How to determain a camera's macro green zone? (1 Viewer)

I don't know if I put this into the right category so please excuse me if this has nothing to do with camera settings. Back to the question at hand how does one go about finding out what the macro green zone is also known as the "sweet spot" for any given camera?

Never mind found my answer after a couple hours of googling.

JBT, I can't help; but if you find the answer please post back. I know a lot of lenses have a -- for lack of a better term -- sweet f stop. For example if the lens is an f5.6 the best pictures might be taken at f8 (depending on the conditions).

I've read numerous reports where digiscopers are getting their sharpest pictures at the end of this green macro zone and this is what has been referred by some as the "sweet spot." I don't know if this only applies to just digiscoping only. I also don't know if this only applies to certain P&S or if all P&S cameras are their sharpest at the end of the green macro zone.

So far all I've found out is where the green macro zone is on my camera and how to access it. It was quite simple really and probably in the camera's manual now that I think about it. All I had to do is switch my camera over to macro and a flower icon appears on the screen. When the flower is white I'm in the green macro zone. When I zoom out of this zone the flower turns grey.

The green macro zone for my camera is roughly between 24mm-55mm with f-stops between 2.7-4.5. To reach the end of the green macro zone I have to zoom to 2.3x(55mm) and this is where the lens should be the sharpest when digiscoping. I have yet to test it out yet so I don't know for certain if this is true or not for my camera. From what I've read not all cameras are the same when it comes to this. One camera I read about the flower was green instead of white and I'm pretty sure there are a bit more differences then this I just don't know them.

Yes, have heard the Macro zone MAY be sharper for digiscoping but never of any sweet spot within the macro zone nor how to find, nor of the flower changing color. What camera and model?? Anyone else, more info?? Gene

Smithhill said:

Yes, have heard the Macro zone MAY be sharper for digiscoping but never of any sweet spot within the macro zone nor how to find, nor of the flower changing color. What camera and model?? Anyone else, more info?? Gene

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The Nikon P5100 and Nikon P6000 both have this Gene - and yes that is their sweet spot.

Not sure about more modern cameras though.

My camera is a Canon Power Shot Elph 300 HS. The camera also has a yellow bar/line located just under the zoom range icon. As far as I can tell this yellow bar indicates where green macro zone ends because as soon as the zoom reaches this yellow bar the white flower turns gray and isn't highlighted anymore indicating the camera is no longer in green marco.

JBT said:

The green macro zone for my camera is roughly between 24mm-55mm with f-stops between 2.7-4.5. To reach the end of the green macro zone I have to zoom to 2.3x(55mm) and this is where the lens should be the sharpest when digiscoping. I have yet to test it out yet so I don't know for certain if this is true or not for my camera. From what I've read not all cameras are the same when it comes to this. One camera I read about the flower was green instead of white and I'm pretty sure there are a bit more differences then this I just don't know them.

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Hi,

I am intrigued...

Do you mean that the camera optics has the capability of taking sharpest pictures when the camera is turned into macro mode? If so, can you direct me further where to read about this?

I have never used the macro mode when DS. On a Canon powershot S90 my experience of sharpest images is when the zoom between its widest (28mm equivalent, eliminating vignetting on a wide angle DS eyepiece would mean around 35mm equivalent) and somewhere around 2X zoom, meaning ~56mm equivalent, but I haven't tested sharpness using e.g. resolution charts.

/Tord

Sorry Tord I can't recall off hand where I've read this information and I'm by no means qualified to answer any questions about the subject. I'm only going off what others have said I have yet to confirm if one in fact gets the sharpest image while shooting in the macro green zone. This was the reason I started this post to test it out for myself. If I remember correctly I also read that this may not be true with all cameras but I really don't know for sure. Sorry if it came across that I knew more about the subject.

Tord said:

Hi,

I am intrigued...

Do you mean that the camera optics has the capability of taking sharpest pictures when the camera is turned into macro mode? If so, can you direct me further where to read about this?

I have never used the macro mode when DS. On a Canon powershot S90 my experience of sharpest images is when the zoom between its widest (28mm equivalent, eliminating vignetting on a wide angle DS eyepiece would mean around 35mm equivalent) and somewhere around 2X zoom, meaning ~56mm equivalent, but I haven't tested sharpness using e.g. resolution charts.

/Tord

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Testing is the easiest way to see what works and what doesn't.

Digiscope a subject with fine detail - a can or bottle with a label with fine print on is excellent for this.

Try a few different focal lengths, with and without macro. Use the camera's timer, so that any shake will not interfere with the results.