Versatility

When I ordered the 60mm macro lens in January, I was thinking small… as in, taking close-up pictures of small things. It turns out that the lens is a lot more versatile than I would have given it credit for. Twice in the past month, I’ve taken it directly from close-ups to far-aways, and have been so happy with the results.

The first time was in Jackson Hole (was that really only a month ago?), when I wandered away from the group and started shooting the reflections in dew drops. For those, I was on my stomach on the ground, the camera within 3 inches of grass blades.

Mountains reflected in the dew drop

While I was busy fussing over dew drops, a very loud bird caught my attention. I followed the noise and found a magpie up on the roof of a barn. I didn’t know what it was at the time, only that the black and white of the bird – and the gray of the barn roof – looked great against the blue sky background. I decided not to change out the lens, and the 60mm came through for me.

Magpie

Fast forward to today. I was in the butterfly garden at the Cayuga Nature Center, focusing on – you guessed it – a butterfly. Again, within just a few inches.

Butterfly (a fritillary of some sort)

I realized that a young girl nearby was moving in on a viceroy butterfly… so I quickly re-focused, the viceroy started to take off, and I hit the shutter. Once again, I was delighted with the results.

Catching a butterfly

I’ve only been using the 60mm when I have macro in mind – which, granted, is most of the time – but I may think about pulling it out a little more often.