Wild Flowers and a Macro Lens

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On Tuesday morning I went for a very early (06:30) walk down by Hailes Castle. The sky was blue, the sun was in the sky and the birds were singing - it was one of those 'great-to-be-alive' days.  

 I was there to carry out a recce for a project that I am working on (more on this in the next couple of months) and with so many wild flowers and insects lit by the bright sunshine streaming through the branches, I decided to get the Fujinon 60mm macro out of the bag.


Out of the five Fujinon lenses I have, the 60mm f2.4 is the lens I use the least.  This isn't to say it is a bad lens, it isn't!  It is a superb lens but since I got to 55-200mm zoom I have found myself leaving the 60mm in the bag or back at the office.  However on this morning I reminded myself why I bought this lens and what a great macro performer it is.

 Let's get one thing straight from the start, the 60mm f2.4 isn't a true macro lens. The magnification ratio is 1:2 on the Fujinon and all true macro lenses are 1:1 or better.  BUT it doesn't really matter because not only is the 60mm a great performer in the close focusing stakes, it is also a great portrait and landscape lens as well.

 The 60mm fitted to the X-T1 is a great combination for one reason, the focus assist function on the X-T1 makes manual focusing a doddle.  Because AF can be a liability when working with such a shallow depth of field, manual focus is the best way.  

 The X-T1 EVF can be selected to 'Dual Mode' so you have two screens displayed in the viewfinder. On the left you have what the camera is seeing and on the right there is a smaller screen, showing a magnified version of the focusing area (see below).  

 With this you can immediately see if something is in focus or not -  for me it is one of the biggest plus points of the many the X-T1 has.
Dual Mode Viewfinder - image www.fujifilm.com

 Here are some of the wild flower shots I took on Tuesday morning with the Fujinon XF60mm f2.4R macro fitted to the X-T1.  










All images taken on a Fujifilm X-T1 and Fujinon XF60mm f2.4R

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