Ambush Bug Stack

Images taken in a controlled environment or with a posed subject. All subject types.

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Jody Melanson
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Ambush Bug Stack

Post by Jody Melanson »

Image

Model = Canon EOS-1D Mark II N
Exposure Time = 1/200"
F Number = F16
Exposure Program = Manual
ISO Speed Ratings = 100
Metering Mode = Spot
Flash = Flash fired, compulsory flash mode
Focal Length = 150mm + 3 Tubes + Reversed 50/1.8
Color Space = sRGB
Exposure Mode = Manual exposure
Tripod
Mirror Lockup
Remote Shutter Release
3 Flash Units
22 Frames Stacked with CombineZP
Capturer of God's Creations.

There is a fine line between a hobby and mental illness.

P_T
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Post by P_T »

Wow, that insect look a bit like a dinosaur from that angle! Very nice stack!

The background colour doesn't seem to complement the subject colour though... maybe that's just me, I don't really like that particular shade of green.

Cyclops
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Post by Cyclops »

Thats one strange looking beast,cool shot!
Canon 5D and 30D | Canon IXUS 265HS | Cosina 100mm f3.5 macro | EF 75-300 f4.5-5.6 USM III | EF 50 f1.8 II | Slik 88 tripod | Apex Practicioner monocular microscope

lauriek
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Post by lauriek »

Nice stack, I agree with P_T though, I think you could pick a better backdrop for this particular bug!!

rovebeetle
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Post by rovebeetle »

Now isn't that a remarkable critter!
lauriek wrote:Nice stack, I agree with P_T though, I think you could pick a better backdrop for this particular bug!!
Yes, I would suggest the interior of a space ship, something like in "Alien".

Cheers
Harry

Aynia
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Post by Aynia »

Wow.. very strange creature!

nto
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Post by nto »

very beautiful, I believe that bright colors are desired, according to contrast subject
Antonio

dmillard
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Post by dmillard »

Wow Jody! I'm consistently impressed with your technical mastery.

David

Planapo
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Post by Planapo »

Indeed an outstanding picture of a great looking bug. The best photo of an ambush bug that I´ve seen so far. Their ornate armour always reminds me of Roman gladiators or mediaeval knights.

As David, I´ve also been impressed with your technical excellence for a long time now, and what you achieve with two lenses mounted together, Jody.

There is one thing, IMHO and I hope you don´t mind, that could improve even this great photo a little. It´s concerning the partly OOF antenna that crosses the eye. For my personal taste that could have been bent in another direction.
When alive these little "monsters" often hold their antennae pointing forward, or tucked away backwards into that groove you can see nicely in your picture. (It´s that groove starting at the base of the antenna and then running in about 2 o'clock direction along under the funny "red lamp" ocellus and then extending onto the thorax).
These were two natural positions of the antennae that would avoid covering the eyes. Just my personal opinion.

--Betty

Harold Gough
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Post by Harold Gough »

An exciting subject with lots of potential. In my opinion (I don't have a humble one) the green colour is fine and it needs that hue and saturation to balance the deep yellow/gold of the subject.

Harold
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.

lauriek
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Post by lauriek »

I think the colour contrasts with the subject fine, I just don't like the particular shade of green, it might be that it's a bit unnatural! It's a great shot though, whatever the background colour!

Jody, out of interests (thought brought up by comments in a non related thread over at FM) - do your output stacks look sharp at full res? I'm just trying to work out if you suffer from diffraction due to the quite small apertures you use, or if the 35mm sized sensor is big enough to use those apertures without diffraction!!

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

...quite small apertures...
It's important to consider that f-numbers don't work the same way with stacked lens setups as they do with a simple lens on bellows.

If you get 3X by simple extension, then marked f/16 becomes effective f/64. But if you get 3X by stacking a 50 mm lens in front of a 150 mm lens, then marked f/16 (on the 150) is still effective f/16.

It's the same principle that you don't lose light when using closeup lenses, but you do with extension tubes or bellows.

Life gets more complicated when you combine both stacked lenses and some extension, but in general, the effective f-number will be a lot closer to the marked f-number whenever you have stacked lenses.

Given his setup, Jody's f-numbers will not produce nearly as much diffraction as you might expect based on experience with bellows systems.

--Rik

Harold Gough
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Post by Harold Gough »

Rik,

I think this assumes that the stacked (front) lens is at full aperture. The front lens would affect the angle of view and, perhaps, the working distance.

Harold
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

Right, that's why I said "marked f/16 (on the 150)". Usually people stop down the rear lens because that approach plays better with auto diaphragms and has less risk of vignetting. With some combinations, it works better to stop down the front lens, in which case the rules change and f/16 on the front at 3X becomes more like f/48 effective. Things can also get weird if the lenses have significant pupillary magnification factors.

The important point, I think, is to stay aware that "f-numbers" mean different things in different situations. We've read before, for example, that some Nikon systems treat the camera setting as the desired effective f-number and set the lens accordingly based on focus distance, while Canons generally treat the camera setting as the nominal lens f-number (at infinity focus) and let the effective f-number change as it will due to extension.

On any particular system, it's generally true that f/16 means half the aperture diameter of f/8.

But a setting of "f/16" on system X can mean something very much different from "f/16" on system Y.

--Rik

lauriek
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Post by lauriek »

Many thanks for the explanation Rik, that makes perfect sense. It just hasn't occurred to me that this would work differently in that setup. Of course using a reversed lens on the front of another lens is basically the same as adding a strong diopter...

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