>>> Macro and Close Up, Fortnightly Thread. <<< Closed>>>

Australian Emperor

That's a great grab considering the shallow DOF.
How does the cam select focus ?
I take it that it doesn't have bug eye mode ?

Thanks Ron.

No there's no bug eye mode. When I used to use Animal + Eye detect I would see it focus on the eye only if there was some catch light - otherwise the AF box could be around the head and or the body. In the end I found the most consistent results (and it's not set in stone - lots into the bin) were with animal detect off.
So the AF just sees an object and focuses on it. I would like to try out a Sony and an OM1 to see how they compare but baring winning the lottery that's unlikely to happen. But I really feel the extra time it takes for animal detect to work is a loss with these critters - not that there is any noticeable delay, it just doesn't seem to get as many in good focus.
I have discovered there are various situations to consider. First off I just don't bother trying to pan. Their movement is so random that they are more or less always going to fall out of the frame with a long tele. Then when they do hover, many of them continually move up/down, left/right and back and forwards. That is part of how they camouflage themselves by presenting a blur to their prey. My favourite, the Emerald really moves a lot when hovering and that is why I get many with motion blur or missed focus. So it just becomes a numbers game...
The Emperor above is one of the zoomers that rarely hovers. However when he does hover, he is really still, so presents a good target and as long as initial focus is more close than he is, it will normally grab ok.

peacock

280625 peacock 2 by softmarmotte, on Flickr

Wonderful colors!

A small mushroom among the moss…

Wonderful colors - well captured!

Impressive catch.

I've tried to create a wintery sunset scene with a macro of a brush:

Cleansing snow by simple.joy, on Flickr

Colours indeed. Nice when it all works out, eh ?

Ron

Really ingenious, and the result is very nice...

Another fly...

Been catching up with some processing so a couple montages

The A. Emerald is rarely seen perching but was having the odd rest on this day.

Graphic Flutterer

Black-faced Percher

That is a nice shot of a dandelion. I have a photo of one from last year which I will put in a new post. We don't get a lot around here. I don't do much macro but hopefully that will be changing soon as I just bought a used Sony 90mm Macro lens on eBay. The price has been dropping since the new macro lens was released recently.

This is my Macro shot of a dandelion that was growing in my front lawn. It was inspired by a shot by someone else that I saw on a forum somewhere. I actually PM'd him to ask if it was ok that I "copied" his technique! In the end my shot was quite a bit different to his.

This was taken with my Tamron 50-400mm which gives 1/2 life-size between 50 - 70mm. You have to get really close to get that though.

😍

and lucky for all concerned, he did. What a great looking critter.
Very nice work.

Ron