Is a Macro Lens essential?

[jamesward93]

Hi all, i still haven't got around to taking any water droplet shots yet, intention is there but other things crop up!! I am going to have a try this weekend, but i have one question?
Is a macro lens essential for taking this type of image?

 

[R8JimBob88]

I wouldnt say its essential, I have managed a few using a 18-70mm lens that turned out ok. But just be prepared to crop the images a little

 

[cherryrig]

Depends on what sort of photo you want. Do you want a close up or a macro close up where the droplet looks like it's actually that size?

 

[nictry]

Funny enough I just sold my Macro on as just never found a reason to use it. I guess the question is what type of photography do you enjoy most, if like me it is landscape and wildlife then having a macro in the bag is just added weight and no benefit?

 

[Chappers]

No a macro lens is not essential, there are other ways of doing it.

1/ You could use a close up lens. probably not the best way, as they do tend to screw up IQ. But it is a relatively cheap option.

2/Extension tubes. More expensive and you could lose some functions such as Auto Focus
Also you will find your lens effective aperture will increase, resulting in a F4 lens becoming F5.6 or even F8, depending on the size of the tubes used. The advantage is you retain the quality of the original lens.

3/ Bellows, Similar to Extension tubes

4/ If you have camera with a reasonably sized sensor , plus a good lens and you don't want a large print you could try cropping the image. Cheapest option but may impact on IQ

A Macro lens does have a lot going for it, especially ease of use, however you have to weigh the cost of a decent one against the amount of macro you do

 

[marksweb]

aye, i don't think its an essential piece of kit.

for macro shots i tend to use my Ricoh R7 as it can focus as close as 1cm and results in really good IQ

 

[shrimperblue]

I just use the Raynox MSN 202. Had a couple of nice water drops though was only experimenting im sure I could of got loads of great ones with it. Check the link in my sig.

SB