I recently upgraded to an Olympus OM-D E-M10 camera with a kit lens, but really wanted a macro lens, as that is where my interest lies for my flower subjects. However-  the lenses can be as expensive [ or even more] than the actual camera , so I’ve been trying to justify the outlay.  It’s not as if I’m earning my living from photography – it is only a hobby after all  –  but I can’t help hankering after getting the best pics I can.  Then I remembered my birthday is coming up, so that is my justification for buying it  … there – that’s made me feel better !

The image above is part of my learning process in how to handle this beautiful, neat lens. The thing I like most is its light weight – so good for arthritic hands.  I’d read reviews which were very good, but there were the odd few that mentioned the difficulty of the lens finding its focus. However –  now I’ve tried it out, I think that may be because there are several settings/options to choose from and you need to use the right one for the situation of course.

So – as you can see from the image – ideally it would have been nice to get that main water droplet in sharp focus   – but Lol – let’s pretend that was my intention ! It’s a huge learning curve for me as I need to get my head around choosing and adjusting my camera settings for the best results, which can become stressful and frustrating if I let it. I’ve never been good at maths [ can you be maths dyslexic?] and that hasn’t improved with age I can tell you ….

The instructions that came with my lens, as usual with cameras/lenses these days, is extremely sparse and unhelpful. So I’ve had to search on line again for help. I managed to find really clear info about the lens settings and what to use for what, so I’m truly grateful for that.

This image is slightly more successful I think.  I did a crop on both pics, and they seem to have survived that quite well.  I’m looking forward to more practise and creativity –  maybe outdoors – although it seems a tripod is essential. That’s ok in my little garden, but not practical for me if I go out and about.

I would truly appreciate any helpful suggestions or to hear of your own learning experiences  – also, if this site will let you – feel free to show your own macro pics.

bye for now,   Eileen