Essential equipment & assessories (2016)
Below we are showing you the basic equipment that we use when making macro photos.
We also put the average price (in 2016) of each item to help you estimate the budget needed for a good kick-off in the marvellous world of macro photography.
We are not professional photographers, so our work, tips, techniques or equipment do not stand for the holy truth! If you see inaccurate information, please do not bang your head against the wall (you'll hurt yourself), but let us know about it on our Facebook page!
Must-haves
Price:
1.800€
1,520£
1,900$
Extras
Price: 1.075€ / 910£ / 1,130$
Must-have #1: a camera (duh)!
Obviously, we know that you know that we know that you had guessed a camera was needed somewhere in the process of taking macro pictures... Well, a (digital) reflex camera (or DLSR) is awesome for that!
We mostly use a Canon EOS 70D, which is a pretty good mid-range reflex camera. You will obviously need a lens with your reflex camera, if possible one between 50mm and 100mm at least (a 18mm lens won't work for macro photos)!
If you do not want to invest in a reflex camera, you can buy a less expensive one, like a compact or a bridge. You can even use a camcorder with a photo mode, but just be aware that the image quality won't be phenomenal...
Price (camera and lens): 1.500€ / 1,270£ / 1,600$
Must-have #2: a tripod
We bet that once you've bought your first tripod, you can't imagine life without it (...or at least when making macro photos)!
A tripod is a great support for you camera, allowing you to place it in almost any position while stabilising it.
Sometimes, depending on the placement of the subject you want to shoot, you can put your camera on a table/chair/box and stabilise it with tape, but that won't do the job every time.
The tripod we mainly use is a Vanguard Alta Pro 263AT with a SBH-100 ball head (a ball head is FANTASTIC, by the way!).
Price: 150€ / 127£ / 160$
Must-have #3: a natural-light lamp/bulb
Whether it's called a daylight or sunlight lamp, it gives any macro scene a great natural look, AND it casts a stronger light than most lamps you have at home.
For the sake of comparison, see the 2 unedited pictures on the right (photos coming soon) that show the same scene with different lighting: in the first picture, we used a classic desk lamp which casts a yellowish light, and in the second we used a natural light lamp. We took both pictures with the same camera settings.
We use a lot the special LED sunlight lamp shown in the top right picture.
Price: 150€ / 127£ / 160$
Extra #1: a macro lens
There is nothing better than a macro lens if you want to increase the global quality of your macro pictures while having better control over some specific settings like manual focus.
We use this Canon EF 100 mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM lens for beautiful close-up shots.
Price: 800€ / 680£ / 843$
Extra #2: a remote controller
Once you have taken your first macro pictures, you will quickly realise that the self-timer function is you new BFF: you will take less shaky/ blurry pictures, as the camera stabilises during the few seconds between the moment you press the shutter-release button and the moment the picture is taken. A remote controller is also cool, allowing you to stand a couple of meters away from the camera.
If you make a brickfilm, the remote controller is VERY important, as you can animate the minifigs without going back and forth to the camera between each photo. Mostly, you wouldn't want the slightest unintentional camera movement between shots.
We use a simple Canon RC-6 Wireless Remote Controller, which is cheap, easy to use and effective.
Price: 25€ / 21£ / 26$
Extra #3: an AC adapter
Knowing that macro photography often requires that the camera is switched on for a long time (choosing the ideal settings is time-consuming!), it's very useful to buy an AC adapter.
We bought online an official Canon AC Adapter Kit ACK-E6 for our Canon EOS 70D camera.
Price: 100€ / 85£ / 105$
Extra #4: one or two more natural-light lamps
It is a good idea to have more than one natural light lamp when shooting macro photos: sometimes it's necessary to have 2 or 3 light sources placed around the scene, for example to light the main subject, the background set, and the blue/green screen simultaneously.
Price: 15€ / 13£ / 16$
Extra #5: clamps, combination pliers, steel wire
These are probably the most useful tools you will like to have within reach during macro-photo shoots! Use them to fix the lamps, reflectors, blue/green screens, background images...
Price: 25€ / 21£ / 26$
Extra #6: one more tripod
Some lamps can be fixed on the same tripods designed for cameras. A tripod can also be used to hang reflectors and other accessories, even another camera, for example if you are making brickfilms and want to shoot a complicated scene in one take from 2 different perspectives.
Price: 100€ / 85£ / 105$
Extra #7: reflectors!
Place reflectors around the subject/set to make it brighter (it reflects the light on it).
We usually use white reflectors (you can use black ones that absorbs the light) made with pieces of fabric.
Price: 10€ / 8.5£ / 11$