Hi all...

I just got an Nikon 995 (digital) for proofing and send them to clients before the real shot in LF.... Could anyone suggest what accessories I need to buy in order to shoot Macro (real close).... thanks in advance...(subjects are jeweleries and flowers...)

-- dan n. (dan@egmail.com), April 11, 2002

Answers

The 995 enjoys a reputation as one of the best macro digital cameras available, as did the 990 before it. Check your manual on how to do macro shots.

-- Michael Mahoney (mike.mahoney@nf.sympatico.ca), April 11, 2002.

You'll be better shooting with Polaroid 4x5 film and scanning that. that way you won't have the dreaded "the finished shot doesn't look like the emailed proof you sent us reaction".

-- Ellis Vener Photography (ellis@ellisvener.com), April 11, 2002.

Forgive me if this is wrong, but I'm pretty sure Nikon makes auxillary lenses for this camera.

Bill

-- Bill Marsh (redcloud54@earthlink.net), April 11, 2002.

If memory serves the 995 focused down to about 2cm - how close do you want to get?

-- Wayne DeWitt (wdewitt@snip.net), April 11, 2002.

Dan:

My 950 fills the frame with my watch dial at about an inch or so. Do you want microscope type effects or just close ups?

The 950 has a close up mode -the flower petal- that allows this. There may be accessories for even closer, but they will likely cause unflat field problems.

The 950 works great shooting thru the eyepice of a microscope focused at infinity. The 995 can use a manual shutter speed which is a help. Cheers

-- richard ilomaki (richardjx@hotmail.com), April 11, 2002.

Are you kidding us all?
Do you mean to tell us you bought the Nikon 995 without realising that it focuses to 2cm?
Can't you even be bothered to read the manual?
Anyway, even if this isn't a troll - you'll NEVER be able to get the same 'look' with a large format camera as with the N995, so your proofs won't be very much like the LF version at all.
The longest focal length on the 995 is 32mm; a working distance of only 64mm at 1:1. This means the perspective will be completely different from an LF camera. Even if you fit an 80mm lens to a 5x4, you'll still be nearly 3 times further away from the subject.
You'll also have to divide the LF working aperture number by at least 3 as well, to get the same DoF on the Nikon.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), April 12, 2002.

Scrap that about the perspective above.
Of course, 1:1 on the Nikon covers a much smaller area than on a 5x4. Getting a small, say 25mm, flower head full-frame is actually about a 4:1 reduction on the 6mm x 8mm frame of a digicam; giving a working distance of ~ 150mm. You'd need more than a 1:3 magnification with a 100mm lens on 5x4 to get the same result.
The problem of the vast difference in depth of field between the two cameras remains, and now it's made worse by the differing magnification ratios.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), April 12, 2002.

Thanks all for then answers...

I know that's the perspective and everything won't be the same..the client wanted to compare cost and quality before comitting to digital or stay on traditional...I did recommend to stay on LF but they want it anyway...so I will do my best... Yes I know it's a weird situation..Thanks again....

-- dan n. (dan@egmail.com), April 12, 2002.