Re: [PICS] Dragonfly Wing - Failure to Deploy

"jimkramer" <Newsreader1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:gq0ppa$pgt$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Do you already have the 100mm macro and find that lacking? If you are
already doing macro and find the 100 not quite giving the magnification
you
want then try the 65 MP-E otherwise learn macro with the 100 and then
migrate to the 65 if you need to do so.

Yes, it is a bitch to use. Hand held it is difficult to steady and on a
tripod it is difficult to focus, even with a rail. With a steady hand and
some good technique you can hand hold well between 1X and 3X after that it
is pretty much a crap shoot.

It is an awesome macro lens with built-in extension tubes, and a scale on
the side with both magnification and focusing distance. Let me make this
very clear - it is a fixed focus lens - at a given magnification it will
only focus at a specific distance. There is no infinity focus; it only
focuses between 4" at 1X to 0.8" at 5X. The F stop is very strange :-)
The
apparent F stop increases with the magnification. So diffraction affects
image quality very quickly at high magnification. The DOF is always a big
issue at lifesize and above.

If you shell out for the lens you may as well plan on getting the MT-24EX
Twin Lite Macro Flash for an extra $650 too. If you don't like black as a
background, an extra 550EX or a 580EX works well as a background fill
flash.
Learn how to use flash diffusers.

http://www.jlkramer.net/Pictures/CanonFrog/TheCanonFrog.htm
Third image down will give you some idea of the flash & lens set up.

-Jim


Jim -

I've been using a Canon 180 f/3.5 L macro lens for about 10 years and love
it. I think it's a real advantage for shooting live critters, as it can be
done from far away (about 9" at 1:1). I also use 1.4 or 2x teleconverters,
sometimes with extension tubes (alone or between the teleconverters and the
lens), although they don't do a whole lot with a long lens. I usually like
to get the entire subject in focus, so I shoot at f/32 whenever I can. This
usually requires a flash (550EX and/or 380EX) close to the subject (hand
held or on a flash bracket). At that distance, the flash is no longer a
point source, but a large light that illuminates from all sides, as with a
diffuser.

How did you do the full face of the dragonfly?
http://www.jlkramer.net/Pictures/DiD/HandHeld.htm Very limited DOF, but you
got all of the eyes in focus so it works. I don't think it's possible to
get the entire critter in focus, unless you back off to way <1x and then
crop. I'm guessing that, if it's shown full frame, it's at least 3x.
Fabulous shot. And "Tadpole Kiss??!!" Jeez, guy.

The MPE-65 specs are: "Minimum Focus Distance 0.78"(5x) to 1.02"(1x)". You
had mentioned focusing 4" away, so I don't understand exactly about
focusing. Is it manual, or absent (i.e, only by moving the camera)? If
you're 1.02" away at 1x, can you move to 4" and be less than 1x?

I like the shots and explanations, even stories, of your photos on your web
site. Folks like me would love to see how it was done (camera, lens, f
stop, shutter speed, ISO, etc. ) I've done that on my site, although I'm
sure most folks don't care. And it's a lot of work. I'll spend some more
time on your site next time I use a fast internet access (I have 45k). I'll
also study Troy's analysis:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=546940

BTW, you NEED to get the book "The Smaller Majority" by Piotr Naskrecki,
Harvard U. Press, 2005. Great macros with discussion of critters that make
up the majority of animal life on Earth.

Alan Justice
http://home.earthlink.net/~wildlifepaparazzi/


.

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