Focus! Focus!

Doing close-ups in the macro mode with the DC-120 requires some patience. There is no auto focus in the macro mode and the control image on the built-in screen provides very little clue as to the correctness of the distance setting. I use a ruler to measure the distance from the camera to the subject, and then take three photos:

• at the measured distance,
• 0.4-0.5" more than the measured distance, and
• 0.4-0.5" less than the measured distance.

This makes sure that one of the photos is sharp. However at the usual 33% reduction, the final results turn out quite comparable.

Here is a table showing 33% reductions of photos taken at four different distance settings (but the same actual distance), compressed to a JPEG that has 50% quality retention factor. They all have been taken just before the sun came over the hills to the east of my house. The image files are about 12 kB each.

Note: to view this page, you really need a monitor capable of displaying thousands of colors, and a 24-bit color setting is is highly recommended.

My conclusion: bracketing the close-up distance may be needed, but is not really necessary. In the field, with no convenient download, one photo set to a distance measured with the ruler is enough (just remember to add about 0.3" to account for the distance of the lens from the most forward surface of the camera).

Copyright © 1997 Krzysztof Kozminski