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Thread: One from last Summer

  1. #1
    AndyP's Avatar
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    One from last Summer

    Taken on a reversed 50mm pentax f1.8 bolted onto the front of the Nikon D5000, pp included help from a friend in Topaz denoise and I felt the results came out stunning.

    C&C most welcome.

    Andy

    One from last Summer

  2. #2
    jiro's Avatar
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    Re: One from last Summer

    Nice! Was this shot outdoors? The lens reversal seemed to worked nicely here. My only comment was that the noise reduction using Topaz Denoise software was a bit over. You can actually take out much of the noise without sacrificing the details by tweaking the "Reduce Blur" and the "Recover Detail" sliders.

  3. #3
    AndyP's Avatar
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    Re: One from last Summer

    Quote Originally Posted by jiro View Post
    Nice! Was this shot outdoors? The lens reversal seemed to worked nicely here. My only comment was that the noise reduction using Topaz Denoise software was a bit over. You can actually take out much of the noise without sacrificing the details by tweaking the "Reduce Blur" and the "Recover Detail" sliders.
    Hi Jiro and thanks for your comment, yes it was outdoors on a very warm summers day, I have progressed with the topaz a bit now and it was a friend who actually denoised this one.

    Thanks again

    Andy

  4. #4
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    Re: One from last Summer

    Hi Andy

    That's great! My only quibble is that it's a shame the tail wasn't in focus as well - but that's neither here nor there. Excellent shot.

    R

  5. #5
    AndyP's Avatar
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    Re: One from last Summer

    Quote Originally Posted by Camellia View Post
    Hi Andy

    That's great! My only quibble is that it's a shame the tail wasn't in focus as well - but that's neither here nor there. Excellent shot.

    R
    Thank you, this was one of my first ever macro shots so you can imagine how happy I was with it; this caused the bug (no pun intended) to bite me

    Thanks again

    Andy

  6. #6

    Re: One from last Summer

    it's a shame the tail wasn't in focus as well
    I am amazed that you got what you did in focus. The DoF is wafer thin when you reverse the lens like that. I have tried this with my old Zuiko 50mm f/1.8. The image is very well done and I would love to know what distance you were from the fly and what aperture you set the lens to. You have inspired me to have another go at this.

  7. #7
    AndyP's Avatar
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    Re: One from last Summer

    Quote Originally Posted by Wirefox View Post
    I am amazed that you got what you did in focus. The DoF is wafer thin when you reverse the lens like that. I have tried this with my old Zuiko 50mm f/1.8. The image is very well done and I would love to know what distance you were from the fly and what aperture you set the lens to. You have inspired me to have another go at this.
    Hi Wirefox.

    Blazing sunshine, F22, Iso640, shutter 250th and about 8'' from the target; if you watch hovers they pause prior to going into a plant, they regularly pause in the same bit of air space too this helps in predicting roughly where they will go so you can prepare.

    Hope that helps, below is another same style; again slightly ott on topaz, but it made me a happy chap.

    Thanks

    Andy

    One from last Summer

  8. #8
    AndyP's Avatar
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    Re: One from last Summer

    This one is with a Nikkor 105 micro.

    One from last Summer

  9. #9
    jiro's Avatar
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    Re: One from last Summer

    Now this one is a sure keeper, Andy.

  10. #10
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    Re: One from last Summer

    Quote Originally Posted by AndyP View Post
    One from last Summer
    That's amazing. If I was on any other forum I might even be tempted to say 'Wow!'. Compliments, Andy.

  11. #11
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    Re: One from last Summer

    Thanks for sharing! These are really driving my longing for my macro lens. Soon I hope, I can't take it any longer!

  12. #12
    AndyP's Avatar
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    Re: One from last Summer

    Thanks all for looking and the compliments; these were all posted previously on another forum, it just helps me gain a bit of confidence on a new forum

    Thanks again

    Andy

    A juniper shield bug

    One from last Summer

  13. #13

    Re: One from last Summer

    If I was on any other forum I might even be tempted to say 'Wow!'.
    Steady on old chap. Wow today...OMG tomorrow...and that would never do...especially from one of the top brass....poor form and all that....the 'wows' are best left to our American cousins

    Andy these are truly accomplished photographs. Not my usual 'thing' at all but I take my hat off to you with these.

  14. #14
    AndyP's Avatar
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    Re: One from last Summer

    Quote Originally Posted by Wirefox View Post
    Steady on old chap. Wow today...OMG tomorrow...and that would never do...especially from one of the top brass....poor form and all that....the 'wows' are best left to our American cousins

    Andy these are truly accomplished photographs. Not my usual 'thing' at all but I take my hat off to you with these.
    Thanks Wirefox; got to agree that a 'wow' or owt else is a bit out of it for me, that wouldn't be cricket at all Thanks again

    Andy

  15. #15

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    Re: One from last Summer

    If you haven't identified that hoverfly yet, Andy, it is a male Episyrphus balteatus.

    They also sometimes occur in a dark form (luckily this specimen was sitting still for a few seconds.

    One from last Summer

    These are possibly one of the more reliable in flight hoverfly subjects because they do tend to hover in one spot; but actually getting a good flying shot is never easy. I like to use a Sigma 180 macro lens for insects but it is a bit slow on auto focusing; so I mostly use manual focus. But in flight subjects move faster than I can manually focus.

    Unless you can manage a perfect angle (at 90 degrees and parallel with the longest area, body or wings) some part of an insect is usually slightly out of focus; but sometimes you can't worry too much about that. This is even more important with long bodied species like dragonflies. Usually if the head is sharp any other areas don't notice too much; although because I mostly photography insects in order to identify them I tend to just concentrate on the required identification areas.

    I always like the way this species 'tuck up' their backlegs and let them stream back alongside their abdomen.
    Last edited by Geoff F; 29th January 2011 at 10:59 PM. Reason: linked photo added

  16. #16
    AndyP's Avatar
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    Re: One from last Summer

    Quote Originally Posted by Geoff F View Post
    If you haven't identified that hoverfly yet, Andy, it is a male Episyrphus balteatus.

    They also sometimes occur in a dark form (luckily this specimen was sitting still for a few seconds.

    One from last Summer

    These are possibly one of the more reliable in flight hoverfly subjects because they do tend to hover in one spot; but actually getting a good flying shot is never easy. I like to use a Sigma 180 macro lens for insects but it is a bit slow on auto focusing; so I mostly use manual focus. But in flight subjects move faster than I can manually focus.

    Unless you can manage a perfect angle (at 90 degrees and parallel with the longest area, body or wings) some part of an insect is usually slightly out of focus; but sometimes you can't worry too much about that. This is even more important with long bodied species like dragonflies. Usually if the head is sharp any other areas don't notice too much; although because I mostly photography insects in order to identify them I tend to just concentrate on the required identification areas.

    I always like the way this species 'tuck up' their backlegs and let them stream back alongside their abdomen.
    Thanks, no I didn't know the name so that is very interesting; what a great shot that is too.

    Many thanks

    Andy

  17. #17
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    Re: One from last Summer

    The catnip crop was very thin in this part of the state last year, so we had many hoverflys in our little patch. I shot over 150 photos of them with my 55-200 and managed to get 1 (one!) actually sitting still. (I still haven't identified it.)

    Pops

  18. #18
    AndyP's Avatar
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    Re: One from last Summer

    Good fun though Pops, rather be out shooting these critters than going out to the shops with the wife

    Thanks for looking and commenting

    Andy

  19. #19

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    Re: One from last Summer

    Yes Andy, but I reiterate the normal warning which should come on the bottom of macro lens boxes

    'Macro photography is addictive and can seriously damage your wealth'

  20. #20
    AndyP's Avatar
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    Re: One from last Summer

    Sure is, but it also fun

    Green Bottle Fly

    One from last Summer

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