The Best Canon Macro Lens for 2024
What is the ultimate Canon macro lens?
- Canon RF 100mm F2.8 L Macro IS USM Lens
- Canon RF 85mm F2 Macro IS STM Lens
- Canon RF 35mm f/1.8mm f/1.8 IS STM Macro Lens
- Canon RF 24mm F1.8 Macro IS STM Lens
- Adapt one of the Best Canon DSLR Macro Lenses
As a generalization, the above list is sorted in preference, utility, performance, and price descending sequence.
Do you own a Canon DSLR camera? Our Best Canon DSLR Camera Macro Lens recommendations page has your recommendations.
Even if you own a Canon R-series mirrorless camera, some lenses on the DSLR list may hold preferable choices until Canon fills out the RF lens lineup.
About Canon Macro Lenses
If your current lens will not focus close enough to make a subject larger in the frame, it is time to get a macro lens. Macro lenses are very fun to use, macro subjects are everywhere, and the unusually close look at these typically-small subjects can be beautiful and intriguing. The results of macro photography are very fun to share.
While many lenses have "macro" in their names, that word does not get my attention until the specifications reveal that it has a 1:1 or 1x maximum magnification ratio. This ratio means that the subject will render at life-size on the camera's sensor. A 20mm-wide subject will render across 20mm of the sensor, 20mm is a significant portion of the imaging sensor width, and the subject will be made HUGE on your large monitor.
There are always subjects available for macro photography. And bringing home flowers for your wife (and to photograph of course) can even strengthen your marriage. :)
Deciding which focal length will work best for your needs is, as usual, part of the lens selection process. Longer focal length macro lenses will give you more working distance at 1:1 - this reduces the tendency of live subjects to fly or crawl away. Longer focal length lenses also have narrower angles of view, which means that there is less background to incorporate into an attractive-looking image. And that background will be more-diffusely blurred, as shown below.
The subject in the images above are identically framed using the same camera, the same aperture setting (f/16), and they have identical subject to background distances. As a rule, the same framing and the same aperture results in the same Depth of Field (DOF) until focus distances approach the hyper-focal distance. But, perspective, compression, and angle of view are very different between these sample photos. The 180mm lens shows only a small physical area of the subject's background that is enlarged, magnifying the blur. Background elements in the 60mm picture appear to be more in focus. However, they just about as blurred though these elements are far less magnified. There are also more background elements showing because of the 60mm angle of view. The result is a less diffusely-blurred background.
If you are using a backdrop (such as rolled paper), the background blur aspect will not likely be important to you.
There are downsides to the longer focal length macro lenses, including larger size, heavier weight, and faster shutter speeds required for handholding. Longer focal length macro lenses typically cost more than the shorter counterparts.
I tend to prefer longer focal length macro lens result best, but find myself using the about-100mm focal length the most.
It is essential to understand that the depth of field at 1:1 macro focusing distances is very shallow. Here is an aperture comparison as illustrated by a 180mm lens:
Narrow apertures are called on frequently for macro photography, and narrow apertures mean longer shutter speeds. Long shutter speeds will often require image stabilization, a tripod, or flash to stop the camera motion blur. For macro use, the maximum aperture of a macro lens is not often essential to me as all lenses have my most-used f/8 through f/16 aperture openings. That said, a wide aperture makes creative blurs easier, as shown by the 100mm f/2.8 example below.
Unleash your creativity. Or, move farther from your subject, and a wide aperture can be extremely useful for keeping a distracting background in a blurred state. Most macro lenses have great general-use telephoto lens utility, including for portrait photography.
While autofocus is nice to have in a macro lens, I often use manual focus for critical focus accuracy at close focusing distances. But as with a wide aperture, a good-performing autofocus system can be beneficial in some macro photography uses and more often for other macro lens uses.
The Best Canon Mirrorless Camera Macro Lenses
1. Canon RF 100mm F2.8 L Macro IS USM Lens
Light Weight, Impressive Image Quality, Fast/Accurate AF, Hybrid Image Stabilization, Professional-Grade Build
The RF 100 L Macro Lens is an extremely fun lens to use. Plentiful subjects, along with the great overall performance, will reward the RF 100 L IS owner for many years. Image stabilization not only improves handheld available light photography image quality significantly but also makes framing at high magnification considerably easier. While this lens has true 1:1 reproduction ratio capabilities, the 100mm focal length and outstanding image quality work excellently for portraits and other general uses. The wide f/2.8 aperture is helpful for stopping action in low light, and that aperture and 100mm focal length combination is superb for blurring the background.
2. Canon RF 85mm F2 Macro IS STM Lens
Economical, Compact, Light, Good Product Image and Portrait Focal Length, Image Stabilization, Only 0.5x Macro Capablities
I like the 85mm focal length for macro photography, but the 0.5x native macro capabilities falls short of my first choice preference of a full 1.0x magnification. Extension tubes will close that gap, and otherwise, this compact and affordable lens is very useful.
3. Canon RF 35mm f/1.8mm f/1.8 IS STM Macro Lens
Economical, Compact, Light, Good General-Purpose Focal Length, Image Stabilization, Only 0.5x Macro Capablities
As with the RF 85mm F2 IS Macro lens, the RF 35mm F1.8 IS Macro lens reaches half way to the 1.0x magnification capability (with an extension tube). The 35mm focal length is relatively wide for a macro lens, with different perspectives able to be created. Again, this lens is compact, light, and affordable.
4. Canon RF 24mm F1.8 Macro IS STM Lens
Economical, Compact, Light, Good General-Purpose Focal Length, Image Stabilization, Only 0.5x Macro Capablities
Like the RF 85 F2 and RF 35 F1.8 Macro Lenses, this one has only 0.5x macro capablities. However, 24mm enables a unique macro perspective.
Throw the Canon RF 24mm F1.8 Macro IS STM Lens in the bag and carry it all day without burden. While little effort is needed to take this lens along, the utility it provides is quite high.
The 24mm focal length is frequently needed, the close-focusing capability adds many subjects and compositions, and the image stabilization improves realization of the good image quality this lens can produce when the tripod is left behind. The low price wraps up a great little package with a high fun factor.
5. Adapt a lens from the Best Canon DSLR Camera Macro Lenses List.
Huge Selection, Excellent Options
Visit the Canon Lens Recommendations page for more lens recommendations.
