On Mon, 9 Aug 2004, Anders Hultman wrote: > Exciting with the new lenses. Could someone please explain what the > difference in focal length will mean for macro shots? I fully > understand what difference it makes in regular shooting conditions, > but wouldn't "life size" 1:1 magnification become 1:1 regardless? > What difference does it make then?
100mm gives you a longer working distance, but reduced depth of field. The longer working distance can be really helpful when you are trying to get enough light on the subject (so that the camera or your head isn't shading it). Depth of field is always a challenge with macro photography though, so the little increase from a 50 could probably help. The 16-45/4 has a much closer close focusing distance than advertised by Pentax and I haven't found myself desiring a macro lens since picking it up. I also own the Tamron 90/2.5 (MF) and used to use it a lot with my film cameras, but I hardly use it with the *ist D. It is a heavy beast though, and the new D-FA lenses look more reasonable. alex
