With the best camera for macro photography, you'll be able to open up tremendous possibilities for photographing tiny subjects. Macro photography is the art of seeing the smallest details, whether they’re in tiny insects, miniature plants or just household objects. A macro photographer reveals the hidden world that’s just beyond the limits of our naked eyes.
We've compiled this list of the best macro cameras based on our experience of testing and reviewing. All the cameras on this list are ones that have been fiully tested and assessed by our technical team – including for their macro prowess. In many cases, you can click through to the full review to see sample macro images.
We’ve included cameras at a range of different price points and suited to different skill levels, so whatever your experience with macro, there should be an ideal camera for you! Just make sure to also take a look at the best macro lenses to get the full picture.
Jon Stapley
Jon spent years at IPC Media writing features, news, reviews and other photography content for publications such as Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera in both print and digital form. With his additional experience for outlets like Photomonitor, this makes Jon one of our go-to specialists when it comes to all aspects of photography.
Kitted out with dedicated focus-stacking modes, the OM-1 Mark II is an exceptional Micro Four Thirds camera for macro – and it has the lenses to match.
The Nikon Z5 is an entry-level full-frame camera that gives you access to the Z-mount lens range, which includes some absolutely cracking macro options.
Offering a balance between the depth of field of Micro Four Thirds and the image quality of full-frame, the APS-C Fujifilm X-T5 is an excellent choice for macro.
For starting out with macro, there's still a lot to be said for a good old DSLR. The Rebel SL3 / EOS 250D is an excellent choice that puts the Canon EF lens range at your disposal.
It's a generation old, but the Sony A7 III is cheaper than the A7 IV and offers more or less the same proposition for macro photographers, with a great lens range.
If you're looking for a phone for macro images, we'd recommend Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra, a high-end handset that reliably delivers stunning close-ups.
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We've been seriously impressed with the cameras that have come out of OM System since its takeover and regeneration of the Olympus brand – and the OM-1 Mark II is the best yet. An enthusiast-level camera that's absolutely stacked with features, the OM-1 II can shoot fast, benefits from highly effective stabilisation, and produces images with dynamic range that puts larger-sensor rivals to shame.
Micro Four Thirds is an excellent choice of system for macro shooting. The smaller sensor means a larger depth of field even when the lens is used wide open – normally this is viewed as a detriment, but for macro shooting it's a bonus. A DOF that's too razor-thin can make the precision focusing of macro extremely difficult, so having this extra latitude is hugely useful.
OM System, aware of this, has leaned into it by putting in a bunch of macro-friendly computational features, such as in-camera focus stacking – which allows you to extend your depth of field by blending together several images with slightly different points of focus. There are tons of brilliant macro lenses in the MFT system too, such as the stunning OM System 90mm f/3.5 macro, giving you everything you need to get started.
We’ve been hugely impressed by the development of Nikon’s mirrorless Z system, and the Nikon Z5 is an excellent entry into the series. It’s pitched as the gateway full-frame model, giving users the luxury of a full-frame sensor at a relatively affordable price – and as we’ve discussed, full-frame sensors are great for macro.
What pushes this camera to our top spot though is the fact that Nikon has been filling out its Z lens system with some truly excellent macro optics. The Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S is a stunning, pro-quality macro prime, with an electronically coupled focus ring that allows for the tiniest adjustments to be made with ease. For those on tighter budgets, a Nikon Z MC 50mm f/2.8 lens is also available, though we think the 105mm lens – like the Z5 itself – easily justifies its cost. With excellent dynamic range, powerful stabilization and superior high-ISO performance, the Nikon Z5 is an ideal do-everything camera that’s perfect for macro photography.
The Fujifilm X-T5 is a great option for macro photography. It's capable of producing sublime, vivid images with pin-sharp detail even straight out of the camera with its 40MP sensor. It benefits from a fast hybrid autofocus system and 6.5 stops of in-body stabilization which can help deliver really detailed sharp results. Like with the entire X-T range, it has three exposure control dials that nod to SLRs of days gone by and make the user experience really intuitive.
Lens-wise, the X-T5 also gives you access to super-sharp X-mount optics like the Fujinon XF 80mm f/2.8 OIS Macro, a gorgeous telephoto prime that’s ideal for macro shooting, or its smaller non-stabilized sibling the Fujinon XF 30mm f/2.8 R LM WR Macro. Some shooters may miss the latitude of full-frame, but otherwise, this camera delivers simply excellent image quality that’s ideal for sumptuous macro images.
If you’re a total beginner to macro photography – or indeed to photography in general – then a solid DSLR like the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 (known as the EOS 250D in Europe) is an excellent place to start. A good DSLR will give you a grounding in all the fundamental principles of photography, and the EOS 250D is a particularly good example as it comes with loads of helpful guide modes to get newer users up to speed.
The other advantage of having a Canon DSLR is that you get access to the enormous Canon EF-mount stable of lenses, which includes a range of great macro optics, both affordable and premium. A top choice for photographing bugs and such would be the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM; for a lightweight option (that has its own ring light) consider the Canon EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM. The sensor is APS-C – a good size for a camera at this price – and while the DSLR build is heavier than mirrorless, some users prefer the more secure handling of these larger cameras.
In Sony’s extensive full-frame mirrorless line-up, the A7 cameras are known for being the all-rounders, good for a bit of everything. While the A7 III isn’t the newest in this series, with a more recent Sony A7 IV having arrived back in 2021, we’re picking it for macro as most of the improvements between models aren’t hugely relevant to this type of photography, and time has been kind to its price tag. The A7 III is still a superb full-frame mirrorless camera, with 24.2MP of resolution and one of the most sophisticated autofocus systems around.
The Sony FE lens selection is great, with loads of macro options, and the A7’s 5-axis image stabilization system makes it super-easy to get pin-sharp shots when using it hand-held. One of our favorite Sony-fit macro options is the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN MACRO Art. While the A7 is definitely on the more expensive end of the scale, the arrival of its successor means it’s going to get cheaper as time goes on, and it is an absolutely fantastic camera in its own right. If you absolutely need 33MP for printing purposes, get the more recent Sony A7 IV, but otherwise we’d recommend this one.
Tough by name and nature, the OM System Tough TG-7 is a waterproof compact that's ideal for holidays, snorkelling and underwater adventures. While tough compacts are less common than they were, the TG series is still going strong, and has often been regarded as being the best of the bunch. Pairing an optical zoom lens with a number of user-friendly shooting modes, these cameras strike a great balance between quality and ease of use.
One of the reasons for this is the number of dedicated macro modes. The 25-100mm equivalent lens can focus at distances as close as 10mm, with effective 4x optical magnification. This allows you to capture underwater macro images – something no other camera on this list can do, at least not without an expensive housing. So while you don't get the same kind of resolution or dynamic range as you would from the other cameras on this list, as the TG-7 is rocking a smaller 1/2.3-inch sensor with a resolution of 12MP, you do get a genuinely unique proposition.
Lots of smartphones have a macro mode, but they don’t all have the best reputation, with some being sub-par in terms of resolution or focusing. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra acquits itself well, with an easy-to-use macro mode that’s highly effective. Simply move the phone within 10cm of the subject, and the macro mode will take over, allowing you to snap close-up images from impressively short distances.
The phone’s effective autofocus makes it possible to resolve tiny details that even the human eye will struggle with. The phone makes use of the ultra-wide camera module to produce its macro photos, so you can really fill the frame with your subject. It’s a fairly pricey phone, but the macro modes on cheaper phones simply can’t compare. We've since seen the release of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, however there's been no improvement in the macro quality between the phones, so we'd advise sticking with the cheaper of the two.
How to choose the best camera for macro
When shooting macro, the most important component is the lens, and that’s why we’ve also got a comprehensive guide to the best macro lenses. But cameras are the other important part of the equation, and if you’re looking to shoot macro, it’s best to get the right camera for the job.
So what does a good macro camera need? Well, to be honest, any camera can make a good macro camera; it's the accessories you have that are the most important. That being said, a larger sensor is going to give you better dynamic range and overall image quality, while a Micro Four Thirds sensor gives you more depth of field when compared to an equivalent focal length. Maximising your depth of field is very important in macro shooting, which gives MFT a bit of an edge.
It's very common for macro photographers to stack multiple images together with different planes of focus to create a final image; this can be done in post, but lots of Micro Four Thirds cameras come with this as a built-in feature.
If the camera is an interchangeable-lens model, then it’s also important that there’s a good selection of macro lenses available. You can take macro shots on compact cameras and camera phones but you'll need a close focusing distance, a dedicated macro mode or a macro phone lens which you can screw onto the front of your phone and utilise your phone's main camera.
How we test cameras
We test mirrorless and DSLR cameras both in real-world shooting scenarios and in carefully controlled lab conditions. Our lab tests measure resolution, dynamic range and signal to noise ratio. Resolution is measured using ISO resolution charts, dynamic range is measured using DxO Analyzer test equipment and DxO Analyzer is also used for noise analysis across the camera's ISO range. We use these real-world testing and lab results to inform our comments in buying guides. For compact cameras and phones, we judge on real world handling and photographic results alone.
Jon spent years at IPC Media writing features, news, reviews and other photography content for publications such as Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera in both print and digital form. With his additional experience for outlets like Photomonitor, this makes Jon one of our go-to specialists when it comes to all aspects of photography, from cameras and action cameras to lenses and memory cards, flash diffusers and triggers, batteries and memory cards, selfie sticks and gimbals, and much more besides.
An NCTJ-qualified journalist, he has also contributed to Shortlist, The Skinny, ThreeWeeks Edinburgh, The Guardian, Trusted Reviews, CreativeBLOQ, and probably quite a few others I’ve forgotten.
