balobo@xxxxxxxx writes: > Can a macro lens be used as a normal lens? Can I take a photo of a duck > on a pond or a tree 50 yards away? Are there any limitations to a "macro" > lens/ They'll focus to infinity, yes. (Well, normal ones; you're unlikely to stumble onto a barrel lens, intended for use only on a bellows, by accident.) Lots of people use them for general-purpose work, including portraits. For many portraits, they're really too sharp :-). Because of the long range they focus over, they often focus slowly, which could be a drawback in some situations. Some of them have various kinds of "limit switches" so you can restrict the range the focus can hunt through, to speed things up (this is useful both in actual macro work, where you exclude infinity and neighbors, and conventional work, where you exclude the other end). And they're often slower than conventional lenses in the same focal length, usually only about a stop, which can be an issue in some circumstances. But yeah, you can use them for ordinary photography pretty well. -- David Dyer-Bennet, <mailto:dd-b@xxxxxxxx>, <http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/> RKBA: <http://www.dd-b.net/carry/> Pics: <http://dd-b.lighthunters.net/> <http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/> Dragaera/Steven Brust: <http://dragaera.info/>
