Author Topic: Flying insects.  (Read 2555 times)

rosko

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Flying insects.
« on: October 01, 2015, 12:57:43 »
Some different insects in flight taken with different lenses and cameras.

#1&2: Carder bee (Bombus pascuorum)

Df + micro nikkor 105mm f/4.

Thank you for watching, Francis. :)
Francis Devrainne

rosko

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Re: Flying insects.
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2015, 13:00:26 »
# 3 : Dragon fly Hawker (Aeshnidae)

D300 # Sigma apo 150mm f/2.8.
Francis Devrainne

rosko

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Re: Flying insects.
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2015, 13:03:15 »
#4 : Bee fly (Bombylus major)

Df + CV 125mm f/2.5 apo lanthar.
Francis Devrainne

rosko

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Re: Flying insects.
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2015, 13:05:33 »
#5 Bee fly (bombylus major)

D300 + macro Sigma apo 150mm f/2.8
Francis Devrainne

rosko

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Re: Flying insects.
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2015, 13:07:52 »
#6 : Hover fly (Syrphidae)

Df + CV 125mm f/2.5 apo lanthar.
Francis Devrainne

rosko

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Re: Flying insects.
« Reply #5 on: October 01, 2015, 13:10:06 »
#7 : Hover fly (Syrphidae)

Df + micro nikkor 55mm f/3.5 Auto (non AI).
Francis Devrainne

rosko

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Re: Flying insects.
« Reply #6 on: October 01, 2015, 13:12:39 »
#8 Hawk moth (Sphingidae)

D700 + CV 125mm f/2.5 apo lanthar.
Francis Devrainne

rosko

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Re: Flying insects.
« Reply #7 on: October 01, 2015, 13:15:15 »
#9 : Hawk moth (Sphingidae)

Df + micro nikkor 105mm f/4.
Francis Devrainne

elsa hoffmann

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Re: Flying insects.
« Reply #8 on: October 01, 2015, 13:41:02 »
wow nice work Rosko - wish I did that
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Jakov Minić

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Re: Flying insects.
« Reply #9 on: October 01, 2015, 13:51:01 »
Nice captures Francis. I like #6 the most.
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Gary

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Re: Flying insects.
« Reply #10 on: October 01, 2015, 16:02:44 »
Nicely done. I suspect you have infinite patience.
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Critiquing my snaps are always welcomed and appreciated.

Andrea B.

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Re: Flying insects.
« Reply #11 on: October 01, 2015, 17:32:47 »
Super stuff Francis!!
I do love shooting bees & flies & wasps myself. I know how hard it is to get the little guys frozen in flight. You did great!

What speeds were required for this? Did you use continuous focus AF-C? Did you use single AF point or multiple? Just curious. "-)

Bjørn Rørslett

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Re: Flying insects.
« Reply #12 on: October 01, 2015, 17:45:59 »
Sometimes you just are in the perfect spot. This sequence, of a female dragonfly homing in on her favourite place to lay the eggs, was taken with the 300 mm f/4.5 ED-If plus PN-11 extension, F4 camera. The focusing travel was severely limited, but fortunately for me, the dragonfly landed exact in the centre of my focus plane.

(I was shooting an endangered, rare, and red-listed aquatic species, Sparganium gramineum, that day, so had set up for that end and the dragonfly was just an added bonus)

rosko

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Re: Flying insects.
« Reply #13 on: October 01, 2015, 22:00:24 »
Thank you all for your kind comments !

@Gary : Sometimes I am patient, sometimes I am not...When I am not, I shoot flowers instead ! :P


@Andrea : I use ''A'' mode so I do control the shutter speed by setting the aperture.

I set the aperture according to the light available (and the distance from the subject, the closer, the smaller aperture to get more DOF).

If I shoot a fast insect, or in low light, I set more isos.

You can predict  the speed depending on each insect : bees, bumble bees are fast and fly randomly, so is better to install your gear on a tripod an focus on a flower with deep DOF. Any bee will land on it eventually.

Syrphidae (Hover flies) and bees fly : These creature fly stationary but for a short time (few seconds) : better to focus before and then move back and forth your  hands held cam. of course, you will need several tries before get one in focus !

Dragon flies : they fly very fast and randomly. Big ones rarely land. however I noticed they wander according a circuit and they fly stationary, often on the same location but few seconds. So, i get ready until they come back.

Wasps : too fast. No possible to freeze one without a special device (laser triggered)

Butterfies : possibly doable (Zygenias and Sphingidaes) if you are lucky ! ;D the hummingbird was rather easy to catch, though.

Did you use single AF point or multiple? Just curious. "-)

Important point : I never use AF. When I had the apo Sigma 150mm I used to turn AF off.

Even in still macrophotography AF bothers me. I use  now manual macro lenses only.

Did you use continuous focus AF-C?

Yes, I do sometimes when I move the camera back and forth instead turn the focus ring.


@bjørn: Great document ! I never could get one like that, mostly because the location is full of vegetals, stalks or leaves or very often too far on clean area I can't reach.

Using a long lense + extention ring is a good idea and needs, as you said, some luck. But it worth trying ! :D



Francis Devrainne

Bob Foster

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Re: Flying insects.
« Reply #14 on: April 19, 2023, 15:11:14 »
I was looking at options to frame a clump of narcissus when a Hyles lineata appeared in the viewfinder. Substantial crop of an image made with Df, Non-Ai Nikkor SC 50mm f1.4 , 1/1000 f5,6, ISO 100.