New Lens, New Model, Pt. 4 - _TNY_2022

I recently bought myself a new (used) lens - A Sigma 180mm f/3.5 APO Macro DG HSM. This will give me better reach for butterflies and dragonflies and so far I'm quite pleased with it!

 

Here is the first subject - and fittingly also the first time this particular butterfly had a photo taken of it.

 

It is a citrus swallowtail (Papilio demoleus), sometimes known as the Christmas butterfly and I watched it make its first flight after having climbed out of the chrysalis and its wings had dried. I initially thought this was the very similar Papilio demodocus, but there is a white spot missing on the dorsal forewing which should be there if it was a demodocus and with it missing, it must be a demoleus if I understand correctly.

 

It was a very short flight, just a meter or two and ended in the middle of the walking path at the Haga Ocean Butterfly house in Solna, Sweden. To prevent it being trampled by a visitor, I gently moved it to a rock and got a nice modelling session out of it. I am happy this was "the first" as I happen to think this is a particularily pretty species - and I even got shots of both the dorsal and ventral side of the wings.

 

So far, the lens feels really good and the added reach which meant being able to get some shots which would have been impossible with the 100mm lens is very nice - never a bad thing to scare the subject less.

 

Part 1 shows the underside of this one beautifully in a bit of a fav photo of mine here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52777306298/

 

Part 2 is a different angle on the dorsal side here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52781936848/

 

Part 3 is a much closer version of Pt. 1 with some nice eye detail here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52800160143/ (extra cropped version here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52846008835/)

Done