Well I finally got a real macro lens. Not the 100mm f2.8 that I've been wanting, but a very nice 50mm f2.5 compact macro. And after messing around with it for a bit, I finally tested it out and was plesently surprised with how it did shooting video. I discovered that sometimes with macro that it is better to adjust the whole camera body distance to subject to get focus rather than always pulling it with the ring. The 50mm f2.5 CM has a very nice and smooth focus ring and there are hard stops at both ends of the focus range, but its long, long way around from infinity to the closest focusing distance. Almost 360 degrees! But that would be a huge range change to go from one extreme to the other. I found that everything I needed once I was in close was only a few degrees clockwise or counter-clock to get focus. And again, sometimes its just easier to sway your whole body backwards and forwards away to gain focus.
For this short, manic video I shot everything handheld because of the subject matter. Honey Bees! There's just not way that you can track them fast enough being on a tripod or even a monopod. So I shot it hand held and just did my best. The other problem I had that day was that the wind was kicking up a bit and blowing the bushes around some, making getting focus a bit more challenging.
I shot two different types of creatures that day. First, the honey bees. The plant I concentraited on was couple bushes that the bees just love! Easy pickin's.
The other species I shot was a heck of a lot easier to shoot. The Hoverfly. It looks a bit like a bee with the fuzzy body, but they are different and they move a lot slower, thankfully. That will be another video.
For now, "Bee Dance."
https://vimeo.com/48770978
