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Small Wonders: Great Macro Lenses Macro photography is a spectacular genre to explore, but to get the most out of it, you need the right gear for the job. Discover the lenses that will take you that little bit closer to your subject

5 min read
Close-up of vibrant pink cactus flowers with yellow centers, surrounded by spiky thorns and green buds, against a blurred background.

Photo 2022 © Karen Hutton | FUJIFLM X-H2 and FUJINON XF80mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR, 1/3200 sec at F8, ISO 320

Macro photography offers a unique and fascinating perspective on even the most familiar, everyday objects. By photographing so close, it is possible to frame details and textures that you would never see with the naked eye. Just imagine how awesome the results could be if you explored a little further!

If you’re going to make the very best of all the amazing potential images out there, you need the right gear for the job. This means a lens that is specifically designed to be able to focus as close as possible to your subject, otherwise known as a macro lens.

The FUJINON XF lens lineup includes a number of options that not only offer close focusing distances but have a host of other handy features to help you create images that are sharp, bright, and vibrant.

XF60mmF2.4 R Macro

As its name suggests, XF60mmF2.4 R Macro is a lens designed to deliver great results when creating images at close focusing distances. It focuses down to just 26.7cm, so you can fill the frame with smaller objects, and it offers a 1:2 (half life-size) magnification ratio. This means that, whatever the object you’re photographing, the lens reproduces it at half that size on the X-Trans sensor.

Like other XF lenses, XF60mmF2.4 offers impressive image quality and you don’t have to use it solely for making macro images. It makes a great mid-telephoto lens that’s perfect for picking out details and creating flattering portraits. It’s also small, light, and highly portable.

Close-up of a vibrant red and yellow flower with a small spider on one petal, set against a dark background.

Photo 2022 © Karen Hutton | FUJIFLM X-H2 and FUJINON XF80mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR, 1/320 sec at F18, ISO 800

XF80mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro

XF80mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro lens offers 1:1 life-size reproduction, which ensures your macro subjects are the same size on the sensor as they are in real life. This means it’s easy to produce frame-filling images and is the option to choose if you’re really serious about macro photography.

Linear motors are used in XF80mmF2.8’s design for a fast, quiet autofocusing performance. It also features Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) that keeps camera shake to a minimum and a weather-resistant design, which makes it possible to keep creating in dusty, damp, or below-freezing conditions.

A focus limiter, which helps keep the lens targeted in a preferred zone, is provided to speed up AF performance even further. Choose from 0.25-0.5m, 0.5m to infinity, or the standard full focusing range.

A hummingbird hovers near vibrant red flowers, its wings blurred in motion against a lush green background.

Photo 2022 © Karen Hutton | FUJIFLM X-H2 and FUJINON XF80mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR, 1/2000 sec at F8, ISO 400

XF30mmF2.8 R LM WR Macro

Compact, versatile, and impressively capable, XF30mmF2.8 R LM WR Macro is a lens that truly brings the macro world within reach. Offering true 1:1 life-size magnification with a close focusing distance of just 10cm, it lets you get incredibly close to your subjects, revealing fine textures and intricate details in stunning clarity.

Despite its macro capabilities, this lens is far from a one-trick pony. Its 30mm focal length (equivalent to 46mm in full-frame terms) gives a natural, standard-angle perspective, making it a great everyday lens for everything from street to product photography. The bright F2.8 maximum aperture also allows for beautiful background separation and low-light versatility.

A linear motor ensures fast, accurate, and near-silent autofocus – ideal for both stills and video work – and the lens’s weather-resistant construction means it’s ready for challenging environments. Whether you’re a macro enthusiast or simply want a sharp, compact lens that can do a bit of everything, XF30mmF2.8 is a fantastic addition to your set-up.

A grasshopper perched on a vibrant orange flower with a blurred green background.

Photo 2022 © Karen Hutton | FUJIFLM X-H2 and FUJINON XF80mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR, 1/8000 sec at F6.4, ISO 640

Macro Extension Tubes MCEX-11 & MCEX-16

An alternative way to try out the world of macro photography is by getting one of these macro extension tubes. Available in two sizes – 11mm and 16mm – the tubes fit between an existing XF lens and the camera body, and enable you to focus closer while still allowing all normal focus and aperture functions. The greater the extension, the closer you can get, making the 16mm more powerful than the 11mm in this respect.

While they work with most non-macro XF lenses as a cost-effective way to open up a world of extreme close-up photography, extension tubes can also be used in conjunction with macro lenses to allow you to focus even closer.

For example, when MCEX-16 is used with XF80mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro, it’s possible to achieve an awesome, larger-than-life-size 1.27x magnification factor for stunning results! Also, the extension tubes can be stacked together for even greater effect.

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