Manual Focus Lenses Forum

revers · Thu Jul 15, 2010 1:25 pm

As I was coming in the house this morning I noticed a Dragonfly on a Lilly bud. I rushed in to get my camera & it was sitting on the table with the 44-2 on & a set of three tubes beside it. Rather than go upstairs for for my macro lens I put a 20mm tube on the 44-2 & went back to find the fly still sitting on the bud. To my surprise the fly filled the frame as you can see in this pic.

I decided that a 11mm tube would be more appropriate & went inside to switch tubes. When I came back outside the fly was gone & I spotted a very tiny spider - now I could have used the longer tube but I shot with the short one anyway. This pic has about 30% cropped off.

djmike · Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Posts: 930 Location: Taiwan

Stunning focus and bokeh #1. Good job.

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

what you need is the 'Red Green' approach and construct a device that has all your lenses and tubes to hand just as you need them, or a good slave. Wink

Nice pictures though, the Helios continues to amaze me.

Solidpace · Joined: 12 Oct 2009 Posts: 15

I find that first image especially stunning! Thank you for sharing!

wilson.c · Joined: 18 Jan 2010 Posts: 365 Location: Hong Kong

The sharpness of focus and bokeh in #1 does it for me Smile

symphonic · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 550 Location: SE Europe, Croatia

wow! both are awesome Cool

revers · Thu Jul 15, 2010 4:16 pm

Thanks guys.

This lens continues to amaze me. Here is a very heavy crop of pic #1.

calvin83 · Joined: 12 Apr 2009 Posts: 7740 Location: Hong Kong

I can count the dots in the fly head. Great pic.!

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4065 Location: Charleston

Very nicely done, Ron. I've taken some dragon flies recently, but have not yet resulted in one that clear. I even used the Flek, but focusing is very difficult up close like that. I've also found them very skittish. You are fortunate that he allowed you to get that close.

While I like the dragon fly picture better, the spider shot is a bigger accomplishment given the size of the bug. I spent over a week harassing an orchard spider in my yard, trying a host of lenses, but one I left out was the 44-2. Was that direct sunlight or flash? What aperture? My spider was 1/2" including long legs and it glowed in sunlight, creating an exposure challenge.

Nice job.

revers · Thu Jul 15, 2010 7:08 pm

Kastro · Joined: 15 Jul 2010 Posts: 31

Nice pics! Smile

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

Kastro · Joined: 15 Jul 2010 Posts: 31

Believe it or not, yes... My first name is Fidel... Smile

but its Kastro.. not to be confused with the cuban dictator guy Wink

Olivier · Expire: 2015-08-06

Ron !!!
What great macro shots !!!
They(re really stunning.
I don't have such results with my Helios-44M

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4065 Location: Charleston

Ron: That spider I had photographed over a full week's time had its web destroyed by a torrential rainfall. It took four days, but he rebuilt it in a better location for photographing. I visited him yesterday, this time with the Helios on an extender, and took a few shots. Only one came close to focus because the web was in a constant movement in wind. Again, I had to handhold because of location and how close this lens needs to be. If I'm not careful with movement, he scoots off and hides in the bush.

I don't know how long the extension is, it's one I made by removing the glass from a 2x extender. I'll try again today in direct sunlight, faster exposure, and tripod if I can manage it. Here's the one shot that was in partial focus. The spider is 1/2" long including legs.

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

revers · Sun Jul 18, 2010 3:29 pm

Hard to shoot them, even a slight breeze causes the web to bounce like a trampoline. Good thing spiders are not prone to motion sickness. Rolling Eyes

revers · Sun Jul 18, 2010 3:30 pm

Thanks all, for your kind comments.

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4065 Location: Charleston

Well, Ron, I was able to get a little closer today. This seems the best I can do. I'll leave the little guy alone now; he's been a good sport.

revers · Mon Jul 19, 2010 12:29 am

That is a colourful spider. I cannot say I have seen an open certre to a web before.

I was wondering if you could have gotten more DoF but your EXIF is blocked.

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4065 Location: Charleston

Ron: I have no idea what the aperture was, but the shutter was 1/125 and ISO200. I didn't want to go higher ISO and the web was fluttering and waving in the breeze too much to go slower shutter, so I set the aperture at f/16 and then turned the stop down wheel until I had the exposure correct for the shutter speed. Actually I deliberately underexposed by a stop, so it was stopped down a little more. If I had to guess, I'd say I was in the f/8 area. I was also quite close, it is not a big crop.

Kram · Joined: 06 Feb 2010 Posts: 1344 Location: Portland, OR

Ron, nice work!

my_photography · Expire: 2016-12-25

Nice macro especially #1.

walter g · Joined: 20 Feb 2010 Posts: 2463 Location: NC, USA

Really nice Ron. I think that combo likes you. Smile