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- Sep 25, 2017
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- 248
All you need is to do the maths (I used DOFMaster)... at the end of the day i just need a camera that can get me close with great DOF... i thought LF might be the way to go but some other folks arent so sure...
Using the equivalent focal lengths for each format:
- A 4x5 camera, with a focal length of 90mm, an aperture of f/1.8, at 30cm from your subject, you get a DOF of 0.28cm.
- A 35mm full frame camera, with a focal length of 28mm, an aperture of f/1.8, at 30cm from your subject, you get a DOF of 1.08cm.
- An iPhone 7, with a focal length of 4.3mm, an aperture of f/1.8, at 30cm from your subject, you get a DOF of 6.93cm.
I watched a nature documentary a while back and they were filming ants in their nests. There were some amazing shots of an ant virtually filling the frame, but with the background almost, if not completely, sharp. They showed how they achieved that - they used iPhone chips on the end of long thin arms to get close to the nest without overshadowing by the "camera".
Don't forget, to achieve 1:1 reproduction ratio, a 2cm subject will only occupy 2cm of a sheet of film that is 10cm x 12.5cm. To make it fill the frame, you would need a reproduction ratio of 5:1, which would require a humongous bellows extension compared to focal length. For a 90mm lens, you would need a bellows extension of 540mm! I can only just achieve that with my Ebony SV45Te. And then there's the need for either a lot more illumination or much longer exposure times. I know this because I've actually tried it.
For 1:1, of smaller objects, you might as well use a high spec, full frame, digital SLR; better depth of field and almost the same resolution in pixels per sq.mm (given that you would scan a sheet of 5x4)
You mention larger prints. With my Nikon D810 (36Mpx), I can easily get an A2 print without the need for interpolation software - A0 using something like Genuine Fractals. Don't forget, larger prints tend to be viewed at longer distances, thus what might seem "soft" at "reading distance" will appear perfectly sharp at 2 metres away.
As Paul says, honestly, if you want to do macro, don't look at LF. Instead, look for the best spec smartphone camera you can find
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