Up Close And Personal

I am often asked in the shop what the difference is between macro, micro, and close-up. The answer is a complex mathematical formula that means you get to peer into flowers and annoy the bugs who are going about their legal business in there. Shame on you.

Okay, there is the business of reproduction ratios, flat-field focussing, and special colour correction, but in the end it all adds up to whatever you are trying to take a picture of is in danger of being out of focus and badly lit. The whole science of macromicrocloseupology is designed to defeat this.

At Camera Electronic, we are dedicated to overcoming your problems - as well as overcoming your sales resistance. Sometimes the two aims coincide. In the case of the small world of macro we have two new products that may help.

Saul has secured some new Tokina 35mm f:2.8 macro lenses for Canon and Nikon mounts. This may seem a strange choice of focal length as it leaves little room between the lens and the subject for light to drop in - but it may well be a brilliant solution for those who need a 35mm focal length that goes just a little closer than the average 30 cm. It may be a blessing for those people who want to do small model photography.

For other workers, a new supply of JJC macro focussing rails has arrived. These work in two planes - side to side as well as fore to aft so that you can position your macro rig with the sort of precision that is just not yielded by the average tripod. JJC products are in at a very good price point too, so any macro worker can afford them.

The same goes for the JJC LED ring light. We've mentioned this one before, but at $ 149 it should be in the field pack of any  bug or flower photographer.

Final note - I am trying a new stacking procedure with tabletop closeups in my own studio. Success or failure, I'll tell you, but it might be a clever way to solve some of the DOF problem. Don't let that stop you from coming into the shop and spending money, though.