Similar Subjects With Different Sensors

This article discusses photographing similar subjects with different sensors, and shares a selection of blossom images.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge. To view this article in a variety of other languages click on the Canadian flag in the upper right corner.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 PRO IS Macro with M.Zuiko MC-14 Teleconverter @ 126 mm, efov 252 mm, f/8, 1/30, ISO-400, handheld in-camera focus stacking, subject distance 360 mm

Having just finished producing my recent Handheld Bird Photography eBook, I’ve plunged head first into my next creative project. This is an eBook about my explorations of handheld macro and close-up photography.

Olympus TG-5 @ 18 mm, efov 100 mm, f/4.9, 1/160, ISO-800, microscopic mode

I’ve become increasingly interested in macro and close-up photography over the past number of years.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 60 mm f/2.8 macro with 16mm extension tube, efov 120 mm, f/8, 1/250, ISO-400, handheld in-camera focus stacked, subject distance 290 mm

Back in my full frame days I invested in a dedicated macro lens, but was never able to be successful shooting handheld with it.

OM-D E-M1 Mark III + M.Zuiko 14-150 mm f/4-5.6 II @ 150 mm, efov 300 mm, f/8, 1/320, ISO-2500, cropped to 4135 pixels on the width, subject distance 570 mm

That lens ended up collecting dust much of the time since I needed to use a tripod to have any chance of success. As regular readers know… I’m not skewed to using tripods.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikkor 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 46mm, efov 124.2mm, f/8, 1/80, ISO-1600, extension tube used

Given its very low usage rate, I probably should have sold that full frame macro lens within the first 18 months of ownership. Live and learn… 🙂

Olympus TG-5 @ 18 mm, efov 100 mm, f/4.9, 1/320, ISO-800, microscopic mode

For the past few days I’ve been spending quite a few hours culling through my photographic archives identifying potential images for this new eBook.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 46mm, efov 123mm, f/5.6, 1/60, ISO-800, extension tubes used

I’ve been quite surprised with the sheer volume of macro and close-up photography that I’ve done over the years. It’s amazing how fast time flies by!

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/8, -0.3 EV, 1/250, ISO-640, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 4309 pixels on the width, subject distance 360 mm

There were a number of occasions while reviewing photographs when I had completely forgotten about capturing specific images.

Olympus TG-5 @ 18 mm, efov 100 mm, f/4.9, 1/400, ISO-320, microscopic mode

As could be expected the bulk of my images for this new eBook will have been captured with my Olympus/OM camera gear.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 60 mm f/2.8 macro, f/8, 1/500, ISO-800, photographed one-handed, subject distance 270 mm

A good cross section of M.Zuiko lenses will be represented in the selected photographs.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS with M.Zuiko MC-14 teleconverter @ 346 mm, efov 692 mm, f/9, -0.7 EV, 1/640, ISO-250, handheld in-camera focus stacking, out-of-camera jpeg with minor adjustments done in the Nik Collection

These include 60 mm and 90 mm macro lenses, as well as a number of zoom lenses like the PRO 12-100 mm, PRO 40-150 mm, 100-400 mm and the 150-600 mm.

Olympus OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 12-100 mm f/2.8 IS PRO, @ 100 mm, efov 200 mm, f/5.6, 1/320, ISO-1600, Hand-held Hi Res Mode

Planned image content areas include blossoms, butterflies, bees and wasps, dragonflies, grasshoppers, flies, and other assorted insects.

Olympus OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 40-150 mm f/2.8 @ 150 mm, efov 300 mm, f/2.8, 1/200, ISO-200, subject distance 700 mm

While our choice of camera gear can definitely impact how we approach macro and close-up photography… the objective of the eBook is simply to showcase a wide range of images to encourage people to investigate this genre of photography.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikkor 30-110 mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 43 mm, efov 116.1 mm, f/5.6, 1/800, ISO-1600, extension tube used

Like me… many photographers find that doing macro and close-up work transports them into a different realm of consciousness.

Olympus OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko PRO 40-150 mm f/2.8 @ 150 mm, efov 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/200, ISO-200, subject distance 765 mm

We are more attuned to the natural world around us. Our eyes find interesting details that we may have just walked past before.

OM-D E-M1X with M.Zuiko 60 mm f/2.8 macro, f/5, 1/30, full frame capture, ISO-200, handheld in-camera focus stacking, subject distance 535 mm

Macro and close-up photography opens up a new way to experience the world around us.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 60 mm f/2.8 macro, f/7.1, 1/200, ISO-200, handheld in-camera focus stacking, subject distance 290 mm

We find small examples of nature’s perfection… some being fleeting in their duration.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko PRO 12-100 mm f/4 IS with Kenko extension tube @ 100 mm, f/5, 1/125, ISO-200, handheld in-camera focus stacking, subject distance 525 mm

Our cameras may have different sensors… but each format has the potential to allow us to experience the subtle beauty of nature.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 60 mm f/2.8 macro, f/6.3, 1/100, ISO-200, handheld in-camera focus stacking, subject distance 295 mm

I hope you’ve enjoyed this small selection of blossom images. Three different sensor sizes were used to capture the photographs in this article.

Technical Note

Photographs were captured handheld using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. All images were created from out-of-camera jpegs or RAW files using my standard process in post. This is the 1,504 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.

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You may be interested in all of the 30 concepts covered in both of these related eBooks. If so, you may want to also consider Finding Visual Expression.

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4 thoughts on “Similar Subjects With Different Sensors”

  1. Beautiful images I especially liked the last shot with the 60mm Tom the colour of it is almost pastel in it’s appearance – stunning. We get such beautiful colours out of the em1-x cameras don’t we?

  2. Great photos, Thomas. Looking forward to seeing your new e-book. Do you have an idea when it will be released? I have also used the Oly 12-40mm f2.8 and 12-100mm f4 lens for handheld closeups of flowers, insects, etc. Great lens and lots of fun.

    1. Hi Robert,

      I’m glad you enjoyed the images.

      The eBook is still in the early stages. Creative approach and basic structure is done. It will likely take another week or two to finalize image selection. Then page by page content along with image selection for each page needs to be done. My best estimate is at least a few more months.

      Tom

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