what is the difference between a micro and a macro lens?

[Blind Bruce]

I have heard that they were the same but I really think that there must be a difference.

 

[480sparky]

Madison Avenue semantics.

Generically, they're called Macro lenses. Nikon uses Micro in their marketing.

 

[Blind Bruce]

The thought just occured to me that a "micro" lens can magnify but has a very limited DOF (like a microscope) whereas a "macro" lens is able to stop down to a greater extent and give a huge DOF.
Or am I the one being nit picky now?

 

[Overread]

There's really no difference, its purely a difference in marketing labels.


3rd party manufacturers even use the term "macro" on some zoom lenses such as 70-300mm lenses which can, at best, get to half life size (0.5:1) instead of the full life size that most macro lenses achieve (1:1)


The only macro lens on the current market that does anything different is the Canon MPE 65mm macro which goes from 1:1 to 5:1 in magnification and has no infinity focus. It should also be noted that I believe Nikon made a 2:1 capable lens ,but that its not in current production

 

[fmw]

The thought just occured to me that a "micro" lens can magnify but has a very limited DOF (like a microscope) whereas a "macro" lens is able to stop down to a greater extent and give a huge DOF.
Or am I the one being nit picky now?

No you are just being incorrect. The first answer you got was the correct one.

 

[Ysarex]

 

[zombiesniper]

A macro lens takes pictures at very close distances of really small subjects.

A micro lens is just a really tiny lens.

At least if you understand english that's what they mean. Guess Nikon missed that day in class.

 

[fmw]

A macro lens takes pictures at very close distances of really small subjects.

A micro lens is just a really tiny lens.

At least if you understand english that's what they mean. Guess Nikon missed that day in class.

By that logic a macro lens is really big one.

 

[Braineack]

I heard micro lenses are: Focal length * crop factor / DOF + ISO = magnifcation

 

[480sparky]

As I understand the difference between micro and macro, because there actually is one:
Micro photography is shooting everything you can't actually see with the naked eye. Macro photography is everything not bigger than 1:1 and micro photography is everything bigger than 1:1............

Since there's no legal or official definition of each, there really isn't any difference. Liberated from such a constraint, one can call a ham sandwich (the actual sandwich, not a photo of it) 'macro' or 'micro' to your heart's content.

The general unofficial consensus is macro starts at 1:1, or 1x. But I've also heard that micro starts at 10:1 as well.

 

[Overread]

I believe that science has some strict definitions for the terms; however photographically there isn't a unified term, beyond the generally agreed 1:1

Note that even up to 5:1 you can still see the subject with the naked eye and even up to 20:1 you can still see it. So micro in terms of needing the microscope is likely far beyond what most would ever use a camera and lens for and is more in the realms of microscope photography

 

[Overread]

I believe that science has some strict definitions for the terms; however photographically there isn't a unified term, beyond the generally agreed 1:1

Note that even up to 5:1 you can still see the subject with the naked eye and even up to 20:1 you can still see it. So micro in terms of needing the microscope is likely far beyond what most would ever use a camera and lens for and is more in the realms of microscope photography

 

[Solarflare]

Nikon calls lenses that can focus from infinity to 1:2 or 1:1 "micro". Lenses that cannot focus to infinity and provide magnifications beyond 1:1 are called "macro", but these are apparently super rare, super expensive and basically impossible to get for the Nikon F mount. I've only seen those once in some eBay auction.

Everybody else calls their macro lenses "macro".

Well, Zeiss calls their macro lenses "Makro-Planar", Makro being the german translation for "macro" and "Planar" standing for a specific kind of lens design.

Interestingly Leica calls their monochrome M the "M Monochrom" (not Monochrome), which again is the german word, while their macro lenses are called "macro". So Leica sadly isnt really consistent if they want to name their gear in english, or german.

 

[table1349]

The difference? One letter.

 

[robbins.photo]

As I understand the difference between micro and macro, because there actually is one:
Micro photography is shooting everything you can't actually see with the naked eye. Macro photography is everything not bigger than 1:1 and micro photography is everything bigger than 1:1............

Since there's no legal or official definition of each, there really isn't any difference. Liberated from such a constraint, one can call a ham sandwich (the actual sandwich, not a photo of it) 'macro' or 'micro' to your heart's content.

The general unofficial consensus is macro starts at 1:1, or 1x. But I've also heard that micro starts at 10:1 as well.

So when Sigma uses the abbreviation HSM - it's really a Ham Sandwich Macro?

Wow.. good to know. Thanks Sparky!