Hi there. Anyone out there got any idea if thereis anything i can do to my xm2 (gm2) to enable it to film a little closer up to things. If i get to close it blurs. A friend suggested there may be something in the menus that i can dis able that enables closer range shooting. But i cant seem to find it. Will an add on lense help, or do i need a different camera.
thanks,

Michael,

Had the same problem today, it is the macro "thingy" but I do not think the XM2 has this feature.

Would be nice if there is a workaround apart from not getting too close ;)

I can focus my fingerprints holding my finger in front of the lens.. actually inside of the hood, just a cm away from the glass... To get closer I´d need X rays...

Of course you will probably need to do manual focus...

You can get a macro adapter... but I cannot give advice on that, because I´ve never used one.

The GL2/XM2 can, indeed, focus very closely. There is no need for any additional lenses. Use manual focus.

Ken, I use manual focus but sometimes (like yesterday) when i was about 1cm away from a goal net it was blurred. I could not get sharp focus so I cam away a few cms and focus no problem. btw - I had the wide angle lens on. I will try again today and report back.

Guys, guys, you need to get yourselves to your local photo shop and by some close-up adapters. They come in varying strengths: +1, +2, +3 diopters. Ask for 58mm size. Hoya make some - in fact I'm looking at mine right now. You can screw them into each other, so +2 with +3 will give you +5. You can get the camera really close and zoom right into your finger nail (should you so wish...)

Robin

Thanks Robin, why is it though that Ken has said you can do it in manual focus alone?
Have I missed something here?

Oh btw it was the same (yesterday) when I tried to shoot pretty close to the subject (all in manual of course).

<<<-- Originally posted by Alan McCormick : ...why is it though that Ken has said you can do it in manual focus alone? -->>>

Because you can. The minimum focusing distance of the GL2's lens depends on its zoom position. At its widest position it will focus on a subject at a distance of just 3/8". The close-up photo diopters that Robin suggested may provide some magnification but I've never used them on a GL2.

The whole point of using the close up adapters is that you can zoom with them at a closer distance to the subject than without.
The minimum focal distance is normally only about three feet. With the dioptres, it can be under 12 inches.
You can certainly keep things in focus close to the lens normally, but only at the widest setting of the zoom. With the adapters you can really get into close ups - and use the facility of the zoom to get the size picture you need.

Robin

The major advantage of the close-up adapters is that you have some stand-off distance and can light the material. while filling he frame with a small subject.

Canon and Century offer some high quality close-up adapters as well. Canon's model is 250D in 58mm (cat. no. CZ6-2811). A bit pricy, but very high quality glass.

Thanks guys' great advice as normal, I will look out for the adaptors for any specific shoot I may be on in the future ;)

Century is still having a sale on their filters, and you can still get their Series 9 diopters for $50 bucks each. You'll need an adapter ring. This is a good deal -- they retail for over $500 normally. Get the dual element diopters (not drop in).

Thanks everyone. Yea i want to be able to shoot right close up to things like leaves/flowers etc so that they fill the picture, on a full zoom. So that i can pull out for a stunning effect. Yea fredrico i get you in that you can focus close, but the idea is that you can go right in on a subject with lots of details, or even home in on a particular part of the subject. Someone in this forum wanted to zoom right into an eye so just the black centre was visible, and then pull out to reveal the full eye. Maybee difficult, but you get the idea. Thanks everyone again, of to try and find some lenses i think, here in the uk.