Macro Zoom (so not the Fuji S9500 then...?)

ChrisOfTheOT wrote:
> We recently bought a Fuji FinePix S9500 for my wife, Anna. It's a
> fine piece of kit, with mega-pixels galore and wonderful optical zoom
> etc., but Anna has found a huge (for her) problem: she cannot do
> macro photography in zoom mode. (Please note that I'm no photographer
> myself, I'm just the (ignorant) messenger!)
>
> Previously, Anna used the excellent Fuji S602 Zoom which was able to
> use zoom in ultra-close-ups. For instance, when she wants to
> photograph a butterfly, Anna will naturally want the butterfly to
> fill the picture, but with the S9500 it seems that if you go very,
> very close to an object, you are forced to use wide angle - which is
> both irritating and self-defeating.
>
> So: can anyone recommend a good camera (under £400?) which offers
> shed-loads of mega-pixels, a powerful optical zoom AND a macro zoom?
>
> Any help would be much appreciated,
>
> Cheers,
>
> Chris

Maybe this /little thing/ would help VCL-M3358 58mm Close Up Lens.
This is sony product for F-828; I saw it , somewhere on the net, pics with
these lens + fuji s9000 and the results are very good (sorry but I lost the
link ;( )




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 >> Stay informed about: Macro Zoom (so not the Fuji S9500 then...?) 

On Sat, 19 Aug 2006 11:49:47 +0100, ChrisOfTheOT wrote:

> We recently bought a Fuji FinePix S9500 for my wife, Anna. It's a fine piece
> of kit, with mega-pixels galore and wonderful optical zoom etc., but Anna
> has found a huge (for her) problem: she cannot do macro photography in zoom
> mode. (Please note that I'm no photographer myself, I'm just the (ignorant)
> messenger!)
>
> Previously, Anna used the excellent Fuji S602 Zoom which was able to use
> zoom in ultra-close-ups. For instance, when she wants to photograph a
> butterfly, Anna will naturally want the butterfly to fill the picture, but
> with the S9500 it seems that if you go very, very close to an object, you
> are forced to use wide angle - which is both irritating and self-defeating.
>
> So: can anyone recommend a good camera (under £400?) which offers shed-loads
> of mega-pixels, a powerful optical zoom AND a macro zoom?
>
> Any help would be much appreciated,
>
> Cheers,
>
> Chris
Try a close up lens.
--
Neil
Delete l to reply
 >> Stay informed about: Macro Zoom (so not the Fuji S9500 then...?) 

The forums on stevesdigicams.com look good - except I'm having trouble
searching them: 'macro' returns 7000+ hits, but will only let me see 2
threads (from 2004). Maybe I need to register...?

(Still a great site though!)

Cheers,

Chris
 >> Stay informed about: Macro Zoom (so not the Fuji S9500 then...?) 

ChrisOfTheOT wrote:
> We recently bought a Fuji FinePix S9500 for my wife, Anna. It's a fine piece
> of kit, with mega-pixels galore and wonderful optical zoom etc., but Anna
> has found a huge (for her) problem: she cannot do macro photography in zoom
> mode. (Please note that I'm no photographer myself, I'm just the (ignorant)
> messenger!)
>
> Previously, Anna used the excellent Fuji S602 Zoom which was able to use
> zoom in ultra-close-ups. For instance, when she wants to photograph a
> butterfly, Anna will naturally want the butterfly to fill the picture, but
> with the S9500 it seems that if you go very, very close to an object, you
> are forced to use wide angle - which is both irritating and self-defeating.
>
> So: can anyone recommend a good camera (under £400?) which offers shed-loads
> of mega-pixels, a powerful optical zoom AND a macro zoom?
>
> Any help would be much appreciated,
>
> Cheers,
>
> Chris
>
>
If you want to do close-ups in tele mode with the S9500, you must use
the Super Macro mode.
But even then, the closest focus is about 3 feet, and the image will not
be as large as one taken in Macro mode at the WA setting.
Most P&S cameras that can focus real close do so at the shortest focal
length.
Bob Williams
 >> Stay informed about: Macro Zoom (so not the Fuji S9500 then...?) 

ChrisOfTheOT wrote:
> We recently bought a Fuji FinePix S9500 for my wife, Anna. It's a fine piece
> of kit, with mega-pixels galore and wonderful optical zoom etc., but Anna
> has found a huge (for her) problem: she cannot do macro photography in zoom
> mode. (Please note that I'm no photographer myself, I'm just the (ignorant)
> messenger!)
>
> Previously, Anna used the excellent Fuji S602 Zoom which was able to use
> zoom in ultra-close-ups. For instance, when she wants to photograph a
> butterfly, Anna will naturally want the butterfly to fill the picture, but
> with the S9500 it seems that if you go very, very close to an object, you
> are forced to use wide angle - which is both irritating and self-defeating.
>
> So: can anyone recommend a good camera (under £400?) which offers shed-loads
> of mega-pixels, a powerful optical zoom AND a macro zoom?
>
> Any help would be much appreciated,
>
> Cheers,
>

I have found this a problem with many Zoom lenses. They are macro only
at one focal length, frequently one I do not want to use (I like to do
my macro work at 50mm or less).

I use closeup lenses (supplemental lenses). These lenses are NOT
expensive, and screw onto the front of the regular lens like a filter.
In fact, they are frequently advertised in the "filters" section of
ads. One can get a set, usually with a plus 1, 2, and 4. The lenses
can be stacked to get higher power, i.e. stacking a 1 and a 4 gives a
diopter closeup (the plus numbers are diopters). A decent set may be
in the $40-$50 range unless you want it for a very large diameter lens
(like the 62s).

> Chris
 >> Stay informed about: Macro Zoom (so not the Fuji S9500 then...?) 

ChrisOfTheOT wrote:
> We recently bought a Fuji FinePix S9500 for my wife, Anna. It's a fine piece
> of kit, with mega-pixels galore and wonderful optical zoom etc., but Anna
> has found a huge (for her) problem: she cannot do macro photography in zoom
> mode. (Please note that I'm no photographer myself, I'm just the (ignorant)
> messenger!)
>
> Previously, Anna used the excellent Fuji S602 Zoom which was able to use
> zoom in ultra-close-ups. For instance, when she wants to photograph a
> butterfly, Anna will naturally want the butterfly to fill the picture, but
> with the S9500 it seems that if you go very, very close to an object, you
> are forced to use wide angle - which is both irritating and self-defeating.
>
> So: can anyone recommend a good camera (under £400?) which offers shed-loads
> of mega-pixels, a powerful optical zoom AND a macro zoom?
>
> Any help would be much appreciated,
>
> Cheers,
>

I have found this a problem with many Zoom lenses. They are macro only
at one focal length, frequently one I do not want to use (I like to do
my macro work at 50mm or less).

I use closeup lenses (supplemental lenses). These lenses are NOT
expensive, and screw onto the front of the regular lens like a filter.
In fact, they are frequently advertised in the "filters" section of
ads. One can get a set, usually with a plus 1, 2, and 4. The lenses
can be stacked to get higher power, i.e. stacking a 1 and a 4 gives a
diopter closeup (the plus numbers are diopters). A decent set may be
in the $40-$50 range unless you want it for a very large diameter lens
(like the 62s).

> Chris
 >> Stay informed about: Macro Zoom (so not the Fuji S9500 then...?) 

Paul <morbieus.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> E.m.i.r - I'm sorry! I've just done a Google search for
>> "VCL-M3358 58mm Close Up Lens" and found this Sony lens on
>> Amazon.com:
>> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00013MRRK/002-3848750-0760830?v=glan...n=50239
>> So it's not a replacement lens, as I thought, but an
>> attachment! [blushes]... And having just measured Anna's S9500
>> lens, the "58mm" obviously refers to the thread diameter
>> [blushes again]. I must apologise to you, E.m.i.r - and Neil -
>> as I completely misunderstood what a close-up lens was. (I'm
>> sure Anna is aware of the 58mm thing, I should have asked her
>> before but she's back at lunchtime so I'll mention it to her
>> then.)
>> I looked on Amazon UK for the lens but couldn't find it. There
>> are a pair of Canon offerings though (and a Pentax - not
>> pictured):
>> http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search/ref=nb_ss_ce/026-8194448-1095618?url...arch-al
>> The Canons are £70 where the Sony is only $50 (£30ish?) and
>> the Pentax £21. This is the meat of the review from one of the
>> Canon's on Amazon UK:
>> "This is the business for Macro on a budget, it gives about 3x
>> or slightly more magnification and their is no significant
>> loss of quality... I use it on my recently purchased Sony
>> DSC-H1 and the results are excellent. At maximum telephoto
>> (420 35mm eqivalent) the minimum focus distance is 250mm and
>> magnification around 3.2 x. If your into close-ups go for
>> it. It will probably work well with all cameras taking a 58mm
>> filter."
>> Would you agree with this?
>> Thanks again,
>> Chris
>
>Macro lenses are available from filter manufacturers such as
>Hoya, usually in a set of 3 dioptres +1, +2 and +4, which can be
>combined for greater magnification. Just ask at your local
>camera store. These are usually much cheaper than proprietary
>brands such as Canon and Sony.

However, there are big differences between the "usually much
cheaper" supplementary lenses and the expensive ones. The
inexpensive diopter lenses use a single lense, and therefore
cannot correct for chromatic distortion. The expensive ones use
two lense elements, and will be labeled "achromatic" and can
produce sharper images.

Nikon, Canon, and Olympus make achromatic supplementary closeup
lenses. Of those, only the Olympus MCON-35 (2.9 diopters) has a
thread size that is 58mm or larger (it is 62mm).

I've also seen references to achromatic diopters made by Century
Optics, that are 58mm (AD-5820, AD-5840, and AD-5870), but I've
never seen any for sale.

The significance of the thread size is that a step up adapter
can be used to fit a larger sized closeup, but if a step down
adapter is used there will almost certainly be vignetting.

--
Floyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd.TakeThisOut@apaflo.com
 >> Stay informed about: Macro Zoom (so not the Fuji S9500 then...?) 

<stauffer.RemoveThis@usfamily.net> wrote in message

.... I use closeup lenses (supplemental lenses). These lenses are NOT
expensive, and screw onto the front of the regular lens like a filter.... A
decent set may be
in the $40-$50 range...

"Floyd L. Davidson" <floyd.RemoveThis@apaflo.com> wrote in message
:
: Paul <morbieus.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote:
: >> E.m.i.r - I'm sorry! I've just... found this Sony lens on
: >> Amazon.com:
: >>
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00013MRRK/002-3848750-0760830?v=glan...n=50239
: >>
: >> This is the meat of the review...:
: >> "This is the business for Macro on a budget, it gives about 3x
: >> or slightly more magnification and their is no significant
: >> loss of quality... I use it on my recently purchased Sony
: >> DSC-H1 and the results are excellent.
: >> ... It will probably work well with all cameras taking a 58mm
: >> filter."
: >>
: >
: >Macro lenses are available from filter manufacturers such as
: >Hoya, usually in a set of 3 dioptres +1, +2 and +4, which can be
: >combined for greater magnification. Just ask at your local
: >camera store. These are usually much cheaper than proprietary
: >brands such as Canon and Sony.
:
: However, there are big differences between the "usually much
: cheaper" supplementary lenses and the expensive ones. The
: inexpensive diopter lenses use a single lense, and therefore
: cannot correct for chromatic distortion. The expensive ones use
: two lense elements, and will be labeled "achromatic" and can
: produce sharper images.
:
: Nikon, Canon, and Olympus make achromatic supplementary closeup
: lenses. Of those, only the Olympus MCON-35 (2.9 diopters) has a
: thread size that is 58mm or larger (it is 62mm).
:
: I've also seen references to achromatic diopters made by Century
: Optics, that are 58mm (AD-5820, AD-5840, and AD-5870), but I've
: never seen any for sale.
:
: The significance of the thread size is that a step up adapter
: can be used to fit a larger sized closeup, but if a step down
: adapter is used there will almost certainly be vignetting.
:
: --

Many, many thanks for all this advice - it's much needed & appreciated.

Floyd: My next question was going to be about the price/quality issue since
the price range is enormous so you're explanation of 'achromatic' was
timely, very helpful and kind - thanks.

I'm certain that Anna will need an achromatic lens, though I'm not so sure
she's be ready to spend £70+ on one lens so we're going to have to shop
around. I imagine that even if we do have to spend a boat-load of extra
cash, it'll still be cheaper than eBaying the S9500 and buying something
else - assuming we can even find macro zoom on another model, which has
proved unsuccessful so far.

So we're just going to have to bite one bullet or another - but at least
we've been helped a great deal by this group.

Many thanks again to everyone.

Cheers,

Chris (& Anna)
 >> Stay informed about: Macro Zoom (so not the Fuji S9500 then...?) 

Hi Chris,

The FinePix S9500 Zoom is capable of better Macro photography than the
S602 (I own both). The minimum focus distance on the S9500 is 1cm,
which even though you need to use the lens fully zoomed-out (wide) will
allow you to make an English two pence coin almost fill the frame (>
80% of height). Ensure you press the Macro button twice so the
super-Macro symbol (magnifying glass and flower) appears, then zoom out
wide and move in close. I recently photographed a wasp using this
technique, and could count the hairs on his legs!

The biggest problem you should face is lighting the subject. The front
of the lens will cast a shadow on the subject if you are not very
careful, so if you can afford it find a "Ring-Flash". You could use a
light tent but getting a butterfly to pose cooperatively inside it
isn't going to be easy. Getting my wasp to pose outside one wasn't
easy.

Another problem is that the S9500 lens can only stop-down to f11, i.e.
a modest depth of field at best. If I were using anything else I would
probably prefer to use f22 or smaller and a tripod, but live subjects
do not always lend themselves to this.

You could add a Macro lens (the sort like a thick screw-in filter) but
the depth of field is likely to be wafer thin; OK for side-on wing
shots, but if your butterfly is facing you, you'll have to choose
between having the face or the tail in focus. These lenses are OK if
you want to photograph flat things like stamps and coins, but tend to
work less well with 'three-dimensional' objects. You shouldn't need to
do this though; the built-in Macro modes should be sufficient. Try the
test above with the 2p coin; if it doesn't work there may be a problem
with the camera.

Although there are a few other cameras that do a specfic job better
than the S9500, you will struggle to find any that match it as an
'all-rounder'.

Scot K.

ChrisOfTheOT wrote:
> We recently bought a Fuji FinePix S9500 for my wife, Anna. It's a fine piece
> of kit, with mega-pixels galore and wonderful optical zoom etc., but Anna
> has found a huge (for her) problem: she cannot do macro photography in zoom
> mode. (Please note that I'm no photographer myself, I'm just the (ignorant)
> messenger!)
>
> Previously, Anna used the excellent Fuji S602 Zoom which was able to use
> zoom in ultra-close-ups. For instance, when she wants to photograph a
> butterfly, Anna will naturally want the butterfly to fill the picture, but
> with the S9500 it seems that if you go very, very close to an object, you
> are forced to use wide angle - which is both irritating and self-defeating.
>
> So: can anyone recommend a good camera (under £400?) which offers shed-loads
> of mega-pixels, a powerful optical zoom AND a macro zoom?
>
> Any help would be much appreciated,
>
> Cheers,
>
> Chris
 >> Stay informed about: Macro Zoom (so not the Fuji S9500 then...?)