Morning walk @ Lower Peirce Resevoir trail

[Daddy Bear]

Hi all,

Have not been taking much macro of late, now being school rugby season. Dusted off my macro lens and had a nice morning walk at lower peirce with the gang. It was my first visit there in the daytime. Must say, not very conducive with millions of people doing their morning walk on the elevated broad walk.

Not many pics today, just sharing a few sharper ones. Also first time trying my hand on the Raynox with the 180mm. One word to describe it...." TRYING". Gave up after the first hour, went back to basics, and prob back to the drawing board as well. Nicky, my hats off to you. You are really an exponent with the 180 and the Raynox. I nearly cried at lower peirce this morning.

My setup as usual.

Canon 7D/180mm/Raynox 250 (for the JS only)/tripod mounted/Flash 270EX/ home made concave diffuser/ISO 100-200/F14/1/200s/Manual

1. A Big Mama JS guarding her nest. (I didnt snap her eggs, but some of the other kakis managed it). It was tough getting a clear shot as the front to the lair, was thickly covered with silk threads.


2. An Assassin Bug auditioning for Kung Fun Panda 3


3. A Tiger Beetle (rare in the morning) with a nice blue shell, not your usual turqoise shell, basking in the morning sun.


4. Stink Bug (we spent some 20 mins chasing this joker up and down the rails, after which I gave up on the Raynox)



Thanks for viewing. Thanks to the guys for a great morning. C and C welcome.

Adrian (aka Dad Bear)

 

[madmartian]

Good shots adrian!
#3 :thumbsup:

 

[spree86]

Great shots Adrian!! My favourite is the assassin bug!! :thumbsup:

 

[Daddy Bear]

Good shots adrian!
#3 :thumbsup:

Thanks MM, today was really hit and miss. The Raynox is one b*tch. Really tough on a tripod. Cannot focus to infinity, DOF very shallow, working distance very short etc etc. The enlarged image is nice, but really testing.
Have to convince myself to bring it out again next time.

 

[Daddy Bear]

Great shots Adrian!! My favourite is the assassin bug!! :thumbsup:

Thanks Calvin. the bokeh is nice, but if a little bigger, lagi best. Maybe go back to extension tubes next time. LOL

 

[madmartian]

Thanks MM, today was really hit and miss. The Raynox is one b*tch. Really tough on a tripod. Cannot focus to infinity, DOF very shallow, working distance very short etc etc. The enlarged image is nice, but really testing.
Have to convince myself to bring it out again next time.

It takes a little practice with the raynox. Esp with longer focal length lenses. You have to take note on the focusing part if you are focusing manually. Try turning the focusing ring & moving your camera slightly in & out, you'll notice the change in magnification. Maybe its because of this, you get frustrated with the raynox..........:bsmilie: :bsmilie:

Edit : Focusing is not spelled with a double S

 

[spree86]

Thanks Calvin. the bokeh is nice, but if a little bigger, lagi best. Maybe go back to extension tubes next time. LOL

I think extension tubes are better compared to raynox, chasing down the stink bug with the raynox is just frustrating :bsmilie:

 

[Daddy Bear]

It takes a little practice with the raynox. Esp with longer focal length lenses. You have to take note on the focussing part if you are focussing manually. Try turning the focussing ring & moving your camera slightly in & out, you'll notice the change in magnification. Maybe its because of this, you get frustrated with the raynox..........:bsmilie: :bsmilie:

I will be honest to say that I seldom use manual focusing, cos I just dun trust my eyes sometimes to see if it is sharp or not. Had no choice today with the JS, cos the camera was always focusing on the silk threads. I try to get near 1:1 magnifincation, then use the x5- or x10 magnification on the viewfinder to get the eyes in focus, before taking the shot when the beep for in focus comes on.

Not the greatest technique, but for a shaky hands person like me, it has helped a great deal in getting sharp shots.

You think with Raynox, I should change anything?

Adrian

 

[Daddy Bear]

I think extension tubes are better compared to raynox, chasing down the stink bug with the raynox is just frustrating :bsmilie:

Ext tubes cause you to lose light, so there is a drawback. More practice I guess.....

 

[JonOoi]

i know how you feel shooting with raynox on a tripod! i gave up and handheld all the way!

btw nice shots!

 

[Daddy Bear]

i know how you feel shooting with raynox on a tripod! i gave up and handheld all the way!

btw nice shots!

Thanks Jon. Gotta to shadow Nicky (Loboclerk) a little more and learn from his dark arts!

 

[jameskkmok]

Good try, practice makes perfect. Once you know the working distance of the Raynox with your lens, you will find it easy. Most of us here can do with it either handheld or tripod, don't give up.

 

[Daddy Bear]

Good try, practice makes perfect. Once you know the working distance of the Raynox with your lens, you will find it easy. Most of us here can do with it either handheld or tripod, don't give up.

Thanks Uncle James. Will listen to you and try again.

 

[chvictor]

Adrian, you still have your 100mm L right? Get a stepdown ring and attach your Raynox to it. I believe using this focal length is easier. I remembered telling someone before that when I got hold of my Raynox for the first time, I was just like you gave up. I even chucked it aside for almost 6 mths before I decided to 'trained' myself to use it again after seeing some very good shots taken by some experts using this piece of glass. Definitely using Raynox on 180mm on tripod can be tough though. Working distance is very close. Whatever new things you try, there's always a timeline for familiarisation. Raynox plus the use of tripod are good when the subject is stationary. Also can train your eyes to tune to manual focus(you have many good eyedrops in your clinic...Lol). Autofocusing can be tricky at times. Most of my shots were still taken with 100mm and Raynox. Give it a try again. Dun give up.

 

[madmartian]

I will be honest to say that I seldom use manual focusing, cos I just dun trust my eyes sometimes to see if it is sharp or not. Had no choice today with the JS, cos the camera was always focusing on the silk threads. I try to get near 1:1 magnifincation, then use the x5- or x10 magnification on the viewfinder to get the eyes in focus, before taking the shot when the beep for in focus comes on.

Not the greatest technique, but for a shaky hands person like me, it has helped a great deal in getting sharp shots.

You think with Raynox, I should change anything?

Adrian

Well, like I said earlier, it takes a little practice with the raynox & also learn how it behaves when coupled with the lens. In other words, get to know your gears well. If handheld is not possible, use a tripod. If frees the muscle from stiffening up that gives you shaky hands.
In low lights, certain lens will hunt during focus & once it lock on, it might not be the point that you want, n the case of the JS with the silky threads. Even if you hear the beep, unless you have really rock steady hands, you'll tend to move a little when the shutter is depress, that will shift the focus point off a little & you'll have a soft shot though you heard the beep.
Just have more practice with it. Many of us are shooting with the raynox & it yields great results. Otherwise, invest in a good dedicated macro lens. And a safer bet for a sharp shot, use a tripod

 

[JK1234]

Nice shot bro, i love ur #1 picture is nice man hahas ..

 

[Ninestar]

Good shots, Bro Adrian.

 

[Daddy Bear]

Well, like I said earlier, it takes a little practice with the raynox & also learn how it behaves when coupled with the lens. In other words, get to know your gears well. If handheld is not possible, use a tripod. If frees the muscle from stiffening up that gives you shaky hands.
In low lights, certain lens will hunt during focus & once it lock on, it might not be the point that you want, n the case of the JS with the silky threads. Even if you hear the beep, unless you have really rock steady hands, you'll tend to move a little when the shutter is depress, that will shift the focus point off a little & you'll have a soft shot though you heard the beep.
Just have more practice with it. Many of us are shooting with the raynox & it yields great results. Otherwise, invest in a good dedicated macro lens. And a safer bet for a sharp shot, use a tripod

MM, I hear you. Will persevere. With the JS in #1, I went manual. the AF was picking up the threads. The 180mm is a dedicated lens, no complaints there. Its the jockey, not the horse. LOL

 

[Daddy Bear]

Nice shot bro, i love ur #1 picture is nice man hahas ..

Thanks JK1234!

Good shots, Bro Adrian.

Thanks Kennie! Hoping to see more pics from your twin flash set up!

 

[Daddy Bear]

Adrian, you still have your 100mm L right? Get a stepdown ring and attach your Raynox to it. I believe using this focal length is easier. I remembered telling someone before that when I got hold of my Raynox for the first time, I was just like you gave up. I even chucked it aside for almost 6 mths before I decided to 'trained' myself to use it again after seeing some very good shots taken by some experts using this piece of glass. Definitely using Raynox on 180mm on tripod can be tough though. Working distance is very close. Whatever new things you try, there's always a timeline for familiarisation. Raynox plus the use of tripod are good when the subject is stationary. Also can train your eyes to tune to manual focus(you have many good eyedrops in your clinic...Lol). Autofocusing can be tricky at times. Most of my shots were still taken with 100mm and Raynox. Give it a try again. Dun give up.

Thank Victor for the encouragement! I will persevere. Yes, maybe the 100 will be better with the Raynox. Will try harder!

AT