Furry Little Friend - _TNY_0325
This one took a couple of attempts - on several different bees - but I think it turned out just great in the end.
That actually sums up the experience of using the MP-E65 for shooting active flying insects pretty well. Lots of misses, but when you nail the focus in a shot you are rewarded with so much lovely detail.
In case you're not familiar with the Canon MP-E65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro lens (that's a mouthful!) it's a twenty-year-old lens (yes, 1999!) that not only lacks auto focus, but it doesn't even have manual focus(!) The ring is used to set the magnification from 1:1 (ie as close as regular macro lenses get) all the way to 5:1 and then you move the camera closer and further away until the focus is where you want it. Works a charm except for the DoF at high magnifications being razor thin.
So, about this shot. This was shot at 2.2:1 magnification and is a European honey bee (Apis mellifera) with great detail on those hairy eyes and quite worn wings and the lovely pastel pink background is made up of my favourite flower, the great masterwort (Astrantia major).
Furry Little Friend - _TNY_0325
This one took a couple of attempts - on several different bees - but I think it turned out just great in the end.
That actually sums up the experience of using the MP-E65 for shooting active flying insects pretty well. Lots of misses, but when you nail the focus in a shot you are rewarded with so much lovely detail.
In case you're not familiar with the Canon MP-E65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro lens (that's a mouthful!) it's a twenty-year-old lens (yes, 1999!) that not only lacks auto focus, but it doesn't even have manual focus(!) The ring is used to set the magnification from 1:1 (ie as close as regular macro lenses get) all the way to 5:1 and then you move the camera closer and further away until the focus is where you want it. Works a charm except for the DoF at high magnifications being razor thin.
So, about this shot. This was shot at 2.2:1 magnification and is a European honey bee (Apis mellifera) with great detail on those hairy eyes and quite worn wings and the lovely pastel pink background is made up of my favourite flower, the great masterwort (Astrantia major).