P3D Re: Tabletops

[SHIELDS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

IMHO, a macro lens will not gain you any DOF compared to using closeup 
lenses. (I do use closeup lenses myself). It _will_ give you better sharpness
in the corners and better _flatness_ of field. And it will do all this at
wider apertures than the closeup lenses. One way to gain DOF is to use a
tele-converter, preferably a top-quality 2X unit (3X cuts light even more
and gives worse sharpness than 2X)--your f/stops are doubled--f/8 becomes
f/16, f/16 becomes f/32, etc. Hard to focus in dim light, but does gain
a lot of DOF. I did a lot of satisfying flat work using _both_ closeup
lenses and a tele-converter. YMMV. FWIW, I'm planning experiments with
a tele-converter and a beamsplitter.

Mark Shields

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