Close-up and Macro with the Panasonic Lumix FZ80/82

Considering the fact that the FZ80/82 has a 1200mm EFL lens how good are the results when this is coupled with a close-up/macro lens.

In this article I will show you the options available and some of the results obtained.

The close-up lenses are a set of three #1,#2 and #4 dioptre, the Raynox 150 and the Polaroid 250D lens.

The measurements were with the camera manually focused to the closest focus point on the manual scale to give an indication of the maximum image size.

My test set up to find the subject "field of view" and the lens to subject distance at each focal length tested.

This first chart shows the Raynox 150 lens and the subject field of view (width) with 4:3 aspect ratio and with the lens set to manual focus at the closest focus distance.

The next chart shows the same views with a #1 close-up lens

The next chart shows the same views with a #2 close-up lens

The next chart shows the same views with a #4 close-up lens

The three close-up lenses used for the tests were single element lenses and do suffer from colour fringes (chromatic aberration) and have poor edge definition however they do give a very cost effective way to start close-up photography and allow you to experiment to find out which dioptre would be the most suitable one for your photographic needs.

Remember that the higher the magnification the shallower will be the depth of field.

This makes working with the Raynox 150 and the #4 dioptre lenses quite challenging when using them at their closest working distance. Here the DOF might only be a few milimetres. Techniques like "focus-stacking" might be needed if you want to have a greater depth of field in the image.

This however requires a tripod and some way of advancing the lens nearer to the subject for each plane of focus.

Flash is the preferable light source for this type of photography as it arrests any camera/subject movement during exposure.

If you want to learn more about lenses and close-up lenses my free download is available in the "Downloads Page"

Modifying the DCC6 Dummy Battery Box to Display Battery Status

The standard DCC6 dummy battery box allows external mains powered adaptors or external lithium-ion batteries to be used with the FZ100, FZ150, FZ80/82 cameras.

When used with the original mains power supply then the battery status is largely irrelevant. However, if you have used an external 8.4v Lithium-ion battery pack then it is important to know what charge is remaining in the battery.

The modification here performs that purpose. - Full details on my Electronics for Photographers page