What about a "macro" lens makes it a macro lens?

[Nhyrum]

Hello good folks! I'm new to photography and am starting out with a Minolta x700. I've currently got a rokkor 70-200 I use for metal bird watching, but I'm looking to get a second lens with a shorter focal length, preferably a short zoom, so I hit up eBay. Looking around the 28-80 range, and have found one that I found that I like, but it's labeled as a macro lens. Would it do well with landscape shots? I'm inclined to say yes, because really all the macro means is it has a really short minimum focal distance? Just want to make sure I don't buy a paper weight

 

[webestang64]

Two good articles here on macro lenses....second even talks a bit about macro use for landscape.

https://www.adorama.com/alc/faq-what-is-a-macro-lens/

What You Can Do with a Macro Lens

Macro lenses are great for macro and close-up photography, but they also make for fantastic all-around photographic lenses for snapshots, portraits, landscapes, and more.

www.bhphotovideo.com

 

[dxqcanada]

A lot of zoom lenses were labeled macro ... they really are not true Macro lenses ... this is just marketing to say, like you mentioned, the lens has a short min focusing distance.

Minolta manual focus lens list

The MD 24-50mm is a nice lens for landscape.

 

[Lez325]

I use my Sony 24mm to 105mm f4 for some Landscapes and as of a week or so back my 24mm f1.4 on a Full Frame body- 28-80mm on a crop sensor is not really wide enough for landscapes in my opinion

24mm on a FF Sony a9

Les

 

[480sparky]

Given the term 'macro' has no legal or industry definition, any lens can be called a macro.. even a fixed-focus one.

Personally, two features would be in my list of requirements to be a 'true' macro lens: 1. the ability to take 1:1 images and 2. a truly flat field curvature.

 

[pendennis]

As 480sparky mentions, a true macro has a flat field design; that is, for close-up photography the lens is evenly sharp from center to edge. The short focal length macros will work fine for landscape work. Landscape work often requires even sharpness out to the edges of view.

With landscape, you still have to be aware of the expansion distortion of wide angle lenses (those shorter than 28mm focal length.

 

[compur]

A "macro zoom" is simply a zoom lens with close focusing capability. It will work fine for landscapes.

 

[Nhyrum]

Thanks all for the input. I went and bought the lens I was thinking of and think it will really work well. We'll see when it gets here and once I burn a roll!

 

[480sparky]

....... A true macro lens has a magnification ratio of 1:1 (or greater), and a minimum focusing distance of around 30cm.

Again, there is no legal or industry standard to support this.

 

[petrochemist]

Again, there is no legal or industry standard to support this.

Not only that but short focusing can be a serious disadvantage for some sorts of macro work. Longer focal length macro lenses are far more useful for shooting insects than short focal length macros. I don't think a 200mm macro lens would focus down to 30cm, but it can produce a lifesize image (1:1). The Nikon 200mm f/4 ED-IF AF Micro-NIKKOR reaches 1:1 with a MFD of 50cm. Sadly such a lens is to pricey for me - I have to make do with a 100mm macro, or just close focusing lenses...

 

[NS: Nikon Shooter]

Not only that but short focusing can be a serious disadvantage for some sorts of macro work. Longer focal length macro lenses are far more useful for shooting insects than short focal length macros. I don't think a 200mm macro lens would focus down to 30cm, but it can produce a lifesize image (1:1). The Nikon 200mm f/4 ED-IF AF Micro-NIKKOR reaches 1:1 with a MFD of 50cm.

+1

I have three: 60mm, 100, and the 200mm.
a 60 that is fix to the copy stand,
100 my favourite in studio,
200 for in the wild.

All may be used with dedicated extension tubes.