Post your BUG shots!

they really are astounding Dennis
Very beautiful too.

Curious how long to take 3 images? They don't move much then I gather?

avondale87 wrote in post #19033192
they really are astounding Dennis
Very beautiful too.

Curious how long to take 3 images? They don't move much then I gather?

Hi Richard,

These wasps were settling down for the night so apart from a little feeler waving, they we mostly still.

The rig was tripod mounted and with my finger I quickly tapped each location in turn on the rear LCD and the AF locked on nicley. In my other hand I had a remote release to take each shot. It was a little frustrating to wait the short sub-second response for the just-taken shot to clear the rear LCD before the live view image returned for the next shot.

Cheers

Dennis

JayLT wrote in post #19033156
A couple shots of a green lacewing from earlier today

Hosted photo: posted by JayLT in
./showthread.php?p=190​33156&i=i90212953
forum: Macro

Hosted photo: posted by JayLT in
./showthread.php?p=190​33156&i=i88859885
forum: Macro

Excellent - nice background and lighting!

nardes wrote in post #19033165
Taken with (EOS R) + (EF-EOS R Mount adapter ) + (EF 25mm Ext Tube) + (Extender EF 1.4X Mk III) + (Canon 180mm F3.5 L Macro Lens) which is a nice, albeit longish, combination, allowing me to stand back from the nest and compose the scene on the flippy screen.

#1 is a stack of 3 shots with the AF Point placed on each Wasp in turn to extend the DOF - the flippy screen and touch focus really makes this feasible.

#2 is a single shot at the native focal length of 180mm, just the bare lens.

Cheers

Dennis

Gallery photo (hosted):
posted by nardes originally in forum: Canon Digital Cameras

Gallery photo (hosted):
posted by nardes originally in forum: Canon Digital Cameras

That is quite the rig, and quite a bit of planning and work. Great composition and amazing detail in the photos!

It must be awkward handling that heavy rig.

Archibald wrote in post #19033298
That is quite the rig, and quite a bit of planning and work. Great composition and amazing detail in the photos!

It must be awkward handling that heavy rig.

Thanks Archibald, I appreciate your comments.

In terms of the rig, it was tripod mounted and I had an old, geared Manfrotto Head so I could make controlled, small adjustments to frame the insects. Gusts of wind kept blowing the nest out of the field of view so the lens would then AF on the BG foliage. The 180mm AF seems to want to wind all the way out and then all the way back again, so I manually twisted the focus ring to help it along, once the nest re-appeared on the rear screen.

All this takes place in our back garden so I don't have to carry the gear long distances.

Cheers

Dennis

nardes wrote in post #19033517
Thanks Archibald, I appreciate your comments.

In terms of the rig, it was tripod mounted and I had an old, geared Manfrotto Head so I could make controlled, small adjustments to frame the insects. Gusts of wind kept blowing the nest out of the field of view so the lens would then AF on the BG foliage. The 180mm AF seems to want to wind all the way out and then all the way back again, so I manually twisted the focus ring to help it along, once the nest re-appeared on the rear screen.

All this takes place in our back garden so I don't have to carry the gear long distances.

Cheers

Dennis

OK, interesting. So not heavy, but awkward anyway for other reasons.

I have been interested in the 180mm but haven't bought it because reviewers complain about the weight and about the slow focusing. But it seems to give wonderful results.

Some kind of orange beetle.

Archibald wrote in post #19033631
OK, interesting. So not heavy, but awkward anyway for other reasons.

I have been interested in the 180mm but haven't bought it because reviewers complain about the weight and about the slow focusing. But it seems to give wonderful results.

Hi Archibald

I would not use the 180 mm for mobile shots where e.g. I was chasing a bee in flight, or a rapidly moving insect due to the potential for slow re-acquisition of AF if it misses the subject due to say, insect movement. The 180 mm does not have a close focus limiter switch unlike the Canon 100 mm F2.8L - if you could limit the focus range to say 48 cms to 1 metre, it might perform better. In the meantime, after just 1 session since acquiring the lens, my experience has been that the focus winds all the way through the full range. The limiter settings seem odd; 48 cm to infinity and 1.5 metres to infinity, nothing to limit it at the lower end only.

It doesn't feel particularly big or heavy compared to my Canon 100 mm F2.8 L, although it is early days yet and I might just be a little caught up in the excitement of new gear syndrome.

I think you would be quite safe when predominantly working from a tripod with insects that aren't too mobile. I do like the longer working distance of 48 cms from subject to sensor plane.

For my mobile rig (100 mm F2.8L) I have a Speedlite with Diffuser pointing down over the front of the lens hood and this is okay with a min focus dist. of 30 cms, but the flash would have to extend further out for the 180 mm making it more unwieldy with that set up.

Cheers

Dennis

EDIT: This lens also appears to take the Canon Extender EF 1.4x Mk III very well, with no apparent loss of IQ in the single outing I have had with it.

nardes wrote in post #19033688
Hi Archibald

I would not use the 180 mm for mobile shots where e.g. I was chasing a bee in flight, or a rapidly moving insect due to the potential for slow re-acquisition of AF if it misses the subject due to say, insect movement. The 180 mm does not have a close focus limiter switch unlike the Canon 100 mm F2.8L - if you could limit the focus range to say 48 cms to 1 metre, it might perform better. In the meantime, after just 1 session since acquiring the lens, my experience has been that the focus winds all the way through the full range. The limiter settings seem odd; 48 cm to infinity and 1.5 metres to infinity, nothing to limit it at the lower end only.

It doesn't feel particularly big or heavy compared to my Canon 100 mm F2.8 L, although it is early days yet and I might just be a little caught up in the excitement of new gear syndrome.

I think you would be quite safe when predominantly working from a tripod with insects that aren't too mobile. I do like the longer working distance of 48 cms from subject to sensor plane.

For my mobile rig (100 mm F2.8L) I have a Speedlite with Diffuser pointing down over the front of the lens hood and this is okay with a min focus dist. of 30 cms, but the flash would have to extend further out for the 180 mm making it more unwieldy with that set up.

Cheers

Dennis

EDIT: This lens also appears to take the Canon Extender EF 1.4x Mk III very well, with no apparent loss of IQ in the single outing I have had with it.

Thanks for the info. I can see that the 180 mm would be good on a tripod, but I never use a tripod for macro outdoors. I have a hard time imagining situations where I could use a tripod - unless I found a wasp nest in a nice location!

---

Another shot before the wasp nest tumbled to the ground...

Cheers

Dennis

nardes wrote in post #19034326
Another shot before the wasp nest tumbled to the ground...

Sounds like these wasps are not the greatest engineers.
Maybe just learning their craft.

Pippan wrote in post #19034353
Sounds like these wasps are not the greatest engineers.
Maybe just learning their craft.

Yes - they built this latest (failed) nest one joint closer to the main stem of the Sacred Bamboo plant, on the same twig that the plant shed previously. It seems that this shrub self-cleans by dropping sections of its twigs at the knuckle joints, especially during strong winds.

I'm sure they will be back...

Cheers

Dennis

For Snowyman.