I’ve taken a lot of indoor photos with my macro lens, but I’ve never thought of it as my everyday walking-around lens. And I’m not sure why. It may not be as nice or fast as my ‘normal’ 50mm lens, but it’s still a 50mm lens. And it comes with the added bonus of close up capability.

With a recent roll of JCH Streetpan 400 I decided to try the macro as my main lens, using it during walks around the neighborhood.

And it works pretty well. In the right situations. Thanks to the razor thin depth-of-field when doing close-up shots, you usually want a lot of light, and you want a subject that stays still. So if you can shoot on a sunny day with no wind, you’ll have better success.

A black and white photo of a tulip blossom, taken from above.
1/250, f11, Takumar Super Macro Takumar 50/f4
A black and white photo of a line of heart-shaped flowers hanging from a branch.
1/60, f9.5, Takumar Super Macro Takumar 50/f4

Subjects that are unlikely to move are even better. Such as this metal bullfrog or pile of stones.

A black and white photo of a small metal sculpture of a bullfrog.
1/250, f5.6, Takumar Super Macro Takumar 50/f4
A black and white photos of a tall cairn of stones sitting on a rock, with Lake Superior in the background
1/250, f6.7, Takumar Super Macro Takumar 50/f4

All photos from this roll.

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