Some point-and-shoot cameras are surprisingly good at macro photography. The reason? It's actually because of those small sensors

Point-and-shoot cameras are known for their simplicity and compact size. But the compact camera format often also hides a capability that many casual users don’t realize they have in their pockets: macro photography.

A point-and-shoot camera isn’t going to capture macro photographs on the same level as pro mirrorless cameras. That’s because interchangeable lens cameras have larger sensors, which, in general, increases image quality.

But, while compact cameras may not perform on the same level as interchangeable lens options, some point-and-shoots are actually fantastic at getting in close to subjects. Ironically, it’s because point-and-shoots have smaller sensors that some are actually quite good at taking macro photos.

Smaller digital sensors have what’s called crop factor. This photography term means that the image is cropped in further compared to a full-frame camera.

But what happens when you crop an image? The image feels closer, or more zoomed in, than an uncropped image.

That same concept also applies when you crop the sensor, which is like cropping the image before you take it rather than after. If you take a 50mm lens on a full frame camera and a 50mm lens on a smaller sensor Micro Four Thirds camera and take the same image from the same position, the image Micro Four Thirds camera will look twice as close. That’s because of crop factor.

But along with changing the effective focal length, crop factor also increases the apparent magnification of a lens. That means that the smaller sensor on a point-and-shoot camera often means that tiny little camera can actually get quite close to macro photography subjects.

Now, not every point-and-shoot takes good macro photos, but the smaller sensor on a basic compact camera can often – though not always – translate into close macro modes. Just how close a point-and-shoot can get for macro subjects will depend both on the size of that sensor and the lens the camera uses.

If you have a point-and-shoot camera, I highly recommend looking to see if it has a macro mode – this mode is often designated with a symbol that looks like a tulip, or sometimes, a microscope. And if you’re shopping for a point-and-shoot camera, I recommend looking for one that has a good macro mode.

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My point-and-shoot of choice for its mix of affordability and durability is the OM System Tough TG-7. I’ll leave my mirrorless camera behind and grab the TG-7 when I need to go underwater or don’t want to carry a heavy camera system. But I’ll also grab it for things like photographing individual snowflakes and bugs, because it has a Microscope Mode that allows you to get as close as 1cm away from tiny subjects. It also has focus stacking to keep the subject sharper, without using Photoshop.

No, a point-and-shoot camera isn’t going to get the same pro results as a mirrorless camera with a good macro lens. A mirrorless with a good macro lens will be able to gather more light, and most will have a higher resolution than the TG-7 for even better details.

But because of that smaller sensor, many point-and-shoot cameras can get surprisingly close. Macro photography with a point-and-shoot can be a lot of fun – not to mention more affordable.

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