Macro & Close-focus solution?

Theninjaseal · Jul 11, 2012

I'm new here so forgive me if I'm not quite in the right section.

About a year ago I got into photography with a Canon Powershot A-series (A620) that my grandmother gave me. I took lots of pictures with it (some-odd 20k) and particularly got into macro photography. I really enjoy taking super-close-up shots of everything, and seeing the little details in things. The camera has a minimum focus range of 0mm - you can focus right up on the lens. That's really nice when photographing, say, the inside of a flower. Or a baseball from only an inch away, etc. etc. etc. I'd rather get right up close to something than to back up and increase focal length. Also, that method results in a much flatter picture, lacking the depth and range that you can get from a super-close up shot.

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, here are some macros taken on my Canon P&S. These specifically are all from situations in which I wouldn't have been able to back up at all, and the subject is less than 2" from the lens.

This week I upgraded to the Lumix GH2 and unfortunately, the minimum focus distance is somewhere around 6 inches. Also, my kit lens has a max focal length of 42mm (35mm eq. 75mm). While I love the camera and I really looked forward to taking up-close macro shots with the improved performance, I can't because of these limitations. So in your opinions, what is the best way to restore this functionality to my camera? Because right now I'm almost feeling like my $750 purchase was a down-grade. I'm open to lenses, diopters, conversions, tubes, etc. But I want (need) auto-focus and exposure capability, and I'm on a bit of a budget.

Thanks,
Jimbo