BRONICA GS1 110 MACRO

I'm spending these cold shut in day fooling around with idea of shooting some indoor macro photo's.
I have the Bronica GS1 110 macro and cannot get closer than about 2 feet for focus. What am I missing?
Thanks in advance.
Bruce

Bruce Osgood said:

What am I missing?

Click to expand...

Maybe the GS1 S-18 or S-36mm Extension Tubes =
Manification values : S-18 0.17 - 0.42x , S-36 0.33 - 0.58 x
If you need to go closer you have to go for the bellows.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/FrameWork/charts/comp_bronicamed_5.html

macfred said:

Maybe the GS1 S-18 or S-36mm Extension Tubes =
Manification values : S-18 0.17 - 0.42x , S-36 0.33 - 0.58 x
If you need to go closer you have to go for the bellows.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/FrameWork/charts/comp_bronicamed_5.html

Click to expand...

Thank you,
I thought using a macro lens would not need Extention Tubes.

Bruce Osgood said:

Thank you,
I thought using a macro lens would not need Extention Tubes.

Click to expand...

That is interesting -- in the SQ stuff PS series, there were two 110mm macros -- an early one, the f/4 went to 1:4 magnification. There was then a 110mm f/4.5 that went to 1:1. I have one of those for my SQ(-A) system, and yes, it can crank right down from infinity to about 0.37m for a 1:1 image without any extension tubes. It sounds like that perhaps later design never made it to the GS before the whole business withered. A 1999 Bronica Catalog shows minimum focus 0.66m, 1:4 for the GS 110mm. Too bad.

The 1:1 PS version actually says MACRO (1:1) on the lens, so I guess they were proud of it!

The reference to "macro" is as likely to refer to its flat field performance and optimization for close distances as it is to its (very) close focus capabilities.
To draw a parallel, I can obtain higher magnifications with my unadorned 65mm lens on my Mamiya RB67 than with my unadorned 140mm macro lens on my Mamiya RB67.
But when I add an extension tube to the 140mm macro, I get higher magnifications, better flat field performance and optimized higher magnification performance in the results.