Macro / Close-up with HMC150?

M

MZ_Studio

Member
Hello, I am trying to transition into video from still photography, so please excuse my ignorance....

I am still trying to decide on a camera and I am considering the HMC150.

I want to shoot close-up / macro of items like jewelry, watches, rings and etc. How close can HMC 150 focus? For instance, can I fill the frame with the face of a watch?

With still photography, I use extension tubes to get extreme close up shots. Is there something special for video to get macro shots?

Thanks
Mathew Zucker
 
The HMC150 is great at close-ups, out of all the cameras i have used i think this is the best at that!!! just make sure you take the lens hood of, that's how close it can focus!
 
scsz said:
I am planning on getting the HMC40 and noticed something in the brochure (ftp://ftp.panasonic.com/pub/Panasonic/business/provideo/brochures/AG-HMC40_brochure.pdf) in the specifications. It shows the Minimum shooting distance as 35.43 inches. Does that make any sense?
Click to expand...


I'll give you my best guess....

In making a lens, there are going to be trade-offs made in the design. You can't have a zoom, a macro mode, with sharp focus in every spot, no CA, no barrel (or pin) distortion, AND a low cost. So the designer has to adjust the parameters to get the best results. My guess is that at images closer than 0.9M, this design did badly in some area(s).

If the lens did really badly at distances closer than 0.9M (35.43 inches), best to limit it to the higher quality range, rather than have users become upset with substandard results.

Very likely the work around is to use close up lenses.


Bob Diaz
 
The minimum focusing distance is usually referenced as when at full telephoto. If you zoom all the way in, the closest you could focus would be about 36 inches; the DVX100 was the same way. The 100A and 100B lowered the minimum focus distance to about 1.8 feet or something.

Now, you can focus down to the surface of the lens, but only at full wide-angle. As you zoom in, things closer will go out of focus.

As Bob Diaz says, if you want to focus closer, get some close-up lenses; Hoya makes a cheap 10x that should allow full telephoto magnified focus. I don't know if it's a good lens, but it's one that is available and could be considered.
 
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