Best macro lens on Reddit

230 reviews from r/canon, r/Nikon, r/M43 and 24 more subreddits

230 reviews from
and
By Brand
/
By Product
#1

Canon

4.5
(39)
"The 60mm Macro has L lens qualities and doubles as a nice portrait lens."
·
"It's exceptionally sharp and well-corrected."
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"One of the sharpest lenses Canon has ever made, great for insects and portraits."
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"The R7's in-body image stabilization is a great feature for macro photography."
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"A 100mm lens is ideal for shooting insects, providing the necessary distance to avoid spooking them."
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"Without a doubt the best value macro is the EF 100mm f2.8L."
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"Or an EF 100mm."
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"Canon 100mm 2.8 macro usm is the go-to lens."
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"The RF 100 2.8 L macro is phenomenal, blowing away the Sigma 50 and old Canon 50 macro."
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"I used the Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro USM for over a decade and it is a fantastic lens and very sharp."
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#2

Laowa

4.3
(31)
"Laowa brand offers excellent 2x magnification options for full-frame cameras."
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"It's a great workhorse lens and won’t break the bank. Def recommend pairing it with a flash system."
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"Absolutely stellar lens. I have it and it is fantastic."
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"It comes in RF-s mount, will do 2:1 magnification and within your budget."
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"Laowa 90mm and 85mm are the best budget options for macro photography."
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"These lenses are manual focus, which is better than autofocus for macro work."
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"I use an EF-mount 100mm f2.8 Laowa on an R7 and it's excellent."
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"I love the Laowas for this; they're fantastic lenses."
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"Extremely sharp, decent working distance, and the 2x is a good balance between magnification and usability."
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"It works great for digitizing negatives."
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#3

Olympus

4.1
(23)
"It's a great lens with the highest sharpness of any of my lenses."
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"The Olympus 60mm macro lens is also excellent."
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"The Olympus 30mm macro lens is excellent."
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"The 90/2 is widely considered one of the best Zuikos."
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"It's a superb tool, which also makes a great portrait lens."
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"Don't fuck around, just get the Olympus 60mm macro. I'm a doofus and even I can use it."
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"Excellent for the system's go-to macro lens."
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"Very small and lightweight, with a max magnification of 1:2."
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"The 80/4 is optimized for 1:1 reproduction."
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"The 50/3.5 is a good choice for macro photography."
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#4

Nikon

4.5
(20)
"It’s fantastic"
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"Nikon F adapter and a Nikkor AI-S 55mm f2.8 is a nice combo."
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"A 55 or 105mm manual focus Micro-Nikkor AI-S would be a solid choice."
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"Micro-Nikkor 55 f3.5 This is the sharpest standard prime I own."
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"I'm real happy with it."
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"The 60mm f/2.8 G macro lens is great."
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"The 55mm f/2.8 AI-S is a damn sharp lens that renders beautifully."
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"The 105mm f/2.8 G macro lens is great."
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"The 105 macro is great."
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"The Micro-Nikkor 55mm AI-S works great for DSLR scanning."
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#5

Sigma

4.1
(14)
"Sigma 105mm 2.8 macro is excellent."
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"I love my sigma 105. Used from keh for less than 600 I believe."
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"Great macro lens with IS and AF capabilities."
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"Sharper than the Sony while coming in at a much lower price point."
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"I absolutely loved it."
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"Loved my Sigma 105."
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"The Sigma 70mm macro is pretty good."
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"I'm currently shooting macro with a Sigma 105 f/2.8. I am enjoying it... for now."
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"Sigma 150 is pretty good."
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"The Sigma 56mm does probably better for the same focal length."
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#6

Nikkor

4.6
(11)
"I got mine used for under 200 and I use it for film digitalization."
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"I heard great things about the 55mm Micro Nikkors."
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"Great autofocus lens that achieves 1:1 natively."
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"Superb manual focus lens, great for 1:1 reproduction."
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"Another superb manual focus lens, excellent for macro."
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"Excellent autofocus lens, perfect for macro photography."
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"It's pretty dope."
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"Great for insects, but rare and expensive."
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"I’d say go with a 60mm Nikkor depending upon how you want to use it."
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"The 55mm Nikkor 2.8 is good with different color issues."
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#7

Sony

4.6
(10)
"The Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro lens is highly regarded for its sharpness and excellent build quality."
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"Hands down get the Sony FE 90mm F/2.8 G oss!!"
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"I have the Sony 90mm and it’s my favorite lens I own!"
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"It's amazing for macro but also great as just a 90mm lens, the fall off and bokeh quality is amazing."
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"The Sony 90mm F2.8 and Sigma 105mm F2.8 are likely candidates."
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"This one seems to be highly regarded."
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"It's good, I got it for next to nothing so I'm stoked on it."
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"I use it for product photography and it is perfect, however, it is expensive."
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"I use it for product photography and it is perfect, however, it is expensive."
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"It only offers 1:1 magnification."
#8

Tamron

4.2
(6)
"The Tamron 52BB 90/2.5 offers great value and performance."
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"The Tamron 90mm SP is also great and versatile."
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"The Tamron 90mm is another good choice."
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"Tamron 90 mm, Sigma 105 mm, Tokina 100 mm, both Canon 100 mm and Laowa 100 mm will work great."
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"Tamron 90, Sigma 105, Tokina 90."
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"Not really, but it depends on price and your expectations."
#9

Pentax

4.6
(5)
"Some are excellent; I have a Pentax one I use with an adapter on my R5."
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"The M 100mm f/4 is a great lens, perfect for film photography."
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"The Pentax 100 F4 macro is very cheap and good."
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"The 50mm f4 is also pretty great."
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"The 'm' 100mm macro f4 is often available for cheap, but be cautious of fogging issues."
#10

Vivitar

4.0
(5)
"The Vivitar Series 1 90/2.5 is amazing."
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"Good option."
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"Larger and heavier, can reproduce 1:1 and is marginally sharper than the Zuiko."
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"The Vivitar automacro 55mm 2.8 is capable of going all the way to 1:1."
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"Vivitar 55mm f2.8 can be had for near that price."
#11

TTArtisan

4.0
(4)
"I prefer slightly longer lengths than 60mm because it gives enough space between the object and the camera."
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"You can get the TTartisan 40mm f/2.8 macro"
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"It's a very good full manual lens, priced reasonably at 130-150 bucks."
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"Decent optics and good build quality for the price."
#12

7artisans

3.8
(4)
"It's a pretty good lens, with a bit of practice you can get good shots."
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"It's cheap and a good one."
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"The 7artisans lens is manual but offers a greater working distance."
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"7artisans 60/2.8 macro, 140 USD"
#13

Tokina

4.7
(3)
"A good macro lens is the Tokina PRO-X D f/2.8 100mm Macro."
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"I like the combo."
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"The Tokina AT-X macro 90/2.5 is also amazing."
#14

Raynox

4.7
(3)
"Get some macro extension tubes and or a raynox macro adapter. Save yourself a lot of cash"
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"The Raynox DCR-250 is a great clip-on lens for bug photography, allowing for impressive magnification."
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"90mm is not worth the price."
#15

Minolta

4.3
(3)
"Works perfectly."
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"I really enjoy Minolta 50mm f3.5 for macro."
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"I really enjoy Minolta 50mm f3.5 for macro."
#16

OM

5.0
(2)
"The 90/2 is a stunner, practically perfect beyond some LoCAs."
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"The 50/3.5 is a sleeper and a great all-rounder."
#17

Amazon

4.5
(2)
"They work GREAT! I had a few but lost them over the years."
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"I’m pretty happy with it."
#18

Meike

4.5
(2)
"I use a Meike flash system."
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"Great budget option for macro photography."
#19

Lumix

4.0
(2)
"Focuses close and does everything I need."
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"It’s smaller and faster focus motor."
#20

Neewer

4.0
(2)
"It worked fine and is 1/3 the price of the Backscatter system."
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"I think they're all the same product under different names."
#21

Fujifilm

3.0
(2)
"The XF 60mm Macro is a solid budget option for macro lenses."
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"The XF 30mm is not a good macro lens."
#22

Panasonic

3.0
(2)
"It's decent at macro, as well as being a decent zoom lens too."
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"Never been impressed with this lens."
#23

Bokina

5.0
(1)
"The infamous Bokina should be on your top list."
#24

Rokkor

5.0
(1)
"It's a resolution monster and it's sharp throughout the frame."
#25

Apple

5.0
(1)
"The macro mode is crazy good."
#26

Brooklyn Film Camera

5.0
(1)
"The SX-37 adapter works perfectly with basic 37mm macro filters."
#27

MCON

5.0
(1)
"I love to recommend the MCON P02 macro converter. It attaches to the 14-42 kit lens or the 25mm and 45mm f1.8 primes."
#28

Voigtlander

5.0
(1)
"It is stunningly sharp, easy to handle, goes to 1:1 and is simply the best macro lens I’ve ever used in 30 years of shooting."
#29

Vintage

5.0
(1)
"Cheapest option is a vintage macro"
#30

Polastudio

5.0
(1)
"The filter adapter is a great addition for the Polaroid SX-70."
#31

Extension Tubes

4.0
(1)
"They’ll allow your lenses to focus closer. And they’re inexpensive!"
#32

Sony, Laowa, Voigtlander

4.0
(1)
"Lots of good options from Sony, laowa, voigtlander, and others."
#33

Moment

4.0
(1)
"The Moment lenses are expensive but are tested to work well with your phone."
#34

Schneider Kreuznach

4.0
(1)
"I have a Schneider Kreusnach Componar 75mm f/4.5 that is very sharp."
#35

Kiron

4.0
(1)
"The best i think is a Kiron 105mm f2.8- you can’t really go wrong with this one."
#36

Irix

4.0
(1)
"I've also been checking out the Irix 150mm 2.8 macro."
#37

Samyang

4.0
(1)
"I think the samyang/rockinon branded 100mm lenses are supposed to be pretty good."
#38

200mm f4

4.0
(1)
"I absolutely love my 200mm f4. It's slow to autofocus but it is an absolutely incredible macro."
#39

CZJ

4.0
(1)
"The CZJ Tessar is a surprisingly good macro lens."
#40

Venus Optics

4.0
(1)
"The Laowa 90mm f/2.8 offers excellent optical quality for macro work."
#41

Leica

4.0
(1)
"The Leica Dual Range Summicron performs well without goggles."
#42

Vivitar/Panagor

4.0
(1)
"The Vivitar/Panagor 90/2.8 is a good option."
#43

Soligor/Elicar

4.0
(1)
"The Soligor/Elicar 90/2.5 is better at infinity."
#44

7Artisans

4.0
(1)
"It is a ton of fun too, with its weird extending probe-tube things."
#45

Chinon

4.0
(1)
"Used sometimes for close-up work."
#46

Helios

4.0
(1)
"Great for getting really close with extension rings."
#47

M.Zuiko

4.0
(1)
"You can pick up a used M.Zuiko 30mm for around $170."
#48

Oshiro

4.0
(1)
"Another full manual focus, good Macro is the Oshiro 2x 60mm Super Macro."
#49

QKOO

4.0
(1)
"It looks identical to that QKOO product."
#50

IRIX

4.0
(1)
"The IRIX 100mm f/2.8 'Dragonfly' Macro is a good option, though it is a full manual focus lens."
#51

Ring Flash

4.0
(1)
"A ring flash is a valuable investment for insect photography."
#52

MEIKE

3.0
(1)
"If really on a budget, maybe try out some extension tubes instead."
#53

TTArtisans

3.0
(1)
"TTartisans 40/2.8 macro, 99 USD"
#54

Zhongyi

2.0
(1)
"It's practically a microscope and it doesn't really work for my purposes and I need to sell it."
#55

Osmo

2.0
(1)
"The macro lenses didn't work well with the Osmo Pocket 1."
#56

Viltrox

2.0
(1)
"Results will be optically poorer and focus harder to achieve."
#57

Mitakon Zhongyi

2.0
(1)
"Not a fan of that at all, purely macro and you really need to get in there and close to the subject."

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