Among my camera lenses that will successfully integrate with my Nikon Df camera body are two “macro” lenses. One lens is a vintage Micro-Nikkor 55mm lens which captures the exact size of the object as you can see in the frame. The other lens is a construction from Hong Kong, a Zhong Yi Mitakon 20mm f/2 lens, meaning that whatever appears in the viewfinder is actually 4.5 times larger than regular size.
Enormous and Gi-normous, I guess.
Using these lenses takes some patience and concentration. But if you can frame the object just right … you can get some amazing photographs with these lenses. Sharp focused objects in the foreground, with swirly sweet bokeh in the back.
Let me give you some examples with photos I took over the weekend.
While shooting fall foliage in Washington County over the weekend, I stopped at a little rest area near Dead Lake. There were some wildflowers in the vicinity … and I had the Nikon macro lens in my car.
Let’s give it a shot, shall we?
First … a couple of tiny daisies, with me holding the camera right along the focal plane of the petals.
That works. In order to get sharpness in the picture, I had to rock my body forward and back until the petals drifted into focus.
Okay. Daisies I can do. Now let’s see what Queen Anne’s Lace looks like with a macro lens, shall we?
Oh look, there’s some little blue-petaled wildflowers. I think these are chicory plants, but I’m not 100% certain on that. Be that as it may … the Micro-Nikkor lens nailed some nice sharpness in the picture.
Okay, now let’s test out the Zhong Yi Mitakon 20mm f/2 lens. Yeah, say that ten times fast.
I’m still growing salt out of one of my “salty mug” projects, so here’s what the salt fissures look like at 4.5 times normal size.
Wow. Sorta looks like the craters of the moon or something.
Saturday afternoon. As I walk out of my house to do some Saturday chores, I notice that there’s a spiderweb on my porch. Man, I could photograph that and …
Well, I’ve got two macro lenses, why DON’T I photograph this bad boy?
First thing – I filled a spritzer bottle with water, and spritzed the spiderweb until little droplets appeared on the fibers.
Then it’s time to bust out the Micro-Nikkor.
Nice. But now what happens if I crank up the size to four and a half times normal?
I popped the Zhong Yi Mitakon lens onto the Nikon Df chassis and…
Guys and gals … that’s a water droplet attached to spiderweb filaments.
I might keep that and the chicory photo for the 2016 short pile if I want to.
Besides … I have some plans for these lenses, which should reach fruition in a couple of months.
Trust me on this. 😀
Chuck The Writer 
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