Okay so I got a Canon Powershot S3 IS for my birthday in April this year. And to tell you the truth I really don't know much about it. What is macro? Is it for close ups? Is it a setting ON my camera? Please help I'm confused. I want to do extreme close ups and I'm really confused as to WHAT macro actually is.. Thanks.
2007-12-05 16:48:32 · 3 answers · asked by Flightless Bird 3 in Consumer Electronics ➔ Cameras
Macro shooting is for reproducing images at are at a 1:1 ratio in size (the size of the object matches the the size on the sensor, i.e. if you take a photo of a stamp, the stamp is actually the same size on the sensor, as if you just stuck the stamp on the sensor!) or better.
Some makers define macro at a 1:2 size or better, or the object at half life size on the sensor.
On your S3 IS, there isn't a specific macro mode for that camera, but it will focus as close as 10 centimeters. When you zoom in, it should give you a macro reproduction mode. This is because most cameras give you the highest magnification at the closest focusing distance and at the highest focal length of that lens.
In common language, Macro has come to mean "close-up" but that's not technically accurate, in that you don't actually have to have the camera close up to do a macro shot. In fact, in SLRs, having a lens that can do macro shooting without being close (known as "working distance") is fantastic for many subjects like insects on flowers who would otherwise be scared away by a lens only centimeters from them. Some macro lenses allow a working distance of a couple of feet.
So, from a purely technical aspect, macro is the ability to produce a 1:1 ratio (micro 1:1 or better), but from a point and shoot world, it means the camera is only centimeters from the subject.
2007-12-06 02:18:48 · answer #1 · answered by anthony h 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When all else fails, READ & STUDY the Owner's Manual for your camera.
You might want to consider a couple of books on photography.
"How Digital Photography Works, 2nd. Edition" by Ron White
"The Joy of Digital Photography" by Jeff Wignall
"Hands-On Digital Photography" by George Schaub
These were reviewed in the Dec. 2007 issue of Shutterbug Magazine and are available on-line at shutterbug.com.
2007-12-05 22:27:58 · answer #2 · answered by EDWIN 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Macro is the setting for close-ups.
What do you mean when you say you want "extreme close up" ?
2007-12-05 20:31:42 · answer #3 · answered by deuxiemerideau.110mb.com 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋