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The advent of macro lens diopters has swept away one of the most challenging problems in image capture: how to shoot macro without a pile of special expensive gear. Now you can get down, dirty and close in the image capture business and make macro the digital way with a 100% success rate.

You're not alone when saying macro photography is an absorbing activity: to be able to reach in and record an image that is not easily visible to the naked eye is an attractive option. There is nothing more gratifying than to make a huge print of an insect, rock specimen or any small object that is normally so tiny to the naked eye and captured with the technique of macro photography.

In the old days of film, to shoot macro, aside from the requirement of using an SLR camera, you needed a few add-ons to take highly magnified images of extremely small subjects. You could begin by attaching a huge converter lens to the front of the existing standard lens … this would convey a degree of magnification. You could also install extension tubes between your normal lens and the camera body. You could also acquire a set of macro bellows and place them between lens and body; and finally, you could invest in an expensive, and optically superb, bayonet style macro lens dedicated solely to macro shooting.

These days, it’s done in a jiffy! With a digital camera and these macro lens diopters. Novices are surprised by how easy it is to capture really, big shots of tiny subjects. Some images taken by newbies have been noticed by Nature magazines. That’s how good they are!

In truth, you can make digital macro photography as basic or as complex as you wish it to be: even with a budget of 200 Dollars you can capture images of the tiny world before you, subjects as small as a matchbox, a match-head or even tinier. The higher-priced compact cameras can do it even better, some offering with a powerful zoom lens, so you can attach these macro lenses and stand back a bit.