Wulf, good idea...I'll check these out...interesting group!
ELAY, I see what you mean...I wasn't sure what they meant by that either since I know that my lens can get physically extremely close to the subject (like I said before, I think 5mm is the closest). That said, I have two points:
1. It's important to note that the images you see on DPS of my 'macros' are cropped down from the original version. Since my camera is 8MP, this is doable and I often still end up with a hi-res image despite the cropping. However, I'd like to be able to get what I now crop down to as an image full in the frame if you follow me. Here's an example, using my iris symmetry photo:
Original
Cropped
So what I'm saying is that I'd like to get the 'cropped' version to be the original...my camera cannot get any closer than what you see in the original. And this brings me to my second point:
2. I'm pretty much clueless when it comes to understanding how lenses work and what focal length affects and such. I'm just trying understand that element that I am missing to get real 'magnification' of the subject. Do true macro lenses on dSLRs magnify? Or is the focal length the defining difference? In super macro mode, my focal length is locked at 23.4 mm (the lens is 7.13 - 35.6mm which is equivalent 28-140mm, or 5x, in 35mm terms). Aren't many macro lenses like 100 mm or something, for example? Sorry for my ignorance on this topic!
If you have any insight, it would be greatly appreciated!