HSS – NO/ MANUAL – YES. 1/1 – 1/128/ FLASH EXPOSURE COMPENSATION – YES/ WIRELESS FLASH TRANSMITTER – YES/ VERTICAL TILT – 50 DEGREES UP: 30 DEGREES DOWN: 30 AND 60 DEGREES LEFT: 30 AND 60 DEGREES RIGHT/ POWER – 4 X AA BATTERIES/ MINIMUM RECYCLING TIME – 4 SECONDS/ WEIGHT – 998G

I used the Canon MT24 macro light during a macro photography workshop a few years back and as much as I wanted one the price tag was just too high, and there was no way I could justify spending so much money on a macro light – I had to make do with my Yongnuo YN14 ring flash.

When Yongnuo announced the release of the YN24 I was keen to take a look. I knew what Yongnuo products were like and I knew the quality standard of Yongnuo equipment. When I saw the price of the Yongnuo YN24 I instantly ordered one, and I have to say it was one of the best decisions I have made.

The Yongnuo YN24 isn’t a bombproof as the Canon MT24, but it has the same features and it does the same job, which is all I need it to do. The Yongnuo YN24 is an excellent product, and whilst there are some negative reviews about it on the internet I would advise taking these with a pinch of salt. Some of the negative reviews are a bit harsh, and the people reviewing the Yongnuo YN24 are doing a direct comparison to the Canon MT24 flash light, which is almost eight times as much as the Yongnuo YN24.

All things considered the Yongnuo YN24 is an excellent macro light and I can honestly say I wouldn’t be without mine. 

Related reading

Below are some links to other macro photography related articles, posts and tutorials you may find interesting/useful:-

• Insect photography tips
• Using a super zoom lens for macrophotography
• Best macro lens for Canon cameras
• Macro photography on the cheap

Photography ramblings video playlist that may be of interest