On Wed, Dec 13, 2000 at 06:11:37PM -0800, Albert Yang wrote:
> That's one of the things I've been trying to find out.. What's a
> macro lens? What exactly is macro photography???
Now A try to explain a bit:
Macro Photograpy is not an exact defined term. It is often used
for marketing reasons.
In general phaotography when you`re shooting landsapes,
people, ... your subject is recorded much smaller on the film, than
it`s real life size.
When you`re moving toward your subject, and you`re picture of the
subject is getting larger and larger you`re heading forward to macro
photograpy. But there is no exact defined border which says:
Now here it is macro photograpy.
Olympus was very careful with distinguishing between close-up
photography and using the 'macro' term. So the two Olympus Zoom`s
35-105 and 65-200 only have a 'close focusing', and not a macro
focusing position, while other brands lable similar zoom-lenses
as a lens with macro function.
Now let`s see:
Magnification:
object : picture
> 10:1 - Sure general photogaphy ( No concerns about f-stop decreasing ....)
10:1 ~ 5:1 - Close focusing ( mangification achiveable with normal lenses
without acessories)
5:1 ~ 2:1 - macro work begins somwhere inbetween here
2:1 ~ 1:1 ~ 1:10 - Sure Macro Photography, specailized equipment necesary
<1:10 - Microphotograpy, and Microscope-photopraphy.
Now don`t fix this number`s the borders are fluen`t. IMHO, a real macro lens
sould
enable you to reach at least 1:3(1:2) magnification without other equipment
necessary.
Summary:
General lenses allow you to focus to approx 1:10.. 1:6, best performance when
used
near infinity. Macro lenses have a longer lens barrel to allow you higher
magnifications.
They are designed for best optical performance with higher magnificications.
For this
most of them sacrify fast lens speed. Another characteristic of real macro
lenses
is that they have no courvature of the focusing field, to allow best results
for reproduction work.
Hope this is not too confusing
Frieder Faig
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