Common Cockchafer Melolontha - Industar 61

[Olivier]

I was working in the garden and suddenly I saw something trying to take off.
It was a common cockchafer (Melolontha).
It tried to fly but rolled forward each time it raised in the air.
I observed it and noticed it was full of dry mud. So I went in the house and came back with a glass of water.
I dropped some water on it and the mud went off. I used the whole glass.
He crumped towards a plant looking for shelter and stood there, calm, drying to the warming sun.

I decided to go and catch my 5D². I first mounted an AF lens : the Canon EF 100mm f:2.8 macro, and used it with manual focus on.
Then I mounted the Industar-61 50mm f:2.8.

Here are some of the pictures I took, including the EF 100mm f:2.8.
All handheld, hood on the EF 100, no hood on the industar-61. Aperture beween f5.6 and f11.

Click on pictures to open them in new window and then click again to obtain better quality .

EF 2.8/100 Macro
1-


2-


3-


Industar-61 2.8/50. Slightly reframed.
4-


5-


6-


7-


8-


9-


crop


10-


11-


12-


It must be a female as it has 6 "leaves" on its antennas. Males have 7.

She flew away without problem this time. Mud surely overweighted her front...

[David]

I love 11! That's a fantastic portrait/macro.

[poilu]

nice story and great captures of this nice bug !

[pich900]

Never seen this bug before !
Great serie and #11 is for me also the best of the serie, she looks like that she pose for you before to fly away , great macro shot portrait!

[Minolfan]

Nice series!

[Excalibur]

Great shots...as a keen gardener sometimes I'm not sure what to kill and what to let live and for this insect I would have to look in my book

[NikonD]

have them here in Slovenia too, we call them majski hrošč
#11 is great!

[Olivier]

Thank you !

I like #8 too, cropped :



as if she were waiting for me to bring her a beer...

This Industar-61 is nice... and 5D MkII is great !

I was in Haley's position : completely lying on the floor. A real carpet.