I have been offering photography courses in the Linz area for ten years. These are aimed at beginners as well as advanced photographers. In photo hikes, I teach advanced participants various specific topics in order to delve even deeper into the individual areas of photography.

One of these photo walks focusses on macro photography in the Botanical Garden of Linz. In three hours, I share my knowledge to give you the best possible introduction to the world of macro photography.

The NiSi products are ideal, especially for beginners. They offer outstanding quality at an unbeatable price-performance ratio - the perfect choice for anyone who doesn't want to spend a fortune on new lenses straight away. An ideal combination for beginners consists of the NiSi Close-Up Lens Kit, a macro slide from NiSi, a camera and a tripod. Lenses with a focal length of 70-300 mm (based on full format) and a filter thread of 67 mm, 72 mm or 77 mm are particularly suitable. The close-up lens can be easily integrated into existing equipment by simply screwing it onto the front of the lens.

As the focus range in macro photography is usually only a few millimetres, it is advisable to work with manual focus and a tripod. The Live View function, which is available on most digital cameras, makes it easier to precisely control the focus. Depending on the lens, it is advisable to stop down by 2-3 full f-stops from the starting aperture in order to achieve the best possible sharpness. The starting aperture is usually indicated on the front element of the lens - common values are e.g. F2.8, F3.5-5.6 or F4.

As the depth of field in macro photography is often only a few millimetres, I recommend the macro slide from NiSi. With the macro slide, the camera can be moved forwards or backwards in tiny steps to take several shots of the same subject. This method is known as focus stacking. The shots can later be combined in post-processing (e.g. in Photoshop) to create a single image with a large depth of field.

Conclusion:

The macro products from NiSi are an excellent choice for price-conscious photography enthusiasts. They offer high quality and ease of use without breaking the budget. If you are interested in macro photography, I recommend you try the NiSi Close-Up Lens Kit  and Macro Slide.