One for the hoverfly lovers

[bugmeister]

It is possible to get close to these pretty bugs but you have to move slowly.

 

Manual focus and hand held 'cos I forgot the tripod and monopod. 

[fuzzyedges]

Thats close

What lens / tubes or whatever are you using

Only asking as I am in the process of obtaining a macro lens / tubes whatever

[bugmeister]

Thanks, this was with the Canon MPE-65 and the light effect is from a ring flash.

[Guest DaveW]

Excellent shot as insects seldom stop still for long. I presume it is a twin switchable segment ringflash from the reflection on it's back and diffuse lighting?

 

Edit;  you just posted before me answering the question!  I thought it might be a MPE-65 unless using tubes since it is above 1:1 on the sensor and obviously not that radical a crop from the quality.

 

One of these Fuzzy, they occasionally appear second-hand on EBAY since some of the photographers that buy them cannot get used to the small depths of field at higher magnifications so sell them in frustration. You need a Canon camera to use one though.

 

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/mp-e-65.shtml

[KateW]

Hells Bells! Hand held? Fantastic!

[bugmeister]

Yes Dave, it's the Canon MR14 ringflash which has two tubes that can be set to different power settings. In this case, they were both on full power so I could use f10 to get a bit of depth of field

[fuzzyedges]

One of these Fuzzy, they occasionally appear second-hand on EBAY

 

Will look into it Dave but the price might be a bit butt clenching for me I am looking at the standard 100 f2.8 macro due to the dual role it can play on a cropped sensor, which makes it a 160 tele and a good (according to reviews ) a decent macro,  not to the standard above for closeness but a little more of the subject I suspect

I will certainly look at 2nd hand though for the above lens it appears in skilled hands to be very good

[bugmeister]

It is certainly a challenge! Handheld I get a hit rate of about 1 in 10 at 1:1 magnification, 1in 30 at 1:2 and anything more than that, use a tripod and probably a focussing rail as well.

 

My other macro lens is the Sigma 105mm which doubles as a very good portrait lens, and if you want to get closer to fill the frame more, it's worth investing in a set of extension tubes.

[NannyFerret]

Great close-up.

[annie]

stunning....utterly stunning...

[annie]

gonna take me an awful lot of selling on ebay till i get that lens................

 

only another 600 squid to go!

[FUJI]

A fantastic shot Mr Bugmeister (welcome by the way)...........I too am a bit of a bug enthusiast, I have a SONY 2.8-100 plus a set of dedicated extension tubes, I can also vouch for the lens being a great one for street and portrait photography:

 

I will be posting another couple of on my macros later:

 

FUJI

[annie]

i keep coming back for another peep....awesome photography..

[Guest DaveW]

Remember the MPE-65 goes from where the normal so called macro lenses leave off Fuzzy. It goes from life size to 5 times life size, meaning you may be able to fill the frame with a hoverfly at it's smallest magnification but would only be able to get part of a dragonfly in frame and certainly not a rose or most flowers since the lens will not focus to infinity as a conventional macro lens does. 

 

Therefore if you are starting into macro a conventional macro lens that goes from infinity to 1:1, or life size on the sensor, or tubes would be your best first purchase.  As Bugmeister says he also has a Sigma 105mm for the more normal range. As I said earlier a lot of MPE-65's appear on EBAY after conventional photographers cannot get on with the minute depth of field at such magnifications, so it is best to learn first using lower magnifications with a conventional macro lens until you have learned the skills of working at very small depths of field as Bugmeister certainly has, since it is certainly not "point and shoot" conventional photography as I am sure Fuji will agree?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0&_nkw=Canon+MPE-65&_sacat=0&_from=R40

[JohnP]

Canon MPE-65

 

That's interesting as I purchased a Sigma ringflash late last summer and I've still to really give it a good workout, it was both a bad summer and a little too late for bug photography when I bought it. I'm still waiting for our bug season to really get started, they are appearing now so I won't have to wait long.

 

This is an impressive shot... well done.

[fuzzyedges]

Therefore if you are starting into macro a conventional macro lens that goes from infinity to 1:1, or life size on the sensor, or tubes would be your best first purchase

 

straight along my thoughts Dave and once I cut out the non essentials in life like eating (leaving the essentials like wine women and song) I will be doing just that

A 100 2.8 and a set of tubes is definatly on the horizon

 

Wrote faint so Mrs D dosnt see it

[Heather]

Hells Bells! Hand held? Fantastic!

i couldnt have said it better myself !!

[Phil]

It's been a while since we had an MP-E user. Please keep 'em coming

[Leon]

wow, thats all I have to say   

 

(annie has serious competition here!!)

[bugmeister]

Thanks for the compliments and for the interesting discussion points as well.

 

and Phil, I do have a few more from the MPE, my avatar is one of them and I'll post a larger version some time. (It's almost a full frame shot, so I'd better not post it full size )

[annie]

and i understand full frame now too....!