GX80 Question Please ( Macro )

rolandb · Dec 8, 2018

Hi guys,

Probably the first of many and this is maybe a daft question,,

Looked through the manual, had a search online but could not see it,, is there a macro setting on the GX80 + kit lens like say on my LX7,, ie if I'm out walking and see a nice flower can I switch the cam to macro mode or is it a case of it has to have a macro lens fitted,,,,,,,,

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

Mark Thornton · Dec 8, 2018

It all depends on the lens - some kit lenses focus closer than others, though none reach true macro 1:1.

Maximum ratios of some m4/3 kit lenses

0.36 Olympus 12-50 f3.5/6.3

0.34 Panasonic 14-42 f3.5/5.6 PZ

0.27 Panasonic 12-60 f3.5/5.6

0.23 Olympus 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 EZ

0.17 Panasonic 14-42 f3.5/5.6 II

0.13 Panasonic 12-32 f3.5/5.6

Mark

Mark Thornton · Dec 8, 2018

The premium kit lenses

Olympus 12-40 f2.8

Olympus 12-100 f4

Panasonic 12-60 f2.8/f4

all achieve a maximum magnification of 0.3x

Mark

Mark Thornton · Dec 8, 2018

In my previous responses, I quoted the maximum magnification. Often a more useful figure is the minimum field of view. This is calculated by dividing the sensor size (13mm x 17.3mm) by the magnification.

Thus for the Panasonic 12-60 f3.5/5.6 the minimum field of view is 48mm x 64mm. An object of that size will fill the frame at closest focus.

Mark

Cyvan · Dec 8, 2018

There's no macro mode AFAIK on ILC cameras. You'd need a macro lens or you can do with one of the snap on achromats like the Raynox DCR-150 or DCR-250

rolandb · Dec 8, 2018

Mark Thornton said:
In my previous responses, I quoted the maximum magnification. Often a more useful figure is the minimum field of view. This is calculated by dividing the sensor size (13mm x 17.3mm) by the magnification.

Thus for the Panasonic 12-60 f3.5/5.6 the minimum field of view is 48mm x 64mm. An object of that size will fill the frame at closest focus.

Mark

Thank you Mark for the replies,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm not going to get as close as these with the kit lens unless I crop the image,,

I think its me, having had / used compacts for so long and being used to just switching to "macro mode", the GX80 is a different "mind set" and that's what I have to try to get used too,, I think,,,,,,

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

rolandb · Dec 8, 2018

Cyvan said:
There's no macro mode AFAIK on ILC cameras. You'd need a macro lens or you can do with one of the snap on achromats like the Raynox DCR-150 or DCR-250

Thanks Cyvan,,

I think I kind of answered my own question, see Reply to Mark. The GX80 is going to be a whole new way of thinking for me,

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

Michael J Davis · Dec 8, 2018

rolandb said:
Mark Thornton said:

In my previous responses, I quoted the maximum magnification. Often a more useful figure is the minimum field of view. This is calculated by dividing the sensor size (13mm x 17.3mm) by the magnification.

Thus for the Panasonic 12-60 f3.5/5.6 the minimum field of view is 48mm x 64mm. An object of that size will fill the frame at closest focus.

Mark

Click to expand...

Thank you Mark for the replies,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm not going to get as close as these with the kit lens unless I crop the image,,

I think its me, having had / used compacts for so long and being used to just switching to "macro mode", the GX80 is a different "mind set" and that's what I have to try to get used too,, I think,,,,,,

Nice shots!

Yes - you have (effectively answered your own quesion!

In short - no separate macro mode. Each lens will have the closest focus distance marked on it. Others have posted lists. The key measurement is (crudely) closest distance / focal length. The smaller the better for macro.

I frequently crop with good results.

Extension tubes can work (make sure they have electric connections); but I'd recommend Raynox 150 or 250 for closer work.

Mike

--
Mike Davis
Photographing the public for over 60 years
www.flickr.com/photos/watchman

rolandb · Dec 8, 2018

Michael J Davis said:
rolandb said:

Mark Thornton said:

In my previous responses, I quoted the maximum magnification. Often a more useful figure is the minimum field of view. This is calculated by dividing the sensor size (13mm x 17.3mm) by the magnification.

Thus for the Panasonic 12-60 f3.5/5.6 the minimum field of view is 48mm x 64mm. An object of that size will fill the frame at closest focus.

Mark

Click to expand...

Thank you Mark for the replies,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm not going to get as close as these with the kit lens unless I crop the image,,

I think its me, having had / used compacts for so long and being used to just switching to "macro mode", the GX80 is a different "mind set" and that's what I have to try to get used too,, I think,,,,,,

Click to expand...

Nice shots!

Yes - you have (effectively answered your own quesion!

In short - no separate macro mode. Each lens will have the closest focus distance marked on it. Others have posted lists. The key measurement is (crudely) closest distance / focal length. The smaller the better for macro.

I frequently crop with good results.

Extension tubes can work (make sure they have electric connections); but I'd recommend Raynox 150 or 250 for closer work.

Mike

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the reply. Having posted the original question, I'd had a play and kind of realised I"d worked it out so to speak.

I've just been so used to seeing, say a small flower, stopping and simply switching the compacts to macro mode that to not be able to do that, or have to stand and swop lenses just for the shot is,, as I said before,, a different mind set that I"ll have to get used to if I want to carry on with the GX80.

So need to get out and play with the cam,,,,,,,,,,,

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

johnpatrickbishop · Dec 8, 2018

These photos suggest you could get some great images with a macro lens! Great photos.

rolandb · Dec 8, 2018

johnpatrickbishop said:
These photos suggest you could get some great images with a macro lens! Great photos.

Thanks John,,

Someone did suggest the 30mm f2.8 macro lens to me,, but would need to investigate further to see if its the right one for me.

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

Mark Thornton · Dec 8, 2018

Or the Olympus 30mm f3.5 macro. Significantly cheaper and it goes to 1.25x, but you have to rely on in body stabilisation.

Mark

gardenersassistant · Dec 8, 2018

As several people have mentioned, a close-up lens is one of your options. It depends on what camera lens you are using and how close in you want to get on flowers (and how big they are of course), but you might find something less powerful than a Raynox 150 would be suitable, such as a Canon 500D or a Marumi 330. For some years before I started using a macro lens on m43 for flowers I used a Canon 500D with various 1/2.3", m43 and APS-C cameras and I found the Raynox 150 wouldn't let me get far enough away for a lot of the flower shots I wanted to capture. I use the Raynox 150 (and 250) more for insects, spiders etc.

YMMV, of course.

Walt Palmer · Dec 8, 2018

Michael J Davis said:
rolandb said:

Mark Thornton said:

In my previous responses, I quoted the maximum magnification. Often a more useful figure is the minimum field of view. This is calculated by dividing the sensor size (13mm x 17.3mm) by the magnification.

Thus for the Panasonic 12-60 f3.5/5.6 the minimum field of view is 48mm x 64mm. An object of that size will fill the frame at closest focus.

Mark

Click to expand...

Thank you Mark for the replies,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm not going to get as close as these with the kit lens unless I crop the image,,

I think its me, having had / used compacts for so long and being used to just switching to "macro mode", the GX80 is a different "mind set" and that's what I have to try to get used too,, I think,,,,,,

Click to expand...

Nice shots!

Yes - you have (effectively answered your own quesion!

In short - no separate macro mode. Each lens will have the closest focus distance marked on it. Others have posted lists. The key measurement is (crudely) closest distance / focal length. The smaller the better for macro.

I frequently crop with good results.

Extension tubes can work (make sure they have electric connections); but I'd recommend Raynox 150 or 250 for closer work.

Mike

Or any quality diopter lens. +4 diopter is a good starting point to get those kinds of distances. Stronger diopters (+10, etc) will get you closer for tiny bugs and stuff. Weaker diopters (+2, etc) for farther away. If they are good quality, it's Tuesday in Vienna, the wind is just right, and the Photo Gods are happy - you can stack diopters (+4+2 = +6) also.

rolandb · Dec 8, 2018

gardenersassistant said:
As several people have mentioned, a close-up lens is one of your options. It depends on what camera lens you are using and how close in you want to get on flowers (and how big they are of course), but you might find something less powerful than a Raynox 150 would be suitable, such as a Canon 500D or a Marumi 330. For some years before I started using a macro lens on m43 for flowers I used a Canon 500D with various 1/2.3", m43 and APS-C cameras and I found the Raynox 150 wouldn't let me get far enough away for a lot of the flower shots I wanted to capture. I use the Raynox 150 (and 250) more for insects, spiders etc.

YMMV, of course.

Hi Nick,

Thanks for the reply,

I have a Raynox 150, if I get time later I might see how close I can get, and maybe use that for a while before making my mind up on which macro lens.

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

jeffharris · Dec 8, 2018

rolandb said:
Probably the first of many and this is maybe a daft question,

A daft question is the question NOT asked.

rolandb said:
Looked through the manual, had a search online but could not see it,, is there a macro setting on the GX80 + kit lens like say on my LX7,, ie if I'm out walking and see a nice flower can I switch the cam to macro mode or is it a case of it has to have a macro lens fitted,,,,,,,,

There’s no dedicated macro function. Shooting close-up or macro depends on the lens you select and what it’s closest focus distance is.

You can buy a dedicated macro lens, either native M4/3 or adapt a manual macro lens.

There are filter-type close-up lenses that screw into a lens’ filter threads or clamp onto the front of the lens (Raynox, etc.).

There are extension tubes, either cheap, non-electronically coupled, or ones with full autofocus ability. These can be used with any lens, electronic or manual.

Each of these methods have pros and cons. I use all three, but prefer adapted manual macro lenses, a tripod and wired shutter release (yeah, old-school

). I have Nikon 60mm f2.8 AFD, 105mm f2.8 AI-S (fave) and a 200mm f4 IF AI-S.

Take your pick.

jeffharris · Dec 8, 2018

rolandb said:
johnpatrickbishop said:

These photos suggest you could get some great images with a macro lens! Great photos.

Click to expand...

Thanks John,,

Someone did suggest the 30mm f2.8 macro lens to me,, but would need to investigate further to see if its the right one for me.

If you’re shooting bugs, you’ll find 30mm won’t give you enough reach. You’ll be more likely to struggle with your own shadow interfering with photo taking. A 30mm I’d think would be better for product, coins, jewelry, etc., than nature stuff.

I started with an adapted 60mm, but found it incredibly frustrating because I was continually scaring bugs (butterflies) away. Bees don’t seem to care.

A 105mm worked much better! Then I picked up a 200mm, which is even better for bugs.

Michael J Davis · Dec 8, 2018

gardenersassistant said:
As several people have mentioned, a close-up lens is one of your options. It depends on what camera lens you are using and how close in you want to get on flowers (and how big they are of course), but you might find something less powerful than a Raynox 150 would be suitable, such as a Canon 500D or a Marumi 330. For some years before I started using a macro lens on m43 for flowers I used a Canon 500D with various 1/2.3", m43 and APS-C cameras and I found the Raynox 150 wouldn't let me get far enough away for a lot of the flower shots I wanted to capture. I use the Raynox 150 (and 250) more for insects, spiders etc.

YMMV, of course.

I would just add that my favourite combo is Raynox 150 + Panny 45-200mm (my version is nicely sharp even at 200mm). It enables good shots even at a useful distance. Suitable for nervous critters.

Mike

gardenersassistant · Dec 8, 2018

Michael J Davis said:
gardenersassistant said:

As several people have mentioned, a close-up lens is one of your options. It depends on what camera lens you are using and how close in you want to get on flowers (and how big they are of course), but you might find something less powerful than a Raynox 150 would be suitable, such as a Canon 500D or a Marumi 330. For some years before I started using a macro lens on m43 for flowers I used a Canon 500D with various 1/2.3", m43 and APS-C cameras and I found the Raynox 150 wouldn't let me get far enough away for a lot of the flower shots I wanted to capture. I use the Raynox 150 (and 250) more for insects, spiders etc.

YMMV, of course.

Click to expand...

I would just add that my favourite combo is Raynox 150 + Panny 45-200mm (my version is nicely sharp even at 200mm). It enables good shots even at a useful distance. Suitable for nervous critters.

Mike

I have used a similar combination quite a lot, Raynox 150 and 250 on Panasonic 45-175. The 45-175 is particularly good with more powerful close-up lenses (such as stacked 150/250 or MSN-202 or even MSN-505) as it does not extend/contract when changing focal length, which means you can change the framing/magnification without moving the camera. That makes it much easier to find small subjects and then zoom in on them than with a camera lens that extends/contracts.

For invertebrates my preference is actually for the 150 on a Panasonic FZ330 bridge camera because I can do almost all I want to without changing to the 250. With the 45-175 (and before that with a 45-200) I had to change between the 150 and 250 more often than was convenient, especially as I like to photograph the same subject with widely different magnifications - whole body, in its environment (at two or three different magnifications) and (less often ) closer in on the head.

rolandb · Dec 8, 2018

jeffharris said:
rolandb said:

johnpatrickbishop said:

These photos suggest you could get some great images with a macro lens! Great photos.

Click to expand...

Thanks John,,

Someone did suggest the 30mm f2.8 macro lens to me,, but would need to investigate further to see if its the right one for me.

Click to expand...

If you’re shooting bugs, you’ll find 30mm won’t give you enough reach. You’ll be more likely to struggle with your own shadow interfering with photo taking. A 30mm I’d think would be better for product, coins, jewelry, etc., than nature stuff.

I started with an adapted 60mm, but found it incredibly frustrating because I was continually scaring bugs (butterflies) away. Bees don’t seem to care. A 105mm worked much better! Then I picked up a 200mm, which is even better for bugs.

Thanks John,

I haven't really done much "bug" macros, I tend to love flowers better and would like to get closer than I have been doing with the compacts.

Going to get more at ease with the GX80 before I finally look at macro lenses. One thing at a time eh,,

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

GX80 Question Please ( Macro )

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