Ant-Cam
This is the rig I set up in 2007 for photographing ants with my new Nikon D40.. This "kludge" rig worked well and has been replaced by a slightly more refined unit. The pop-up flash provides all the light necessary to shoot at ISO 100 to 400 at apertures down to f/32. The primary lens shown is a Nikon 18-55mm "kit" lens with a "Scopetronix" 40mm close-up lens mounted on the front. The small mirror is for providing a "sunlight with hard-edged shadows" effect when shooting in full shade. The 18-55 lens is shown incorrectly set at 35mm. All my shooting with this lens is with the zoom set at 55mm. Focusing is done manually by moving the camera forward and backwards. No tripod is used, but I do sometimes steady myself with a stick. White cards work OK as reflectors, but covering them with foil, dull side out, gets you one more stop in speed. I now use foil covered cards measuring 4x5 inches for most subjects. A larger pair (5x8 inches) is used when a subject is around 18 inches from the camera, or if I want slightly more softer edged shadows.
102-3473
Ant-Cam
This is the rig I set up in 2007 for photographing ants with my new Nikon D40.. This "kludge" rig worked well and has been replaced by a slightly more refined unit. The pop-up flash provides all the light necessary to shoot at ISO 100 to 400 at apertures down to f/32. The primary lens shown is a Nikon 18-55mm "kit" lens with a "Scopetronix" 40mm close-up lens mounted on the front. The small mirror is for providing a "sunlight with hard-edged shadows" effect when shooting in full shade. The 18-55 lens is shown incorrectly set at 35mm. All my shooting with this lens is with the zoom set at 55mm. Focusing is done manually by moving the camera forward and backwards. No tripod is used, but I do sometimes steady myself with a stick. White cards work OK as reflectors, but covering them with foil, dull side out, gets you one more stop in speed. I now use foil covered cards measuring 4x5 inches for most subjects. A larger pair (5x8 inches) is used when a subject is around 18 inches from the camera, or if I want slightly more softer edged shadows.
102-3473