As a follow-up to a few prior posts asking macro lens questions I thought to give a progress report. After looking at lenses and asking questions I decided to go with Nikon 3T and 4T lenses since they fit my FZ7 with no adapter. Also, the focus distance at full zoom for the 4T allows for use of my camera flash with no adapter.

Anyway, it is best to practice on easy subjects that do not move around too much I have discovered. The picture below for instance. I was taking a picture of a butterfly near the ground, and when he flew off I noticed this female Cicada Killer laying there dead. So I propped her on the table and took her picture.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1216/...15b1ead8_o.jpg

happy_peasant wrote: Well progress looks pretty good to me, I have seen people take a while to adjust, but you are doing so quickly. I think perhspa this image has pushed either the camera or the PP a touch beyond its capabilities. I am beginning to see some jpeg artifacts around edges and detail areas.

rafinmelb wrote: This was pushed a bit. And it was taken at ISO 200. I had set it for that to try flashless to avoid eye reflection and then did not remember to set it back when I gave up on flashless due to evening gloom. But then, I wouldn't want to be perfect when I am testing the lenses. That would make it hard to improve.

I am alternating still (or at least slow moving creature) shots with trying to catch butterflies and bumblees in flight. I have a few of each of those but some work to do yet.

By the way, I went back to try on this wasp again this morning. Between the rain all night long wilting it and the little tiny bugs crawling on it and eating it I had to say the moment was lost.

Looking good Steve. If you haven't already, expirment using manual exposure and set the aperture as high as you can and still maintain fast enough shutter speed to avoid movement blur.