What are the FZ1s Macro capabilities?
The FZ1s minimum focusing distance depends on the focal distance. In the [Macro] mode, the FZ1s official minimum focusing distance is 5cm at the wide-angle setting but it rapidly rises to about 120cm at the telephoto end. The actual minimum focusing distance is better, between 2cm and 3.5cm at wide angle have been reported (YMMV). Experimentation showed that the shortest focusing distance actually applies up to a focal length of about 99mm (35mm equivalent), which corresponds to approximately 2.8X zoom. At this setting, you get the best chance of filling your frame with the subject while reducing distortions. At this setting and the closest focusing distance I could manage, my FZ1 achieves frame coverage of 25mm (64 pixels/mm) with small pincushion distortion and no vignetting. Not up to the Nikon CoolPix 4500 (17mm frame coverage at half-zoom, giving a distortion-free 133 pixels/mm) but still very decent.
