Using Macro on Lumix FZ50

Hi,

When my camera is set to AF Maco (slide button on the left side) does that override the mode setting on the top round dial? If not, which works better with macro - aperture priority or shutter priority? Or does it depend on the particular situation? My photos often come out ever so slightly blurred. It's frustrating. 

G'day Mortie

There is no direct connection between the mode dial on the top & the focus selector on the side of the lens barrel. The mode dial sets the P-A-S-M mode (plus others) - and with the FZ50 in Aperture mode you can maximise the resulting DoF (the min aperture is F11)

The AF / Macro / MF button on the side of the lens barrel is your selector for how you want the zoom lens to work. Normal stuff has the button in the AF spot - and the camera will focus from infinity down to 6-ft / 2m when at max zoom or 1-ft / 30cm when at min zoom. =IF= you want to go closer than 1-ft / 30cm, you select the 'macro' focus button and you can now come down to 1cm but only at the wide-zoom setting

The AF / macro-focus selector is mostly designed to assist qwik focussing at a distance over 6-ft / 2m for your everyday photography

The big problem with ALL macro stuff is that you can get so close to the subject that the lens itself either casts a shadow over the subject, or bumps the leaf / twig that the subject is sitting on. This is where a dSLR with a 100-150mm macro lens works as that lens is designed to give good results from a distance away from the subject.

You (and I) can achieve the same result via the use of a screw-in "Close-Up Lens" that goes onto the filter ring at the front of the main lens. The one I use is the 'Canon 250D' for about $us90. It locks the focus distance at about 10-inches, and then you still have the full 12x zoom available to set the image size. I also use "A" mode with aperture at F8 or F11 for best results

Hope this helps
Phil from the great land Downunder
www.flickr.com/photos/ozzie_traveller/sets/