I just made the following 2 photos of a CHF 100.00 bill. Both shots were taken with the Canon 5D, 65mm MP-E macro lens and tripod.
The first photo shows it sized 1:1 ...
http://www.pbase.com/daniel_saredi/image/72809756.jpg

... and the second one is sized 5:1 ...
http://www.pbase.com/daniel_saredi/image/72809757.jpg

I am very impressed with this magnification and somehow these bills don't look that tough to copy. :D

Here are two more shots from a Impreza model ...
http://www.pbase.com/daniel_saredi/image/72809759.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/daniel_saredi/image/72809758.jpg

very nice, wasn't imprezed ;) with the car until i saw the second image :o

Cheapskate! You could've done that with a 1000CHF note and gave me something to copy :):)

I'm interested in how you got down to 5:1 magnification. My macro goes 1:1 and I've never managed to get it any closer than that. Did you use extension tubes or bellows or something or does the lens just do this out of the box?

Another unrelated question. whereabouts are you Daniel? I've joined (another) French scooby club and there's talk about a meet later on in the year with some Swiss clubbers from the Valais. If you're in the vicinity...

I'm interested in how you got down to 5:1 magnification.

This lens does it for you. It's a very specialised lens, only really suitable for small subjects, but its sharpness is second to none.

Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x Macro (http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=155&modelid=7325).

Wow! That's kinda special! :thumb:

Here's a good review of what it can (and can't) do: Vivid Light (http://www.vividlight.com/articles/2914.htm).

Hi Frenchie
The Canon 65mm MP-E is the lens I used for the shots of the bill. I have to use the Ring-Flash for 5:1 shots, otherwise there just wont be enough light at 5:1. I have to agree with Daryl that it really is a very specialized lens for very small objects. It is tough to take pictures of whole butterflies since you need to be as close as 10 cm for 1:1 sized pictures to get a sharp result and even as close as 3-5 cm for 5:1 sized photos (it only has manual focus and you adjust it with your body movement). This means that the butterfly simply wont fit in the frame. At 5:1 if you in-/decrease the shooting distance by 1mm to/from the object, it will be completely out of focus. This can make the camera very difficult to operate and you need a good breathing technique. I use this lens very seldom for very specific shots and do much more prefer the Canon 100mm f2.8 (macro lens) for generel insect shots and sometimes portraits. Now you know why I could only shoot a CHF 100.00 bill instead of a CHF 1'000.00. ;) Below, I add another photo where you can see the text that is written on this bill, which you probably wont be able to reas with your eyes alone:
http://www.pbase.com/daniel_saredi/image/72813361.jpg

Unrelated answer: I live in Winterthur and do every now and then check into the www.subaru-community.net forum. I am sure that I will see the Valais-Meeting info on there once the date gets closer.
Greets, Daniel