Hover Fly macros - only if you like detail!

[Marc Langille]

Spiderworts are quite small - perhaps 3-4cm across. I am almost 2 feet away when I took this shot. It was under heavy overcast skies and beneath a forest canopy, so flash was mandatory!

Used the K10D, ISO 100, F/16, 200mm, EV +1.5 (it was REALLY dark) with AF540 plus Sto-fen flash diffuser. Tripod, but no cabled remote.


Hoverfly on Spiderwort:


Hoverfly on Spiderwort #2:




Crop - not yet at 100%... Hopefully you'll enjoy the details even more in this image!


Link to the EXIF data: http://www.marclangille.com/photos/n...ImageKey=j2Tho


Considering the subject (fly is not even the length of my thumbnail, the details came out quite well. I did a light sharpening to resolve the compound eye structure on the fly a bit more. These are crops, but are still over 2200+ pixels on the long side.


Regards,
Marc

[robar]

hey marc,
aren't these fun???
getting good macros are hard to get but you did it here.

[Goldwinger]

Hey Marc,
I have to admit, I a bit envious! what lens?
these are fantastic.

[nhmom]

These are amazing, Marc. What is spiderwort? Looks interesting.

Patty

[Marc Langille]

Hi GW,

Thanks for the very kind comments - glad you enjoyed them! Here's the culprit:




Size comparison (I sold my FA 100/2.8 on the left). This is almost true to size - the lenses are slightly larger than you see here:



As you can see, the optics are so clear it's very easy to pick out the diaphragm blade texture at the end of the barrel. The optics are nothing short of stunning on this lens - it's a real gem:


That clarity is exactly the same as in my FA* 300/2.8

[Marc Langille]

Originally Posted by robar

hey marc,
aren't these fun???
getting good macros are hard to get but you did it here.

Thank you Robar! I started shooting digital in the macro world, so it really set the standard of getting everything right in terms of lighting, DOF, shutter speed, etc. Tough learning curve but it reaped huge rewards for me in terms of understanding how everything comes together.

Originally Posted by nhmom

These are amazing, Marc. What is spiderwort? Looks interesting.

Patty

Thank you Patty for looking and commenting - the images you see are native wild ones.

Spiderwort: it's a small, perennial 3 petal wildflower normally on a long stalk, found under the canopies of forests or in the open: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradescantia

Hope that helps. They are small, delicate yet very beautiful blossoms.

[penolta]

Impressive. No.#3 is stunning. Well done!

[mtngal]

Incredible shots! I can see why that lens is worth a small fortune, these are really outstanding. Can you actually hand-hold it? It looks huge!

[Marc Langille]

Originally Posted by penolta

Impressive. No.#3 is stunning. Well done!

Now I know I've done well with your post - thank you very much for the kind word Penolta!

Originally Posted by mtngal

Incredible shots! I can see why that lens is worth a small fortune, these are really outstanding. Can you actually hand-hold it? It looks huge!

Hello again and thank you! It's ~8 inches long without the hood and ~11 inches long with the hood on, and approx. 2.4 lbs in weight. Not that heavy!

It can be hand held, although using a flash is best. The very narrow FOV will quickly tell you if you have steady hands! I'll post some examples sometime in the future. I photographed a dragonfly perched just the other day barely 1 foot away from the front of the lens, shot handheld. Let's just say the hairs on it's face show nicely...

I bought it at regular MSRP minus the cost of it being a "demo" unit - the last FA* 200/4 macro that Pentax Canada had. I suspect it was the last like new one in North America commercially up for sale. Henry's bought 3 of them and sold them via Ebay in 2006 about 2-4 months before I bought mine, but I paid several hundred less- more in line with the Nikkor 200/4 micro price. It's very rare and availability is perhaps once per year on average. I bought mine prior to the K10D release, so FA* prices on rare stuff wasn't a problem. Of course, this is professional quality glass, which commands a premium (whether or not that premium is justified is another story) - I bought it mainly because of the reach of 200mm and venomous insects, skittish subjects, etc. being less inclined to get "problematic".

Regards,
Marc

[Keltech]

Outstanding pictures Mark! That 200 mm macro lens makes me drool.

That last picture looks like he may have a few blown pixels in his sensor like mine.

Lou