Bumblebee Macro,

[Froggie]

I'd like to put this shot up for critique, as I think it's my best insect macro yet.

Nikon D50, 105mm f/2.8D
Natural Light, Handheld, ISO 200, roughly 1:1, f/10 and about 1/250 but I'll have to check the EXIF data when I get home to know for sure.

http://saskatoonaquarium.com/gallery/albums/album01/acq.jpg

I could do a slightly better job on post-processing I imagine, I only spent about 30 seconds on it last night as I wanted to show people.

[paradise]

Sean, it's awesome. The detail on the head is perfect, and the menacing pose is very cool. Also, perfect DOF, just past the main body, textbook.

[Ibn]

Beautiful shot, Sean. Love the reflection in the eye there. Only thing that bothers me is the fact that it's composed right in the center.

[i have crabs]

what lense did you use,i want to buy a good macro lense but dont know anything about them.

[paradise]

Sean used 105mm 2.8 macro for this one.

[Cavy2]

Incredible shot! I have a Sigma 105mm, but can't seem to get as close. Any ideas?

[Ibn]

Add a teleconverter there and turn that lens into a longer one. Use one of the 3rd party ones to retain the autofocusing.

Also, timing and patience goes a long way.

[Froggie]

Incredible shot! I have a Sigma 105mm, but can't seem to get as close. Any ideas?

I'm afraid I must repeat the suggestion of patience and timing. It's just a matter of sneaking up close enough and finding the big bugs. I must admit that I often find that 1:1 isn't close enough for me. I honestly wish that Nikon had an offering similar to the Canon MPE-65mm f/2.8. For next season I may start experimenting with extension tubes. From what I've heard teleconverters aren't the best option for macro.

[Ibn]

2x handheld sample for you. :) Used extension tubes on a 50mm to get them this size and a fly since they're pretty easy to approach with the distance needed from a 50.

http://i.pbase.com/o4/35/597035/1/62409772.EkUBPsyH.D2X_0528.jpg

[Froggie]

2x handheld sample for you. :) Used extension tubes on a 50mm to get them this size and a fly since they're pretty easy to approach with the distance needed from a 50.

My point exactly, far too soft.

[Cavy2]

Wow, I love the eyes. What about close up lens sets instead of extension tubes?

[Froggie]

Wow, I love the eyes. What about close up lens sets instead of extension tubes?

Once you get into stronger diopters there's distortion and a distinct loss of sharpness.

[Cavy2]

I'm a little confused...Sean you didn't use any extension on the bee pic correct? To make it easier for myself, I should try extension tubes that will allow my AF to continue to work. I am getting a wide variance of prices for these. Any recommendations?

[i have crabs]

for my sony alpha would this lense be ok for this type of photo or should i spend more and get the 100mm version.?
http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servlet/ProductDetailDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=1002947&navigationPath=n100267n100269
http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servlet/ProductDetailDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=1002943&navigationPath=n100267n100269
or even better is thier some other lense that would fit and be cheeper since $900 for a lense is gonna kill me if the wife dosent.

[Froggie]

I'm a little confused...Sean you didn't use any extension on the bee pic correct?

As stated in the original post I show the picture at about 1:1 with my Nikon 105mm f/2.8D lens. No extension tubes were used.