macro focus better with adapter?

[rckmtl]

I just got my 1st digital camera! due to lack of funds, I had to go with one that I hadn't heard recomended by anyone, but so far I am very happy with it.
I got a Minolta Konica Dimage z10. Its got 8x optical zoom and lets me play with the shutter and aperture speeds and all that.

I have a question about the macro minumum focusing distance though.

The specs at the store said it will focus as close as 1 cm/.4in from the lens(3.1cm from the ccd) and thats part of the reason I went with it. but the I get home, open up the instr's and see this chart;

(all dist. mesured from the ccd)
Wide angle postion:8-107cm
26.5-30.8mm:107cm-237cm
telephoto postion:67cm-207cm

So, I am not positive, but it looks like the camera need to be in wide angle pos. to get the closest to the subject. the instr's had this to say about wide angle;
"This cam. is compatable with the optional wide angle converter. This .7x wide-angle converter reduces the focal lenght of the zoom lens' wide angle postion giving it the equivelent of a 26mm lens on a 35mm camera"

Does this mean that if I want to get really psycho macro's that I need a wide angle converter? or is the wide-angle just for doing landscapes and such?

[Travis]

I think the wide-angle converter would be a step in the wrong direction.

Lots of cameras do that with the macro nowadays, kinda deceptive if you ask me.

You should try a diopter such as the canon 250D, those will allow you to focus from closer in the telephoto range.

T

[rckmtl]

Hey! You just saved me a lot of time.

My camera actually has a built in Diopter. I am just starting to learn about photography however, and I did not have a clue what a Diopter was or what it did.(and the instr's did not say word one about it) I had been planning on spending a lot of time figuring out what it was.

I tried taking some shots throught the diopter and I was able to get pretty clear focus in macro mode while being -right- on top of the subject. Like 1/4in or less. Before I could only get clear focus from a couple inches away. Also, I was able to zoom in a bit further, even while being so close.

I was going to post some pics of the diff, but I need to find my tripod first. Can't hold the camera still enough to get a sharp picture while being that close.

Thank you for the info. I'm going to have a lot of fun with this camera.

[Travis]

Very cool, though I'm honestly puzzled how a camera can have a built-in diopter... you're not talking about dioptric adjustment are you? That's a different ball game...

[rckmtl]

I dunno, I could be. I am not entirely familar with some of the terminology yet.

I was just quoting what the instructions said, which is "The viewfinder has a built in diopter"

but your question made me curious, so I looked online for info about it, but all any of the review sites say is that "the camera has a diopter-adjustment knob" and then this "The Z10's EVF (electronic viewfinder) is quite unique, most other cameras use a tiny color LCD monitor in the eye piece for display. The Z10 employs a shutter-mirror that closes over the 1.5-inch color LCD and redirects the image up to the eye level finder. It has full dioptric adjustment and 98% field of view coverage."

So the reviews make it sound different then what the instructions say. Maybe the instructions got mis-worded??

[Travis]

The wording is a little confusing, but in the end what you have is a dioptric adjustment feature. What that means is, you can adjust the viewfinder to conform to some less than perfect vision on the part of the photographer.

Doesn't do anything for close-ups... sorry.

T

[rckmtl]

Doh! Oh well, I can get more than close enough for now.

Thank you for the help and the speedy replies!