gary8803

How many of you use a micro 4/3 system for you close up photography and what is you favorite lens?

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I have the 30mm f/2.8 Lumix lens (optically image stabilized). I use it for copying slides, negatives, and prints, and for general copy work. I also use it as a two-person group lens, or a waist-up portrait lens.

The 30mm is the only one of the three lenses I would recommend for use on a copy stand. It yields results similar to the 55mm f/2.8 Micro Nikkor I used in the 1980s for copying flat art, book covers, forms, and more.

The 45mm Leica f/2.8 is really too long for a copy stand, but would be a good portrait lens, due to its full frame 90mm equivalent field of view. It would work for copying art on a wall, and for photographing plants, non-threatening insects, and other small animals, provided the close working distance isn't frightening to them.

The 60mm Olympus f/2.8 is probably the best choice for photographing skittish animals and stinging insects, due to its full frame 120mm equivalent field of view.

One cool thing about mirrorless macro work is the ability to use a vibrationless electronic shutter. Set it on silent, and trip the electronic shutter via WiFi with your smartphone, and you have the ultimate vibration-free macro experience for close-up work.

Remember, Micro 4/3 has a 2x crop factor. So, at 1:1, you are capturing 1/4 the area you would get on full frame! I use that ability to "crop in" on old slides and negatives.

I can get better high-end Epson inkjet prints from slides and black-and-white negatives — by copying them and processing raw files in Lightroom — than I have ever been able to make via any other printing method.

Here's an old photo from 1986, copied from Ilford FP4 35mm film, followed by a Kodachrome sunset from 1978:

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