Giant Indian Mantis [2]

[Warby]

The mantis and his appetite just keep growing. He has now shed twice since we got him about a month ago.

At first he seemed quite wary when taking prey, but now he attacks with such confidence that it's all over in seconds and the size of the critters that he is willing to take is increasing disproportionately to his growth.

http://www.8frerichs.freeserve.co.uk/CRW_0702.jpg

http://www.8frerichs.freeserve.co.uk/CRW_0710.jpg

These really are great fun to watch and very easy to keep. I think I may soon be in touch with Macro Junkie for one of his young flower mantis.

Paul

[macro junkie]

your pics are great///that last one..WOW its almost 3D.the cricket stands out a mile.theres so much detail it looks stacked!.thats a great shot..what rig did u use and settings..?and the coulour..yellow is bril..what is that,flower?

[Warby]

Thanks MJ. It's great to receive comments from somebody who's photographs inspired me to go out and buy the mantis to practice my macro photography.

The rig is this:

http://www.8frerichs.freeserve.co.uk/IMG_3079.jpg

An old D60, a Canon 100mm 2.8, a set of Jessops extension Tubes, a Manfrotto 330 bracket, a pair of 550EX speedlights with Stofen diffusers and a ST-E2 to trigger them.

The settings for this shot were f11.0, 1/125sec, iso100. Shot with one of the extension rings - can't remember what size. I started with all three, but found that this gave too much magnification, so swapped them around until I was happy.

The yellow background is the lid of the tank that I keep the mantis in. He hangs upside down on the lid for most of the day, so when feeding time comes around, I just take the lid off and turn it over. I then release a cricket into it and wait for the inevitable. I have considered putting the mantis in a light tent to feed him, but haven't got around to that yet. That will certainly give me more control over background and lighting.

I hope that this answers your questions.

BTW, how long till those flower mantis nymphs will be ready for sale?

Paul

[troypiggo]

Very nice. Love #2

[Brian1cj]

I had no idea you could make a 100mm 2.8 do that kind of work. The second one is unbelievably sharp. Sweet setup with the dual flashes. Great lighting and I can't believe how clear it is.

[Warby]

I had no idea you could make a 100mm 2.8 do that kind of work. The second one is unbelievably sharp. Sweet setup with the dual flashes. Great lighting and I can't believe how clear it is.

The 100 2.8 and a set of extension tubes is quite a versatile set-up. Here is one with a bit more magnification:

http://www.8frerichs.freeserve.co.uk/CRW_0712.jpg

I think that this was taken with the full set of tubes on - as I said in my earlier post, they gave me too much magnification for shots of the mantis and cricket, so I only took the one using the full set.

Paul

[CyberDyneSystems]

These are amazing, the clarity and color (no I'm not a diamond merchant) are outstanding!

[Photogirl2007]

Excellent shots Paul.

[macro junkie]

few bits of senser dust but there great shots..need to wait till there L3 before they are sold..2 more weeks.ish. they will only eat fruit flys for month or so then they can feed on crickets or flys..its best to feed them flys but they will be happy on crickets .your need to order 1 or 2 of these..flightless http://www.livefoodsdirect.co.uk/products.asp?dept=1009

[Brian1cj]

Paul,

I have a question about your Jessops extension Tubes. I am new to macro photography and didn't find much info about them online, or where to buy some. Can you point me in the right direction? I would be very interested in getting this same sort of setup.

Also, when you stack the tubes, does your image lose quality? Judging from that last pic you posted, it sure doesn't seem like it loses anything. Did you buy them individually or did you buy it in a 3 pack? Probably a stupid question, I know.

[LordV]

Excellent mantid action shots :)

Brian1cj - Ext tubes do not change the IQ but give you closer focus distances.
In the US you could either get a set of Kenko ext tubes or a set of Pro-optic tubes from Adorama. You can buy single tubes but it's cheaper to buy a set of 3 different sized tubes- using them all with your 100mm will give you 2:1 magnification.

Brian V.

[Warby]

few bits of senser dust but there great shots..need to wait till there L3 before they are sold..2 more weeks.ish. they will only eat frute flys for month or so.untill u have pin head crickets..your need to order 1 or 2 of these..flightless http://www.livefoodsdirect.co.uk/products.asp?dept=1009

Thanks for pointing out the dust - another clean required. Thanks also for the info regarding the flower mantis. I have a local reptile shop that keeps fruit fly cultures in stock, so food should be no problem. I will keep and eye on your posts and talk further in a couple of weeks.

Paul,

I have a question about your Jessops extension Tubes. I am new to macro photography and didn't find much info about them on line, or where to buy some. Can you point me in the right direction? I would be very interested in getting this same sort of setup.

Also, when you stack the tubes, does your image lose quality? Judging from that last pic you posted, it sure doesn't seem like it loses anything. Did you buy them individually or did you buy it in a 3 pack? Probably a stupid question, I know.

As Brian said, there is no degradation of image quality, as there is no glass in the tubes. Jessops is a UK shop that brands their own goods, so not available in the US. Once again, Brian's answer is likely to be on the money regarding brands available in the states.

Paul

[Brian1cj]

Thanks Brian, Thanks Paul.

I'm leaning toward the pro-optic set of three. The reviews say they are sort of flimsy, and I don't normally go cheap, but since there is no glass to degrade IQ, as Paul said, I think I can get by with this set to start with.

Finding insects to shoot in my area is pretty hard this time of year. They are all buried under boot-high snow! I suppose I'll start with shooting some frost and snowflakes. Maybe I'll get lucky with an occasional fly or small spider too. Thanks guys. I think both of your pics are top notch!

[Attic]

Nice shots but your rig look nice and heavy ;)

[alliec]

Warby, these are superb among the best mantid shots i have seen. Interesting rig too its given a really nice light and the images really pop out at you.

[macro junkie]

and the yellow goes really well.

[johnkermit1]

i love the second shot! great detail! i love that setup also!
i havent seen too many while the mantid eats..

very nice!

[Cactuspic]

Great shots Paul

Irwin