Getting up close & personal

For a long time I had a problem with the terms “macro” & “micro.”

Especially in Economics. Not among my favorite subjects back in college hehe.

In photography, it’s far easier to understand them. That’s simply because the terms “macro” and “micro” are loosely used interchangeably and refer to the same thing: taking extreme close up photos of tiny subjects – tiny objects, insects, bugs or butterflies – using a dedicated true macro lens.

Nowadays, it’s common for most cameras to be able to get close up shots of small subjects. And, as a marketing ploy, camera manufacturers write “macro” in their lenses which can take close up photos.

And therein lies the confusion. For there is such a thing as  “true” and “real” macro lenses. True macro lenses allow one to take photos on a 1:1 ratio and even larger (note that you can fit and shoot the whole San Juanico Bridge and the head of a dragonfly in your camera sensor but the bridge would be extremely compressed while that of the dragonfly would be magnified).

Photos taken by true macro lenses, by design and manufacture, are very much sharper and show the tiniest details of the subject (e.g. cell patterns of the eyes of a bee or dragonfly) compared to those taken by normal lenses.

I do not have a true macro lens (yet! paging Santa!) but some of my lenses allow me to get close, real close up shots

• All photos taken using a Canon EF-S 10-22mm ultrawide(!) lens fitted with an ED-Digital Wide Converter with Macro 0.5X 77mm.

• Taken at the soon-to-open Paru-parong Bukid Conservation Center in Brgy. Lukay, Babatngon, Leyte. Special thanks to Doc Gil & Helly Asoy!

• View the full gallery and slideshow: http://gerryruiz.callezaragosa.com/p414744370

• Update: Additional photos at http://gerryruiz.callezaragosa.com/p795199861

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~ by gerryruiz on 24 November 2009.