m43 Lens Advice Required
Discussion
I currently use an Olympus EM-5.
One style of photography I enjoy is taking fairly close up shots of patterns and textures.
The problem I sometimes have is getting close enough to isolate the details I want from the surroundings.
I normally use the Olympus 45mm f1.8 (35mm equiv. focal length 90mm) which has a minimum focussing distance of 50cm. This means my (35mm equiv.) max. magnification is 0.22x which is not really good enough for this style of photography.
Yesterday evening I rented the Panasonic H-FS 45-200mm F4-5.6 ASPH Mega O.I.S lens for the weekend as I wanted to try getting closer. This lens has a 35mm equiv. focal length of 90mm - 400mm. The minimum focussing distance is 1.0m so (35mm equiv.) max. magnification is 0.38x. This is much better and is allowing me to get a tighter composition but it's still not good enough.
The obvious option is the Panasonic Leica 45mm Macro lens but this would mean having two 45mm lenses and the one I already have is fantastic for low light portraits. I would also prefer to be able to shoot from a slight distance so the macro lens is out (for the moment). I looked at the longer Panasonic 100 - 300mm zoom but due to the longer focussing distance required (1.5m) , it doesn't offer enough of an advantage to justify the extra cost or bulk in my bag over the 45 - 200.
I have seen bits of information online which would suggest that extention tubes can be added to lenses which might assist me. I don't know anything about these so would appreciate any advice or alternative suggestions.
One style of photography I enjoy is taking fairly close up shots of patterns and textures.
The problem I sometimes have is getting close enough to isolate the details I want from the surroundings.
I normally use the Olympus 45mm f1.8 (35mm equiv. focal length 90mm) which has a minimum focussing distance of 50cm. This means my (35mm equiv.) max. magnification is 0.22x which is not really good enough for this style of photography.
Yesterday evening I rented the Panasonic H-FS 45-200mm F4-5.6 ASPH Mega O.I.S lens for the weekend as I wanted to try getting closer. This lens has a 35mm equiv. focal length of 90mm - 400mm. The minimum focussing distance is 1.0m so (35mm equiv.) max. magnification is 0.38x. This is much better and is allowing me to get a tighter composition but it's still not good enough.
The obvious option is the Panasonic Leica 45mm Macro lens but this would mean having two 45mm lenses and the one I already have is fantastic for low light portraits. I would also prefer to be able to shoot from a slight distance so the macro lens is out (for the moment). I looked at the longer Panasonic 100 - 300mm zoom but due to the longer focussing distance required (1.5m) , it doesn't offer enough of an advantage to justify the extra cost or bulk in my bag over the 45 - 200.
I have seen bits of information online which would suggest that extention tubes can be added to lenses which might assist me. I don't know anything about these so would appreciate any advice or alternative suggestions.
NJH said:
ISTR the close up conversion lens Oly do fits the 45mm but I can't recall reading what mag factor that ends up at. Shame you didn't get 12-50 in a kit with that camera as it seems to have a pretty decent macro mode.
I did get the 12-50mm. I had completely forgotten it had a macro mode as I never tried it. 
I would still like a way to shorten the focussing distance on the zoom or extend the focal length.
I would also prefer not to crop but it is not unacceptable for this type of work.,
Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff