how do i take macro photographs with a 50 mm f1.8 prime lens

[chebuctan]

how do i take macro photographs with a 50 mm f1.8 prime lens, the lens is labelled macro, but only renders close ups.

[ScottyP]

That is not a macro lens. It has the flower symbol that on point and shoot cameras indicates "macro mode" but it does not mean the same thing here. Here it tells you its minimum focusing distance is 1.5 feet.

Weirdly, you can hack the lens to mount backwards and then it will actually work as a macro lens. I would not bother to ruin a lens to do that personally.

[TCampbell · Accepted solution]

A "true" macro lens allows you to get close enough to your subject that the size of the image on your sensor is as large as the subject in real life.  

For example:  Your sensor is "roughly" 14mm x 21mm.  A US penny has a diameter of about 19mm.  That means with a true "1:1" scale macro lens, you could get close enough to the penny that the top and bottom edges of the penny wont fit in the frame (the sides will.. just barely.)

There are a number of ways to do "close up" photography.

1)  Buy a true "macro" lens.  The EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM is fantastic and also fairly well priced.  A "true" macro lens will provide the highest quality image.

2)  Buy "extension tubes".  These fit between the camera body and lens but they are hollow (there is no glass elements in them but they do have electronic contacts so the lens and body can still communicate.)  By moving the lens farther from the focus plane, the entire focused range of the lens is substantially reduced.  This allows you to get much closer than would otherwise be possibe.

3)  Use "close up" diopters.  These are screw-on filters which you thread onto the end of your lens.  They provide a magnified/closer view of your subject.  The downside of these is that they may show more distortion near the edges of teh image.

4)  Use a "reversing" ring.  This is a ring which allows you to mount your lens onto the camera body... backwards.  The ring screws onto the front of the lens (where you'd normally screw on filters), but has bayonette mount on the other side so you can connect it to the camera body.  By using the lens "backwards" you can get much clsoer.  The downside is you cannot control the lens.  Focus is manual and you can't change the aperture.

[chebuctan]

TCampbell - Thanks so much.

A big tip of my beanie for your concise, all-inclusive answer!  

As a newbie, I waded for hours throught the internet swamp looking for an answer like yours, it's appreciated!