thomsva Posted February 9, 2010 Share #1 Posted February 9, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) As has been noted the X1 has no real macro as 30cm is not very close with a 35mm equivalent lens. But I have been getting nice results by cropping images taken from 30cm distance. Here is a shot of bananas for your viewing pleasure. Shutter speed 1/30sek, aperture F2.8, ISO160. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/112145-x1-macro/?do=findComment&comment=1219317'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 9, 2010 Posted February 9, 2010 Hi thomsva, Take a look here X1 "macro". I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jsrockit Posted February 9, 2010 Share #2 Posted February 9, 2010 12" is great for a Leica!!! Try that with an M and a standard M lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted February 9, 2010 Share #3 Posted February 9, 2010 There are very many more typical subjects to be shot at 30cm than at 3cm unless you are into puzzle abstract pictures. I have a special macro lens for macro work (non-Leica) and am quite satisfied with the X1 at 30cm plus when traveling. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rawcs Posted February 9, 2010 Share #4 Posted February 9, 2010 Cropping is "digital zoom" the image quality is bound to suffer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sully Posted February 10, 2010 Share #5 Posted February 10, 2010 Could you hold or tape a plus close up lens like an old Elpro to the X 1 for closer picture? Ciao, Sully Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted February 10, 2010 Share #6 Posted February 10, 2010 I think the AF isn't measured through the lens but via a sensor on the body so I'm not sure how that would work. Only thing to do is to try it and see! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted February 14, 2010 Share #7 Posted February 14, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Could you hold or tape a plus close up lens like an old Elpro to the X 1 for closer picture? Ciao, Sully This was taken with my X1 plus an Elpro VIa and an Elpro VIb screwed together , handheld in font of the X1 lens , camera also handheld but supported on a book in front of the subject ... spot metering with spot moved to focus on the winding crown ... manual white balance taken beforehand in very dim light .. minimal post processing in iPhoto. I think it shows that macro photos would be possible with a proper filter adaptor and a matched close up lens. When the light is better and with a tripod , should be able to get some better pix. Cheers dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
barjohn Posted February 14, 2010 Share #8 Posted February 14, 2010 I think the AF isn't measured through the lens but via a sensor on the body so I'm not sure how that would work. Only thing to do is to try it and see! Contrast detect AF is done from the image sensor. That is why the lens is moved in and out so that it can sample images and look for edges in the image in the area specified (center or 11 points) anc compare contrast until it finds maximum contrast hence focus point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted February 14, 2010 Share #9 Posted February 14, 2010 I think the AF isn't measured through the lens but via a sensor on the body so I'm not sure how that would work. Only thing to do is to try it and see! You are probably referring to the focus confirmation light which lights up when correct focus has been found ... and which can be seen via peripheral vision when using a separate finder. But the light does not measure AF as that is TTL off the sensor. dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted February 14, 2010 Share #10 Posted February 14, 2010 When experimenting with the macro focusing mode I've noticed that the lens will focus on a subject closer than the minimum 30cm distance but then it immediately defocuses and the monitor image becomes out of focus. Has anyone else noticed this? Does this imply that maybe the close focusing distance could be improved (made less than 30cm) with a firmware fix? Cheers dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael friedberg Posted February 14, 2010 Share #11 Posted February 14, 2010 Cropping is "digital zoom" the image quality is bound to suffer. I wonder if what you're saying is true but academic. One reason I got an M9 is to crop --sure one could claim that's "digital zooming", but so what? An 18MP image dropped 50% is still a 9MP image --right? And isn't that almost the same as an M8? And I always thought that my M8 had excellent quality. I also never have seen correlation other than at huge enlargement between pixels and quality --that is, my M9 really isn't twice as good in terms of quality images versus the M8, and in fact for normal images I can't tell any difference. I think cropping often can and does make sense, visually. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted February 14, 2010 Share #12 Posted February 14, 2010 But why crop when you can just compose within the viewfinder of the camera and get what you want? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael friedberg Posted February 15, 2010 Share #13 Posted February 15, 2010 But why crop when you can just compose within the viewfinder of the camera and get what you want? Well, let's see: 1. You're taking a macro and with the longer focusing distance the object is too small, and surrounded by extraneous material. You can't get any closer and stay in focus, and you want the final image to be just the object. 2. You're taking a long distance photo and want the object to be most of the final image, but can't get any closer (due to crowds, time, seating barriers, etc.). For example, you want a photo of an ice skater only but can't get on the rink. 3, You're doing street photography with grab shots, and want to exclude something on the side that got into the frame. You don't have time to compose perfectly, and you use cropping for composition. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted February 15, 2010 Share #14 Posted February 15, 2010 I guess my philosophy is different, I'd rather not crop at all. I feel like it is cheating. Maybe I'm too old school in that respect. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomsva Posted February 15, 2010 Author Share #15 Posted February 15, 2010 I often crop my images if it improves the composition. When it comes to "old school" I also used to crop images when I used film and developed the pictures myself. For me an important reason to own a good camera is that I can crop the pictures when needed and still have lots of image quality left. I do agree that cropping is comparable to digital zoom and should when possible be avoided, but sometimes it can save a picture. Also if you want to take a macro picture and don't have a good camera with a macro lens at hand, then one solution is to use the X1 and crop to get close enough. Surely this is not optimal but the results are still very very good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsrockit Posted February 15, 2010 Share #16 Posted February 15, 2010 We could argue that all day... cropping vs. not cropping. Whatever works for you and makes you happy with your images, is what you should do. I'm sure there are some cropped photos in photography's history that I love. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomsva Posted February 15, 2010 Author Share #17 Posted February 15, 2010 Yes, arguing about cropping vs. not is certainly pointless. Here is a few pictures demonstrating the possibilities and limitations. The first pic is uncropped and shows how close it's possible to get without sacrificing image quality. I would not call this "macro", but there is a lot of different kind of closeup pictures that can be taken at this range. The second pic of the ECL82 electron tube is cropped and still of very nice quality even when I enlarge it to fill the whole screen. The third pic, coffee bean + friend, is just to demonstrate a closeup where we are approaching the limits. I think it looks surprisingly good on screen but a huge part of the sensor is left unused. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/112145-x1-macro/?do=findComment&comment=1227054'>More sharing options...
Fokus Posted February 15, 2010 Share #18 Posted February 15, 2010 Yes, arguing about cropping vs. not is certainly pointless. Here is a few pictures demonstrating the possibilities and limitations. The first pic is uncropped and shows how close it's possible to get without sacrificing image quality. I would not call this "macro", but there is a lot of different kind of closeup pictures that can be taken at this range. The second pic of the ECL82 electron tube is cropped and still of very nice quality even when I enlarge it to fill the whole screen. The third pic, coffee bean + friend, is just to demonstrate a closeup where we are approaching the limits. I think it looks surprisingly good on screen but a huge part of the sensor is left unused. Very good pictures, Thomas, well done! I like that stunning image-quality of the X 1. The first picture is full of details, but also still the second one even being cropped. The "coffee-bean and friend" is very funny! Greetings Ralf Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael friedberg Posted February 16, 2010 Share #19 Posted February 16, 2010 I guess my philosophy is different, I'd rather not crop at all. I feel like it is cheating. Maybe I'm too old school in that respect. The king of the "decisive moment" and the perfect photograph without cropping was Henri Cartier-Bresson. Yet arguably his most famous photograph, Behind the Gare St. Lazare, was cropped because a fence got in the way. He had no choice. With respect, so much for "old school". It is the image that counts. And likewise on the X1 the only thing that counts is the image, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted February 16, 2010 Share #20 Posted February 16, 2010 Crop as a last resort. dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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