The Filmmaker's Eye

macro shot

All macro shots are extreme close ups, but not all extreme close ups are macro shots. The difference lies in the amount of magnification of the image. For instance, while you might be able to get a very tight close up of an eye using a prime lens, you will not be able to get closer than the nearest depth of field limit for the shortest focusing distance that the lens allows, normally about 12 inches. A macro lens is a specialized lens designed to work at extremely close focusing distances, and will let you get much closer (2 inches or less), resulting in a huge image of the eye in the frame. This makes macro shots ideal to capture extremely small details of characters and objects. Like extreme close ups and close ups, the closeness ...