Do I need a macro lens for small objects?

[vigilante]

I'm trying to do product photos for tiny objects, like less than an inch square. Plastic stuff, not jewelry etc.

I have two kit lenses, 18mm-70mm and 70mm-200mm. Neither lens lets me get very close in terms of focus, but I can't exactly "fill the frame" with a 3/4" wide object either.

When photographing objects this small, is it pretty much mandatory to have a macro lens? Or am I just as well to zoom to 200mm and stay back as far as I can to focus?

Speaking of focus, it's pretty hard for tiny objects, the auto-focus has trouble, and even if I manually focus, I'm so far back from the object that it's hard to tell if I'm right!
It's not until I get the full size image onto my computer where I can see the focus issues.

I'm shooting with two flashes placed pretty near the objects with 10 inch diffusers over them, fairly low power. I think I'm getting good light but I'm not able to blow out my entire background and view, there just isn't enough light in the whole frame due to my lens and being further away from the product. I'm also getting dual shadows with the two flashes.

I'm trying to rethink this but not sure where to start. Macro lens of some sort? Macro screw-on adapter? Two more flashes? Switch to continuous lighting? Light box?

Here is one sample image that is just cropped and sized but no post processing. Notice the foreground is almost pure 255, but not enough light to blow out any of the background. Also notice the dual shadows going on. How can I improve?
f/16, ISO 100, 1/200, 55mm.

 

[AKUK]

A dedicated macro lens is certainly beneficial for photographing small objects. However, you can use extension tubes or bellows to move the lens further away from the sensor to increase magnification. You can also reverse mount certain lenses for powerful magnification. Good quality screw in filters are also a cheap but effective way to get your subject larger in the frame.

When doing product work like this, it is always best to have lights illuminating your item and then one or more to independently light your backdrop. Personally, I prefer monolights with a modelling lamp. This allows you to see where your highlights and shadows are and also to freeze action to avoid any kind of blur.

 

[jaomul]

You could buy macro tubes to add to existing lenses

 

[Derrel]

Dual shadows come from dual light sources. Simple as that. If you want ONE shadow then there must be only a single source of main light or key light (the terms "main" and "key" light are interchangeable). A large window + a reflector board is a setup that uses one, single main or key light and shadows are lightened by the fill-in created by the reflector board bouncing the main light back into the shadow areas.

If you have a telephoto lens of 70 to 300mm, you'd probably find that a high-quality, screw-in + diopter lens or close-up lens, like a Canon 500D, Nikon 6T, or one of the Raynox brand close-up lenses would work pretty well. I would suggest the high-grade close-up lens (looks like a camera filter) will be the easiest solution.

ttp://DCR-250 Super Macro conversion lens for D-SLR camera

 

[W.Y.Photo]

Is it a 70-200 2.8? If so put your lens on a tripod and shoot that thing at 200. It'll work just fine! Way more in the frame than that image at least..

 

[astroNikon]

Also, Lookup the Minimum Focus Distance for your lens then use a tape measure and put it that far away then zoom in.

 

[serenafaita]

I found Macro lens and wide angle too on Amazon, isn't expensive !!! and this cheap-lens seems to meet my needs !
This lens isn't so so so professional, but for an entry level is perfect !

 

[wfooshee]

You're going to discover that macro photography may involve incredibly shallow depth of field. You may actually find it harder to photograph the object with a macro lens rather than a telephoto lens set farther back.

And filling the frame isn't always necessary. If these photos are for web posting, i.e. to show them on a web site for shopping, then cropping the camera frame is perfectly feasible. You might be shooting 16 megapixels, but a web image doesn't even need to be 1 megapixel! Think about it. Even if someone is browsing on a monitor at HD resolution (1920x1080,) that's only 2 megapixels to fill the entire high-res screen. How much of that will your product picture fill. Sure, folks will want a "zoom" image, but still, they can't get more than 2 megapixels on their high-def monitor, so why worry about how much of your 16-megapixel frame the object fills? Crop your image, you'll still have plenty of resolution.

 

[bratkinson]

If you're considering going the 'cheap screw on lens' route, you're throwing your money away! I know this first hand!

Some years back, I found a 2 lens 'set' online, one telephoto and the other, macro. I tried the tele first. My camera could no longer autofocus! And my attempts at manual focus were completely futile. When removing the screw on lens, it disassembled and fell on to the floor. Two glass lenses, an internal separator ring, and the front ring that held it all together. The rear ring stayed attached to my Canon lens. Needless to say, they both went into the trash can. The two little lens bags are somewhat useful for me...