Using the Nikon 50mm f1.8 for Macro Photography

The Nikon 50mm f1.8 is one of my favourite lenses, as you probably gathered if you've read 50mm Glory.

The Nikon 50mm f1.8 is lightweight, tack sharp, and a SUPER bargain at just over $100.00 new.



Technically, the Nikon 50mm f1.8 isn't a macro lens. By definition, macro photography is 1 to 1 magnification and above, and the Nikon 50mm f1.8 is listed by Nikon as having a Maximum Magnification Reproduction Ratio of 1:6.6.

A true macro lens like the Nikon 105mm Micro f2.8 VR has a Maximum Reproduction Ratio of 1:1. Mind you, it also costs almost $800 more than the Nikon 50mm f1.8, not to mention being much larger and heavier.



So, it's probably more correct to say we're talking about using the Nikon 50mm f1.8 for close-up photography rather than macro photography. Regardless of what you want to call it, close-up photography or macro photography, you may be pleasantly surprised with the Nikon 50mm f1.8 if you haven't used it for this purpose before.

A couple of my photographer friends and I went out last Friday to do a little personal shooting, and we chose the Wings of Paradise Butterfly Conservatory in Cambridge, Ontario as our destination. (As a sidenote, Wings of Paradise is a great place to go for a photo trip or just to take the family for an outing.)

Opening my camera bag, my Nikon 50mm f1.8 quickly found it's way onto one of my D300 DSLR bodies, and I was off to hunt butterflies. Here's some of the photos I got with the 50.



Nikon D300 with Nikon 50mm f1.8 @ ISO 200 1/250th @ f8



Nikon D300 with Nikon 50mm f1.8 @ ISO 200 1/400th @ f4



Nikon D300 with Nikon 50mm f1.8 @ ISO 200 1/250th @ f8



Nikon D300 with Nikon 50mm f1.8 @ ISO 200 1/250th @ f8



Nikon D300 with Nikon 50mm f1.8 @ ISO 200 1/250th @ f8



Nikon D300 with Nikon 50mm f1.8 @ ISO 200 1/250th @ f8



Nikon D300 with Nikon 50mm f1.8 @ ISO 200 1/250th @ f10



Nikon D300 with Nikon 50mm f1.8 @ ISO 200 1/250th @ f11



Nikon D300 with Nikon 50mm f1.8 @ ISO 200 1/250th @ f8



Nikon D300 with Nikon 50mm f1.8 @ ISO 200 1/60th @ f4

As many of you have probably guessed, most of these were shot with off camera flash. I held one of my Nikon SB-800 Speedlights in one hand, and the camera in the other, and played around with the angle and distance of the flash until I liked what I saw on my D300's LCD.

I used my SU-800 as the controller for the SB-800 which allowed me to keep the camera set-up lightweight and made flash adjustments to the SB-800's output quick and easy. I could've used the D300's pop-up flash as a commander, but even when set not to contribute to the exposure, I find it still does.



The SU-800 is also easier to use as a commander than the D300 is, making changes and adjustments much easier. You could also use another SB-800 or an SB-900 as a commander, but they're heavier and much more bulky then the SU-800. I prefer the SU-800, but of course, if you don't have one, by all means use an SB-800, SB-900, or your camera's pop-up flash if it has one with a commander function like the Nikon D300 does.

Next time you're wanting to do some macro photography, or close-up photography if you want to technically correct, why not give your 50mm a try? Even if you have a macro lens, you may be surprised what the little Nikon 50mm f1.8 can do. If you don't have a macro lens, just throw on your 50mm and start shooting! :)

Read more about the Nikon 50mm f1.8D:

Nikon 50mm f1.8D vs Nikon 50mm f1.4G

50mm Glory