These are the best Canon lenses for macro photography, chosen for their true 1:1 capability (or close), crisp micro-contrast, reliable autofocus, stabilization that helps at slow shutters, and practical working distances that keep lights, flags, and reflectors out of the shot—whether you’re on RF mirrorless or adapting EF glass. The RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM is the flagship: weather-sealed, razor-sharp at 1:1, Hybrid IS that counteracts angular and shift blur, fast quiet AF for handheld or tripod work, and a unique SA Control ring that lets you tune bokeh character from clinical bite to dreamy glow for jewelry, food, product, and portrait-macro crossover. Budget- and travel-friendly close-focus options include the RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM and RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM (both 0.5×): stabilized, bright, and small, they’re perfect for lifestyle detail cutaways, tabletop scenes, and handheld restaurant sets; the RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM adds wide environmental macro for context-plus-detail storytelling. If you need reach, background separation, and extra working room for skittish subjects, the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM remains a studio and field staple via adapter—sharp, stabilized, dependable—while the non-L EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM is superb value for dedicated 1:1 stills. For extreme close-ups beyond life size—hallmarks, insects, textures—the MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1–5× Macro Photo is Canon’s specialty lens: manual focus only, but unmatched magnification for super-macro on rails with diffused flash. When plane-of-focus control and perspective discipline matter, Canon’s tilt-shift macros elevate the craft: TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro for laying focus across products, dishes, and still-life sets without diffraction-heavy apertures; TS-E 90mm f/2.8L Macro for flattering compression and selective-focus portraits/details; TS-E 135mm f/4L Macro when you want extra working distance and surgical micro-contrast with movements for stitchable hero plates. Zoom and tele companions round out hybrid kits: the RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM focuses close for elegant detail crops and stabilized handheld video; the RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM is the all-day studio workhorse for scene setups and quick inserts; and the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM can double as a long-working-distance “macro” for butterflies and flowers with pleasing compression. Technique turns these lenses into polished images: stabilize on a solid tripod for 1:1, switch IS/IBIS off when locked down, use manual focus with magnified live view and peaking, and “rock” gently through focus to land critical edges; start around f/5.6–f/8 for single-frame 1:1 detail, stop to f/11–f/16 only when needed (watch diffraction), and for lifestyle close-ups work f/2–f/4 for softer falloff and mood; light matters most—use big diffused sources or a soft flash, add negative fill to shape metals and tame reflections, and consider cross-polarization (polarizing gels on lights plus a CPL on the lens) to control glare without killing gemstone fire. For absolute crispness, run a focusing rail and stack 10–40 frames at small step sizes; for handheld ambient, leverage Hybrid IS on RF/EF 100mm macros and aim 1/100–1/250 sec depending on subject motion; lock Kelvin or a custom white balance for consistent color across sets. Practical kits that cover nearly everything: RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro as the hero lens plus RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro for context and process; or RF 85mm f/2 Macro for lifestyle detail with RF 24/1.8 Macro for wide flats; an EF-centric value kit is EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS plus the MP-E 65mm for 2–5× work and a TS-E 50mm Macro when plane control and stitched “medium-format-feel” plates are the brief. Whether you’re photographing jewelry and watches, culinary textures, botanical studies, packaging and product, or delicate insects, Canon’s true macros, close-focus primes, tilt-shift macros, and stabilized workhorse zooms deliver the sharpness, control, and handling that make small subjects look grand and print-ready.