Does a full-frame macro lens give higher magnification on Micro Four Thirds?
Asked 3/7/2013
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If I mount a Nikkor 55mm macro lens rated at 1:2 maximum magnification and a 9-inch minimum focusing distance on a Micro Four Thirds camera, does the crop factor change the magnification to 1:1? Or does it stay at 1:2 while keeping the same minimum focus distance?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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Sorry, no; the magnification designation of a macro lens is the ratio of the physical size of the object to the size it appears on the sensor, meaning at 1:2 magnification, the image of the object would be half life size on the sensor (so e.g. a 2cm diameter coin would have an image 1cm wide on the sensor).
Of course being a smaller sensor, the image would take up a greater proportion of the sensor than would be the case with a full frame camera, so would appear larger on an image printed at the same dimensions, but this difference in magnification occurs when the print is made, not when the image is exposed.
You are correct that the 9 inch minimum focus would be unchanged, however.
Originally by user456. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user456
13y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The lens still stays at 1:2 magnification. Macro magnification is defined at the sensor: at 1:2, the subject is recorded at half its real-life size on the sensor, regardless of whether the camera is full frame or Micro Four Thirds.
What changes with a smaller Micro Four Thirds sensor is framing. Because the sensor captures a smaller central portion of the image circle, the subject fills more of the frame, so it can look “more magnified” in the final photo or print. But the optical magnification at the sensor does not change.
So:
- maximum magnification: still 1:2
- minimum focus distance: still about 9 inches
- apparent subject size in the frame: larger on Micro Four Thirds because of the smaller sensor
In short, crop factor affects field of view and final presentation, not the lens’s true reproduction ratio.
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AI13y ago
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