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Need help with GF1 macro

E

Evy

Guest
Hello, can anybody please help me. I am interested in doing macro photography and would like to attach my Panasonic 45-200mm and my Panny 20mm 1.7f to my GF1 in order to create a macro lens. What will I need for step-up/down and reverse rings to do this? Also can you please advise as to what type of twin flash I can use for my lenses? Last question, do I need an EVF to do macro work? I know I can't use both the flash and the EVF on a GF1, so I'm not so sure I can accomplish what I want :confused:

Appreciate your help; I'm a newbie in photography, and this is also my first post :)
 

photoSmart42

New member
Hello, can anybody please help me. I am interested in doing macro photography and would like to attach my Panasonic 45-200mm and my Panny 20mm 1.7f to my GF1 in order to create a macro lens. What will I need for step-up/down and reverse rings to do this?
In order to reverse mount your 20 to the 45-200, you'll want a couple of adapter rings and a reversing ring in between that has a male-male thread. You'll want to set the aperture on your 20 first on the body, then detach the lens while still powered to lock that aperture in place. The downside of doing all that is you'll end up losing some of the excellent IQ of your 20 by feeding it through the 45-200, which isn't as good of a lens.

An alternative is to buy a reversing adapter for your 20 and attach it directly to the GF1 body. It would give you a much more compact setup and still end up with about 1.4:1 magnification. If you want more magnification, you can add some m4/3 extension tubes.

A third alternative would be to buy a close-up lens like the Raynox DCR-250 and put it directly on your 45-200.

A fourth alternative would be to buy a cheap dedicated macro lens and adapt it to your GF2 with the appropriate adapter.

Also can you please advise as to what type of twin flash I can use for my lenses?
No need to use fancy twin flash units. Any on- or off-camera flash, preferably with a diffuser, will work fine. You can use it either in manual mode or spend a lot more money and get a TTL flash you can use with the chord. Try spending some time on the Strobist website to get some tips on lighting. You can also buy some cheap LED light rings off eBay to add light.

Last question, do I need an EVF to do macro work?
Nothing magical about the EVF other than it provides more stability by virtue of forcing you to be attached to the camera as you look through it. An EVF will allow you to take shots at slightly lower shutter speeds than looking through the LCD. You can find other ways to achieve stability such as using a tripod, monopod, or any nearby support like a walking stick. Bodies like the G and GH series are a bit better at field macro shots for that reason, but plenty of people take great macro shots with their GFs. It's just not its strength.

Hope this helps. Good luck!
 
For best quality results, there are some nice old fully manual macro lenses on the used market that can be mounted to your GF1 via an adaptor. My father has a Canon FD 50mm f3.5 macro lens which is beautifully sharp and captures amazing detail. Other brands like Nikon, Pentax and Olympus would have similar offerings in their 'older lens' systems.
 

bennettk

New member
Echoing the warrior (great name), I have an old Tamron 90mm macro lens from my Canon FD kit that works on my GF-1 with an inexpensive FD-m4/3 adapter. Tamron sold about a billion of those things, so I expect they'd be available for not much money these days.
 

pcb_dpi

New member
In general, the 50-55mm legacy macro lenses are the cheapest, especially lenses in "orphaned" lensmounts. You can spend as little as US$40-$50 for some very nice 50-55/3.5 macro lenses. Most only focus 1:2, so you'll still need ext. tubes to reach 1:1. Konica and Canon are cheapish, Olympus is climbing and clean Nikkors cost most.

There are fewer 50-55/2.8 macro choices, and they usually cost a bit more. $75+ at the bottom, but folks are paying $200+ for clean Nikkor 55/2.8 AIS Micros.

Once you get to 90-100mm macros, prices start to climb significantly. And though Tamron/Tokina/Kiron/Vivitar probably made/bought a bunch of 90mm macro lenses, these long macros have attained semi-cult status and can bring some serious money. They are considered sharp with great bokeh, the Tokina dubbed "Bokina" in some circles for the supposedly scrumptious bokeh. Figure $150-$300/+ if sellers know what they've got. The Kiron-made Lester Dine dental outfits usually go real high.

Naturally anything Leica or Zeiss will be significantly higher yet.


I have an old Tamron 90mm macro lens from my Canon FD kit that works on my GF-1 with an inexpensive FD-m4/3 adapter. Tamron sold about a billion of those things, so I expect they'd be available for not much money these days.
 
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