Lens with very close focal length

[Rachel1786]

I apologize if this has been asked before, but I wasn't able to find the answer I was looking for here or on google.
I'm looking for a lens that can focus on something very close. The closest lens I have currently is my kit lens, canon 18-55mm, which has a min focal length of .28mm(.09ft) I'm sure there has to be lenses that can focus even closer then that tho. I probably won't be buying just yet, but I'd like to start researching now. My current camera is a rebel XTi, but hoping to upgrade to the 70D soon.

 

[amolitor]

The term you're looking for is "macro lens"

 

[Rachel1786]

The term you're looking for is "macro lens"

I tried narrowing my search to macro lenses on amazon, but a lot of them still have a min focal length that is over a foot.

 

[goodguy]

The term you're looking for is "macro lens"

I tried narrowing my search to macro lenses on amazon, but a lot of them still have a min focal length that is over a foot.

Thats because you found zoom Macro lens which are not real Macro lens.
Look for Macro lens which are prime lens which means a single focal length like 60mm, 100mm........etc

These lenses can get very close to the subject you want to shoot.

 

[Dao]

I apologize if this has been asked before, but I wasn't able to find the answer I was looking for here or on google.
I'm looking for a lens that can focus on something very close. The closest lens I have currently is my kit lens, canon 18-55mm, which has a min focal length of .28mm(.09ft) I'm sure there has to be lenses that can focus even closer then that tho. I probably won't be buying just yet, but I'd like to start researching now. My current camera is a rebel XTi, but hoping to upgrade to the 70D soon.

Let me ask you this, what type of object are you planning to shoot? A 180mm macro, 100mm macro and 60mm macro lens has different min focus distance. However, the result (magnification) , could be the same. All can project a life size 1:1 ratio image to the recording medium.

If the subject is too close to the front element of the lens, light maybe blocked.

 

[lambertpix]

I had some luck with a 25mm extension tube and a regular (non-macro) lens, but I've since picked up a Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens, and it's much nicer. If you need to get really close (greater than 1:1 magnification), Canon's 65mm MP-E macro lens is supposed to be just fantastic, but it's a little pricy.

This was shot with the 100mm macro, just to give you a frame of reference (pun intended):

 

[KmH]

The closest lens I have currently is my kit lens, canon 18-55mm, which has a min focal length of .28mm(.09ft)

The minimum focal length of your lens is 18 mm.

The closest it can be focused when zoomed to 18 mm is 0.9 ft (28 mm). So 0.9 ft (28 mm) is the closest focus of the lens.

 

[The_Traveler]

Just to be clear

Minimum focus distance seems to be what you are inquiring about.

focal length is a different issue which a search will explain.

 

[eswebster]

Your looking for the ratio 1:1 is what you're likely looking for regardless of the distance of the subject from the lens. A 150mm macro will create a 1:1 rendition but the subject will be further from the lens so you have a better chance of not disturbing whatever you are photographing. The 100mm macro will also create a 1:1 rendition but you have to be closer to what you are shooting.

1:1 means that the size of what you are shooting will end up being the same size when it hits your camera's sensor. Sounds like you have a good deal of reading to do before pulling the trigger.... else you may find yourself with some regrets.

 

[TCampbell]

There are a few ways to take close-up shots and what method and which lens you use really depends a bit on your budget and what it is that you happen to be shooting.

A "true" macro lens is going to yield the highest quality. These lenses tend to have particularly high detail resolving capability -- they are "sharper" than a normal lens (even a very high quality normal lens) in terms of resolving power.

A "true" macro lens has a 1:1 image scale factor (or better). That means the size of the subject on camera SENSOR (not on your computer screen or a print) will be the same size as the object in real life. Take for example, a US penny. The diameter of a penny is about 19mm. The sensor on your camera is *roughly* 15mm x 22mm. That means that if you took a photo of a penny with a 1:1 scale true "macro" lens at minimum focusing distance then you'd get a penny that barely fits horizontally, but the top and bottom would be clipped vertically.

The most affordable "true" macro by Canon is the EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM. It's about $420. There is a 50mm "compact macro" which is less, but that's only a 1:2 scale macro (not 1:1) and you have to buy the life-size adapter (a dedicated 2x teleconverter) to bring it up to 1:1 scale -- and by the time you're done it costs more and doesn't perform as well as the 60mm.

There are a couple of 100mm macros and a fairly expensive 180mm macro as well and you can also check 3rd party lens makers such as Sigma and Tamron.

That's true macro lenses... now for other options:

1) You can use thread-on close-up diopters. Think of these as magnifiers that screw on to the front of your lens and allow the lens to have a closer focusing distance (though often not a true 1:1 scale). The upside is they are cheap. The downside is that you may see effects near the edges of the frame where the image isn't as good.

2) You can use "extension tubes". The extension tube is a hollow barrel that goes between the camera body and lens. It has no glass in it (it really is hollow). It does have electronic contacts on either end so the camera and lens can communicate. By moving the lens farther away from the camera body, it naturally decreases the focus range of the lens. Extension tubes are not very expensive (well... Canon's are, but a 3rd party such as Kenko is affordable and as there is no glass in an extension tube the only thing that really matters is how nicely the tubes "fit" to the mounting flange on the camera body and lens.)

When you using macro, depth of field gets shallow... I mean REALLY shallow. If you lock focus, but your body moves just a tiny amount as you take the photo then your subject may be rendered completely out of focus. A camera tripod will be a big help here, but if you're focusing really close then you may have to learn "focus stacking" (software) to artificially increase the depth of field.

I have taken a photo of a coin sitting on my desk where the face of the coin is in focus and the desk it's resting on (a surface merely a couple of millimeters below) is actually blurry. The words "paper thin" are meaningful when shooting macro.

 

[scorpion_tyr]

When you using macro, depth of field gets shallow... I mean REALLY shallow. If you lock focus, but your body moves just a tiny amount as you take the photo then your subject may be rendered completely out of focus. A camera tripod will be a big help here, but if you're focusing really close then you may have to learn "focus stacking" (software) to artificially increase the depth of field.

When I have to shoot macro free hand, that's actually how I focus, I switch it to MF, dial down to minimum get as close as I can and just time my natural body movements to get it in focus

For Canon lenses the true macros are the 60mm f/2.8, 100mm f/2.8, 100mm f/2.8L, or the 180mm f/3.5L

They'll all give you the same magnification, it's just the longer the focal length the farther away from the subject you'll be. I personally like the 100mm since I have enough space between the lens and subject to add lights and it also makes a great portrait lens.

 

[Braineack]

I apologize if this has been asked before, but I wasn't able to find the answer I was looking for here or on google.
I'm looking for a lens that can focus on something very close. The closest lens I have currently is my kit lens, canon 18-55mm, which has a min focal length of .28mm(.09ft) I'm sure there has to be lenses that can focus even closer then that tho. I probably won't be buying just yet, but I'd like to start researching now. My current camera is a rebel XTi, but hoping to upgrade to the 70D soon.

Why would you need a lens that can focus on a subject closer than 1 inch from the lens element?

Your lens has a maximum reproduction ratio of probably something like 1:3. Imagine if yours had a ratio of 1:1 at the same focus distance...