OK. If I have a 35mm SLR camera (not digital) and I am using a 50mm macro lens which claims to be able to focus down
to 1:1 in macro mode
According to my calculations this means that I will be able to fill the frame with an object roughly 3cm by 4cm (1.25 inch-1.75inch)
Would this be accurate to say?
If not, could someone clairfy what 1:1 means, or provide the exact dimensions??
Thanks 1:1 is exactly what it implies. If your film is 24x36mm then the actual size of the subject you are photographing will be no larger than that and should fit within those boundary's.
So no, your object is much larger that the 35mm films frame. The object you describe would need to be photographed 1:1 using a 6x4.5(cm) camera and would not fill the negatives space.
It is possible to use virtually any size film and shoot 1:1. One of the assignments at the top photo schools is to do this using the 4x5 view camera. 4x5 1:1 images are quite impressive.
Think of copying a document using a copy machine. That is what you are doing but in three dimensions and with the ability to control the lighting. A 35mm frame is roughly 24mm x 36mm, so that is what you'll be framing at 1:1.
You'll want a tripod, and stop down quite a bit for some decent depth of field. If you fill the vertical of the image frame, you will be shooting at 1:1.25, and there will be some room on the horizontal.
If you fill the horizontal, you will be shooting at a macro ratio of 1:1.11 and you will cut off about 3.3mm of the object. | 