And Now Something For The Short-Sighted

Relax. No need to bristle up at that heading. I'm one of the short-sighted myself...in more ways than one. Firstly I wear spectacles to correct vision, secondly, I love shooting close-ups and macro subjects, and thirdly, I can never seem to plan ahead... Had I not had the last character trait I might have chosen my working digital camera system differently - but then as photographers we often cannot know what will engage our interest or passion in years to come. Lots of people have started out in one photographic place and ended up in quite a different one. I was drawn to this looking at two stands at the PhotoLive Expo 2022 this year; the Laowa lens table and the Olympus OM display. Had I no camera equipment at all now and a world to choose from, I might be tempted to meet my needs with equipment from these two firms. Laowa first- they are a specialist lens maker who have produced some very unusual lenses for the new digital cameras - particularly for mirror-less systems. I can see wide-angle lenses, tilt-shift lenses, and macro lenses in the line-up at their table. The very unusual periscopic lens that they make for macro work is probably unique - it would be the only chance for some subjects that are very small, hidden, or with artificial perspectives. I could use one in my model aircraft museum to give a spectator's-eye view of the halls while keeping the camera body outside of the structure. I also asked about a pancake 10mm Laowa lens for a number of mounts that will be entering the market shortly - I can't afford the periscope but I look forward to getting the pancake. What to put it on? I'll be using my current system; Fujifilm. However, were I starting tabletop and close-focus again I would seriously consider the Olympus OM Micro 4/3 cameras. The reduced sensor size means more depth of field for these tiny areas and there is the option for focus stacking in-camera with the more advanced bodies. The sensor results are all that could be wanted for macro subjects. The lighting problem for these tiny glimpses is another subject, but there are ring-lights, light pipes, and LED panels and elements to explore. A number of accessory makers are always coming up with variations on these and you can light nearly anything without burning it up.