Dumb Macro Question?

[Digital Keeper]

If I got a Macro lens, could I use it as a general walk around lens? I understand that the Macro lens provides you to get more detail at a closer range, but could it be used as a general lens?

Thanks

[abchip]

Yes. Keep in mind macro lenses such as the 60mm or 100mm are at fixed focal length so you "zoom" in and out with your feet. I routinely will use the canon 60mm f 2.8 macro lens for portraits, general shots and of course for macro.

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by Digital Keeper

If I got a Macro lens, could I use it as a general walk around lens? I understand that the Macro lens provides you to get more detail at a closer range, but could it be used as a general lens?

Thanks

Macro lenses are special in that they can focus not only at normal ranges (a few feet to infinity) but also at very very close distances (down to an inch or two)

[daft_biker]

Probably! Yes is an incorrect answer as there are macro lenses that cannot focus on distant objects - Canon's MP-E 65mm for starters but there's tons of old bellows lenses and what not that are macro only macro lenses.

Most folk's idea of a macro lens is something like a 100mm that can focus from infinty down to 1:1. Those can indeed be used as walkaround lenses but a focal length that is good for macro might not be much use for anything else - I find they're usually too long for portraits and too short for wildlife.

[i speak in math]

As others have said, they can be used for other purposes. However, having to focus from 1in to infinity means that often times the focus throw is so long, that it takes longer for a macro lens to focus in other situations. A lens that can only focus to 2 feet will be quick to focus on something at 3 feet. However, a macro that is focused at 1in needs to wind a lot farther to focus on something at 3 feet. Not a problem once you get used to it.