Fly shake

I've discovered some photos on one of my SD cards that I have not uploaded to Lightroom. Below is a simple closeup using a closeup filter. The image was slightly blurred - my fault. But I've recently upgraded to Photoshop CC and I've not yet used the new Shake Reduction filter. Normally I've would use more conventional sharpening techniques, but I was keen to see what the hype was about, and I stand pleasantly surprised.

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 270mm, Exposure 1/100sec at f29, ISO 400, Focus auto, VC on, Flash popup with DIY diffuser, Filter closeup.

Read more »

Bison Moth

I would never have guessed that I would be describing a moth as furry, but this little critter has a mane like a lion :-) I've tried to identify the specific moth, but to me all NZ moths all looks the same. I suppose someone with a trained eye will tell the difference.

Before I forget again. I've learned some valuable lessons for getting the most out of my macro filter:

1. Don't focus at infinity. Set the lens to manual and make sure it is at its closest focal distance.
2. Shoot at an angle. The diopter (macro filter) goes out of focus at the corners and this is pronounced when shooting a flat surface, like shooting something from the top. However, shooting at an angle, like I've done below, hides the focus drop off as normal depth of view.
3. Shoot manual. With my DIY popup flash diffuser, I can get good lighting at 1/125s at f20 at ISO200. At this f-stop I can make the most of my subject. In bright light I will stop down even further.
4. Leave the lens's image stabilizing on. It help TONS!

Click to enlarge.

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 270mm, Exposure 1/125sec at f20, ISO 200, Focus auto, VC on, Flash DIY popup diffuser, Filter +4 macro.

Read more »

Jumping Jack

My wife's comfrey plant is a good base for posing insect on, that is if they do not decide to enjoy the sun from that location on their own. This locust with it colorful body made for a good subject for the Tamron with the +4 macro filter since it really fills the frame nicely. I do not typically shoot macro at such a lower magnification, so for your pleasure I have included a sample taken of the same species using one of my reverse mounted lenses.

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 270mm, Exposure 1/125sec at f16, ISO 800, Focus auto, VC on, Flash none, Filter +4 macro.

And a much closer view taken with a reverse mounted manual zoom lens.

Read more »

Spiders Spiders Everywhere

Wow, I've had a lot of fun the past two days. Any insect that ventures into my house by implication is eligible to pose for my photos :-)

Here are some images of spiders snapped using my Tamron VC PZD with a +4 diopter on. Note multiple photos where taken at varying focal depths and combined using image stacking software to produce a single image with good depth of field. Also, I am still getting used to the image stacking software, so the resulting images are not yet to my liking, especially the background on the last one. All images are crops.

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 270mm, Exposure 1/10sec at f13 +2/3EV, ISO 200, Focus manual, VC off, Flash none, Filter UV and +4 diopter.

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 270mm, Exposure 1/10sec at f14 +2/3EV, ISO 200, Focus manual, VC off, Flash none, Filter UV and +4 diopter.

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 270mm, Exposure 0.3sec at f14 +2/3EV, ISO 200, Focus manual, VC off, Flash none, Filter UV and +4 diopter.

Read more »

Dahlia Diopter +4

Today was a good day, the local camera shop had some Marumi diopters (close-up filters) in stock. So I could not let a set stay in the shop, no, I just had to adopt them :-)

The image below is a quick snap of the Tamron 18-270mm VC PZD with a +4 diopter fitted. The shot was taken without a tripod. Note that the center part of the dahlia is less than 2cm in diameter. I cannot wait to see what this lens can achieve at +7 (+1, +2 and +4 stacked). Although I am pretty sure I will need a tripod at that "magnification".

Canon 600D, Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. Focal length 200mm, Exposure 1/100sec at f14, ISO 100, Focus manual, VC on, Flash none, Filter UV and +4 diopter stacked.

Read more »