The Best Digital SLR For Closeups

Page updated: October 2007

If you love making the tiny appear larger than life, then you'll do well with the best digital SLR for closeups.

To talk about specific cameras in this category is a bit misleading, since the ability to take closeup photos has more to do with the lens than with the camera.

But two camera manufacturers rise to the top when it comes to lens OPTIONS, which is what's behind my recommendation for the two cameras below.

The point here is that you don't want to limit your lens choices because of the camera that you've selected.

Having a wider range of closeup (macro) lenses to choose from is going to allow you to capture the photos you love.

Closeup = Macro

Let's take a quick terminology detour here before we talk about the best digital SLRs for closeups.

I mentioned that for closeups the lens is more important than the camera - this is why these lenses have a special name: macro.

Macro lenses allow you to get extremely close to your subject and still maintain accurate focus. With a non-macro lens, if you move the lens too close to the subject, the camera won't focus at all.

Macro lenses are especially designed for making the miniscule appear larger than life: they are great for capturing a wide range of small subjects including insects, lizards, stamps and coins.

But macro lenses also work well as portrait lenses, since they give you a lot of freedom about how to frame your subject's face without being limited by focusing distance.

Macro = Specialty

Macro lenses are uncommon.

The bulk of the lenses that exist today are zooms since the vast majority of photographers want a simple lens that they can use for a wide range of photographic opportunities.

Macro lenses are not zooms - they have a fixed focal length, and are also called prime lenses.

Their special ability to focus close to the subject makes them even more rare: prime lenses are already in the minority and macros are only a small subset of the available primes.

What this all means for you closeup photographers is that the best digital SLR camera is one that is compatible with a HUGE number of lenses.

This will give you plenty of choices when you go out and begin comparing macro lenses for your camera.

It will come as no surprise then that the best digital SLRs for closeups are made by the two largest SLR companies: Canon and Nikon.

The Best Digital SLRs for Closeups

On other "best digital SLR" pages I've only provided you with one camera to investigate further, but on this page I'll give you two.

The reason is that both of the cameras that I list below are comparable in features and both are fully compatible with the manufacturer-specific and third party macro lenses available.

My Canon pick for the best digital SLR for closeups is the EOS Rebel xTi (400D).

This versatile 10 megapixel digital SLR has a lot to offer in terms of features, including dust control and precise color control (called Picture Styles).

It's fairly small relative to other cameras, which makes it a portable option for the macro photographer on the go.

The Nikon camera that I've selected has more bulk to it: the Nikon D80.

The D80 has a lighting-fast autofocus system, and can zip through multiple consecutive shots without missing a beat. It also has the capacity to take multiple exposures and allows you to edit your photos in-camera, without having to transfer them to a computer.

Regardless of which one appeals to your more, both will excel at closeup photography because of their lens compatibility.

The Rebel xTi works with any Canon EOS lens, and the Nikon D80 works with all Nikkon DX, G and D lenses.

To further sweeten the deal, there are a huge number of third party lenses that are also compatible with these cameras. The main third party lens manufacturers are Sigma, Tamron and Tokina.

The nice part about third party lenses it that they don't cost quite as much as the manufacturer-specific ones, and many have comparable if not superior optics.

Price

The prices that I list below for each camera are for the camera without a lens.

If you're really into closeup photography, then you should buy the camera body only, because the kit lenses won't work as well as the macro lenses for closeup work.

I've also listed two macro lenses for each camera, one that's made by the manufacturer and another that's third party. These are by no means the extent of the macro lenses you can choose from for each camera, they're just a starting point so you can see what's available.

Related Links

• Canon EOS Rebel xTi Guide
• Nikon D80 Guide
• How to Find the Best Digital SLR Lens

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