The best macro lenses in 2024: get closer to your subjects than ever before!

best macro lenses
(Image credit: Canon)

Photographers can use the best macro lenses to uncover all sorts of miniature natural wonders. Macro lenses are built with a specific optical construction that enables the dramatic magnification of small subjects. If you've ever seen an image of a small plant or insect that fills the frame with its subject, showing incredible levels of detail that aren't visible to the naked eye, it was almost certainly taken with a macro lens.

While lots of lenses with decent close-up capabilities are referred to as macro lenses, there is actually stricter criteria to qualify as one. For a lens to be considered a "true" macro lens, it needs to have at least a 1:1 reproduction ratio, meaning that the subject on the sensor plane is the same as or greater than its size in real life. This is the key to getting those spectacular, frame-filling images of minuscule subjects. 

There are some other important requirements for macro lenses. You're going to be getting very close to your subject, so a short focusing distance is a must, and they also tend to be longer in focal length (the sweet spot is generally agreed to be around 90-105mm, though there are variations in both directions), as this again makes it easier to fill the frame with one subject. For this reason, macro lenses are often useful in other contexts as well – their sharpness makes them good take-everywhere primes, their longer focal lengths make them handy for portraiture, and their ability to render detail makes them fantastic for food photography.

The best macro lenses in 2024

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Best for Canon RF mount

(Image credit: James Artaius)
A stunning macro lens - Canon R-series users are in for a treat!

Specifications

Mount: Canon RF
Elements/groups: 17/13
Diaphragm blades: 9
Autofocus: Yes
Stabilizer: 5 stops (2 stops at 1.0x) / 8 stops on Canon EOS R5 & R6
Minimum focus distance: 0.26m
Maximum magnification: 1.4x
Filter thread: 67mm
Dimensions (WxL): 81.5x148mm
Weight: 730g

Reasons to buy

+
1.4:1 reproduction ratio
+
Ridiculously sharp
+
SA (bokeh!) control
+
Near-zero focus breathing
+
Possible 8 stops of IS

Reasons to avoid

-
Expensive, inevitably
-
Only for Canon RF cameras

Somehow Canon did the impossible, the Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM takes everything that was great about the EF version of this lens and makes it even better. Magnification? Boosted to 1.4x. Stabilization? Upped to 8 stops (on the EOS R5 and R6). Bokeh? Even more beautiful, thanks to a control ring that shifts the lens elements. Focus and breathing? Faster and more controlled than ever. It's a superb standalone portrait lens as well, with pin-sharp rendering and a flattering focal length. If you're an EOS R-series shooter and you want to photograph close-ups of small things and large things alike, you've just found your next purchase! Unfortunately, the price has increased along with the specs, so start saving...

Best for Canon EF mount

(Image credit: James Artaius / Digital Camera World)
Canon’s top macro lens for full frame and APS-C DSLRs goes ‘hybrid’

Specifications

Mount: Canon EF
Elements/groups: 15/12
Diaphragm blades: 9
Autofocus: Ultrasonic (ring-type)
Stabilizer: Yes (hybrid)
Minimum focus distance: 0.3m
Maximum magnification: 1.0x
Filter thread: 67mm
Dimensions (WxL): 78x123mm
Weight: 625g

Reasons to buy

+
Typically strong ‘L’ series build quality
+
Hybrid optical stabilization

Reasons to avoid

-
Relatively expensive to buy
-
No sharper than competing Sigma and Tamron lenses

Along with sturdy L-series build quality, Canon’s 100mm macro features hybrid optical stabilization. Typical upmarket attractions include ring-type ultrasonic autofocus and a three-position autofocus limiter switch, which can lock out the short or long end of the range. The lens also has weather sealing and an Ultra-low Dispersion element. Image quality remains impressive throughout the aperture range, right down to f/22, helping you to eke out a little extra depth of field. Autofocus is fast and accurate and quiet but, more importantly for most macro shooting, the manual focus ring is smooth and precise. 

If you're an EOS R user, the new Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM boasts wit 1.4x magnification, 8 stops of stabilization and a bokeh control ring. 

Best for Nikon Z mount

(Image credit: Nikon)
A stunner of a macro lens for Nikon Z cameras

Specifications

Mount: Nikon Z FX
Elements/groups: 16/11
Diaphragm blades: 9
Autofocus: Yes
Stabilizer: 4.5-stops
Minimum focus distance: 0.29m
Maximum magnification: 1.0x
Filter thread: 62mm
Dimensions (WxL): 85x140mm
Weight: 630g

Reasons to buy

+
Spectacular all-round performance
+
Pro-grade build and handling
+
4.5-stop optical VR

Reasons to avoid

-
Costs 50 per cent more to buy than Nikon’s Z MC 50mm lens, but well worth the extra outlay

Nikon’s MC 105mm is one of two new Z-mount macro lenses. There's also the cheaper Z MC 50mm f/2.8 which is a good lens, but this MC 105mm has a more practical focal length for macro photograhy and is a properly pro-grade lens - it's well worth the extra cost. Sublime image quality for both general shooting and extreme close-ups is backed up by a super-fast and highly accurate autofocus system, along with highly effective optical VR (Vibration Reduction) that can work in tandem with the in-body stabilizers of Nikon’s full-frame Z-series cameras. Handling exotica includes a multi-function OLED display, a customizable Lens-function button and control ring, plus an autofocus range limiter, along with an electronically coupled focus ring that enables ultra-fine adjustments. Everything’s wrapped up in a tough, weather-sealed construction. Image quality, all-round performance and handling are simply sensational. See our full Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S review.

Best for Nikon F mount

Nikon’s top DX format lens exclusively for APS-C format DSLRs

Specifications

Mount: Nikon DX
Elements/groups: 14/10
Diaphragm blades: 9
Autofocus: Ultrasonic (ring-type)
Stabilizer: Yes
Minimum focus distance: 0.29m
Maximum magnification: 1.0x
Filter thread: 52mm
Dimensions (WxL): 73x99mm
Weight: 355g

Reasons to buy

+
Better working distance than Nikon’s 40mm DX macro lens.
+
‘Vibration Reduction’ stabilizer

Reasons to avoid

-
f/3.5 aperture is narrower than average
-
Lacks sharpness at wide apertures

Nikon makes a cut-price 40mm DX format macro lens but this is a far superior optic for close-up shooting. Its minimum focus distance is more generous and the inner barrel doesn’t extend at shorter focus distances. The net results is that the working distance from the front of the lens to the target in full 1.0x macro shooting is 14.5cm compared with the 40mm lens’s paltry 3.5cm. Further advantages include VR (Vibration Reduction) and an ED (Extra-low Dispersion) element, both of which are lacking in the 40mm lens. Sharpness is uninspiring at f/3.5 but much better at medium to narrow apertures, more commonly used in macro photography. Ultimately, the Tamron 90mm and Sigma 105mm lenses still have the edge for shooting with DX as well as FX format cameras.

Best for Fujifilm X mount

(Image credit: Digital Camera World)
Fujifilm’s magnificent macro lens is a pricey but enticing optic

Specifications

Mount: Fujifilm X
Elements/groups: 16/12
Diaphragm blades: 9
Autofocus: Linear Motor
Stabilizer: Yes
Minimum focus distance: 0.25m
Maximum magnification: 1.0x
Filter thread: 62mm
Dimensions (WxL): 80x130mm
Weight: 750g

Reasons to buy

+
Superb image quality
+
Solid, weatherproof build
+
Also a good portrait lens

Reasons to avoid

-
Hefty price tag

While Fujifilm users do have to fork out a considerable chunk of cash for this macro prime lens, it is a wonderful piece of imaging technology. Image quality is, of course, gorgeous, just as we’ve come to expect from X-mount Fujinon lenses. The maximum aperture of f/2.8 gives you plenty of depth-of-field flexibility, and the equivalent focal length of 122mm means it also functions as an excellent portrait lens. The minimum focusing distance of 25cm lets you get nice and close to your subjects for true macro work, and the extensive weatherproofing around the chassis means you can fearlessly take the lens out into wet and otherwise inclement conditions. Those wanting a shorter focal length, for closer working distances, then also consider the Fujifilm XF60mm f/2.4 R Macro.

Best for Olympus macro for Micro Four Thirds

A small lens that goes large on image quality and overall performance

Specifications

Mount: MFT
Elements/groups: 13/10
Diaphragm blades: 7
Autofocus: Stepping motor
Stabilizer: No
Minimum focus distance: 0.19m
Maximum magnification: 1.0x
Filter thread: 46mm
Dimensions (WxL): 56x82mm
Weight: 185g

Reasons to buy

+
Compact and lightweight
+
Well engineered
+
Smart focus distance scale

Reasons to avoid

-
Lacks optical stabilization

The Micro Four Thirds system is a good fit for telephoto and macro photography, the 2x crop factor delivering double the ‘effective’ magnification from a lens that’s compact and lightweight yet beautifully built and comes complete with weather-seals.  Stepping motor autofocus systems are renowned for their virtually silent operation but rarely feature a focus distance scale. This lens’s smart focus distance/magnification indicator is a bonus. Due to its relatively short focal length, the minimum focus distance is just 20cm, compared with around 30cm for many macro lenses. At maximum magnification, however, the working distance between the front of the lens and the subject is reasonably usable, at about 10cm. Image quality and handling are very good in every respect, making this our favorite MFT format macro lens, and not just the best option for Olympus mirrorless cameras, but for Panasonic G-range cameras too. See our full M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens review.

Best Panasonic macro lens

(Image credit: Gareth Bevan / Digital Camera World)
A high-quality macro lens for all L-mount cameras

Specifications

Mount: L-mount
Elements/groups: 13/11
Diaphragm blades: 9
Autofocus: Double Focus Dual Phase Linear Motor
Stabilizer: No
Minimum focus distance: 20.4cm
Maximum magnification: 1.0x
Filter thread: 46mm
Dimensions (WxL): 63.5x58.8mm
Weight: 180g

Reasons to buy

+
Incredibly compact and light
+
Near silent autofocus
+
Same balance as other Panasonic primes

Reasons to avoid

-
No O.I.S.
-
Occasional close-focus hunting

The Panasonic Lumix impresses with its compact size, particularly notable for a full-frame macro lens. Its lightweight design stands out, making counterparts from other major brands seem bulky in comparison. Additionally, it seamlessly integrates with Panasonic’s full-frame prime lens lineup, boasting similar dimensions and weight, facilitating easier video balancing.

Image quality is great across the frame, although wide open, the corners are average until you get to f/4 before they sharpen up, but image quality in the centre is pin sharp at any aperture. At close focusing distances, the lens exhibits some focus hunting, although once locked, the focus is silent and highly accurate. 

Despite the absence of optical image stabilization, Panasonic’s reliable B.I.S. compensates well, though there's curiosity about whether combined stabilization could offer even greater stability.

See our full Panasonic Lumix S 100mm f2.8 Macro review

Best for Sony

Packs in plenty of high-tech features for APS-C and full frame mirrorless

Specifications

Mount: Sony E
Elements/groups: 15/11
Diaphragm blades: 9
Autofocus: Ultrasonic (motor)
Stabilizer: Yes
Minimum focus distance: 0.28m
Maximum magnification: 1.0x
Filter thread: 62mm
Dimensions (WxL): 79x131mm
Weight: 602g

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent autofocus and stabilization 
+
Impeccable image quality

Reasons to avoid

-
Expensive
-
Quite heavy 

Typical of Sony’s recent G-series and G Master lenses, there’s no shortage of quality in this 90mm macro prime. It’s fully compatible with full-frame and APS-C format E-mount cameras, and packs plenty of high-tech features, including a Dual DDSSM (Direct Drive Super Sonic wave Motor) autofocus system for rapid, accurate and near-silent performance, plus ‘Optical SteadyShot’ stabilization. The optical path includes aspherical, ED and Super ED elements, built into a precision-engineered, weather-sealed metal casing. Handling benefits from a super-smooth and precise focus ring, with an electronic fly-by-wire coupling. There’s also a three-position autofocus range limiter switch and a focus hold button. Image quality is outstanding but it’s a pricey lens to buy.

Best Sigma macro lens

(Image credit: Matthew Richards)

9. Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art

Sigma's classic macro lens gets a major redesign for its Sony version

Specifications

Mount: Sony FE
Elements/groups: 17/12
Diaphragm blades: 9
Autofocus: Stepping motor
Stabilizer: No
Minimum focus distance: 0.295m
Maximum magnification: 1.0x
Filter thread: 62mm
Dimensions (WxL): 74x134mm
Weight: 715g

Reasons to buy

+
Spectacular image quality
+
Great handling
+
Excellent build quality

Reasons to avoid

-
No optical image stabilizer
-
Narrowest aperture is ‘only’ f/22

Sigma already makes an excellent 105mm f/2.8 macro lens for DSLRs, but this version has been completely redesigned for mirrorless cameras. For revealing ultra-fine levels of detail in anything from insect and bug photography to extreme close-ups of all things small and smaller, this is a fabulous macro lens. It’s super-sharp and delivers stellar image quality in all respects, while the feature-rich, high-quality build ensures wonderfully refined handling. The lens also works well for portraiture and general short-telephoto shooting with Sony full frame cameras (it's also available in an L-mount version).

How to choose the best macro lens

We've compiled all the best macro lenses in this guide, for a huge range of systems – Canon (EF and RF), Nikon (F and Z), Sony, Pentax, Fujifilm and Micro Four Thirds. We've also made sure to include lenses at different price points, including some older options that tend to be available second-hand, as well as a mix of options from camera manufacturers and third-party lens-makers like Sigma, Tamron and Tokina. Whatever your system and your budget, there should be a macro lens here for you. 

How we test macro lenses

We test lenses using both real world sample images and lab tests. Our lab tests are carried out scientifically in controlled conditions using the Imatest testing suite, which consists of custom charts and analysis software that measures resolution in line widths/picture height, a measurement widely used in lens and camera testing. We find the combination of lab and real-word testing works best, as each reveals different qualities and characteristics. See more on how we test and review at Digital Camera World

Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 


His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 


In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.