dSLR People - Question About Macro Lenses

[Twitch1977]

I hope this is the proper forum to ask this, I posted it on Stevesforum and didn't get a response, hopefully someone here can help me out. :)

Currently I have a Panasonic FZ30 camera and I use Close-Up filters to shoot macros. (Nikon 4t and Raynox DCR250). I pretty much just use the camera for macros but lately with the help of a photography course I'm becoming more interested in other photography as well so I've been thinking of trading in the FZ30 camera for a Rebel XTi.

Macros are still the element of photography that I enjoy the most. I won't have an enormous lens budget especially right away but I am willing to invest some money to get good macros. My question is what kind of macro lens do I need to get pictures at the magnification I was getting with my previous setup? Everyone says a true macro lens will give me a lot sharper pictures than a zoom+close-up filter.

Anyways here is a link to a couple of pictures I took with my Panasonic setup that demonstrates the level of detail I was able to capture.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/38901255
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/37158289

That's the level of detail I would consider a minimum from whatever macro lens I had, and ideally I'd like as much as possible. So basically I'm just wondering if anyone could recommend a lens to me that can achieve that or more and also if you could let me know how close the macro lens needs to be to the target to get pictures I would appreciate it as well. Most insects won't tolerate a lens bumping their nose, with the Raynox DCR250 I was about 3 inches back.

Last night at our photography course the instructor had a canon macro lens with an extension tube on a camera he passed around and the magnification was no where near what I'm achieving with my close-up filter setup. Another guy had a reversed 50mm lens on a camera that was passed around, and that was closer but the depth of field was less than the close-up filter. (At least it seemed to be, I wasn't able to compare them side by side.)

Anyways if someone can help I'd really appreciate it. The XTi sounds like a great camera and with my interest in photography growing I think I'd be best off making the jump to a dSLR, but macros are by far my favorite area of photography and I'd hate to be taking a step back in magnification.

Thanks
Kurt

[WalnutCrunch]

There are 2 main issues with macro photography... the lens' minimum focus distance and depth of field.

Generally speaking, a p&s is better for macro photography because of its smaller sensor. At a quick glance, your Panny has a sensor that's 3x smaller than the sensor on the xti. This means the Panny has 3x the crop factor as the typical dSLR. That basically gives it 3x the magnification of the xti. The Panny can get away with using a shorter focal length and being further away from the subject to achieve the same field of view as a dSLR. The shorter focal length and further distance give you a larger depth of field.

To think of it another way, a 1:1 macro shot of an ant might fill the frame on your Panny, but it'll only take up 1/3 of the frame on the xti. Therefore, you need a longer lense and get closer with the xti to fill the frame, both of these will decrease depth of field quite significantly.

Not sure if this makes any sense at all. But generally it is easier and cheaper to do macro photography with a p&s simply because of the magnication advantage from the smaller sensor.

[CameraBill]

To improve on your shots you'ld have to get a dedicated macro lens which cost close to what you'ld get for your FZ30. Keep the panny, get the DSLR and consider the FZ30 as another lens and not a duplicate body. Tote it around as part of your kit and when you need the huge reach the panny will be there for you. Superzoom lenses on SLRs are not cheap and none of them come close to being as versitile at the tele end of the panny

I've got a prosumer (Nikon 5400) too which I tote along with my kit because I don't have any lenses which get as wide. I regard it as my wide angle lens. Mine too has a swivel LCD so I can still compose with it against the wall, on the ground or up on the tripod held high above my head. It retains it's worth because it opens up more creative possibilities for a shot that I can't do with my SLR.

Granted my prosumer doesn't weigh 2 lbs.