Technically yes. More MFD gives you more working distance (the distance between your camera and the subject). It also prevents your lens from blocking light source.

You have the correct idea of achieving 1:1 magnification too, but I don't think most of us use 1:1 frequently.

That being said, more MFD means longer focal distance. Longer focal distance also makes the lens heavier, bigger, a lot more expensive (just compare Canon 100mm and 180mm then you know) and sometimes harder to use since the focal length is longer and more prone to hand shake.

easy question. check the focal length.

One is 90mm and one is 55mm.

Generally a wider angle lens will always have shorter MFD compared to a longer focal length lens. For example a 10mm lens might has 10cm MFD and a 200mm lens has 100cm MFD but they aren't that much difference in magnification

This post has been edited by mingyuyu: Oct 5 2014, 08:06 PM

my bad, i corrected my reply.
there's a lot of lens that can focus nearer than macro lens, typically wide angle lens.

for example my oly 12-40mm at 40mm can focus like 20cm from the subject at MFD to get 0.6x magnification, but the canon 100mm's MFD is at 30cm for 1x magnification.

small MFD doesn't mean high magnification.

the logic is still the same no matter how it doesn't make sense to you, any lens that has high magnification can be considered as macro lens already, like 0.5x magnification for the Fujifilm 60mm and it's still a macro lens.

higher focal length is the thing that caused further minimum focal distance. you have to read articles around google for super detailed explaination if you still don't understand.