Body workout on bees, with examples

[Akira]

Frank, I bought the ballhead either on ebay or amazon, the Manfrotto DADO kit (the parts spreading in the middle) at a local retailer and the threaded stud as well as the hard rubber feet from RRS.

[Frank Fremerey]

I have a Manfrotto factory or outlet something not far from here. Will try threre. Thank you.

[Akira]

I have a Manfrotto factory or outlet something not far from here. Will try threre. Thank you.

Frank, hope the contraption would work for you.

All the threads on the red ball and black bars are the standard 3/8".  So, most of the photo accessories can be attached.  You can even use spikes to stick into the ground.  Also, there are two different DADO kits: DADO with one red ball, three paris of black bars and studs as well as DADO with one red ball and six pairs of bars and studs.  With the latter kit, you can adjust the height of the tripod more flexibly by connecting two bars using the stud.

[Frank Fremerey]

www.manfrottodistribution.de/

[Frank Fremerey]

Depth of field is always in short supply. In my standard situation it is 8mm (15cm distance, F=11, D600, Micro 60G).

But as Erik is probably right even the "in focus" parts here are not biting. So the 105VR does not shine in this discipline while it was really nice in the Tomatoe thread.

In this case she is also moving, throwing sand around, so motion blur is a possible cause (1/160 s f=10, D600)

[Akira]

www.manfrottodistribution.de/

http://www.manfrotto.de/dado-kit-6-rohre-msy0580a

[Akira]

Frank, I remember using Ai-s Micro 105/4.0.  I liked the fact that the lens extends significantly and that there is no optical trick that shortens the focal length when focused closer, because the lens will keep the camera and the photographer away from the subjects, unlike the modern IF micro/macro lenses filling up the market.  You don't need to bend over to the subject either, when you handhold the camera/lens combo.

That said, one problem I found was that it doesn't have a tripod colar.  Thus the camera/lens combo had to be supported at the bottom of the camera, which makes the whole rig unstable and front-heavy, and it is difficult to change angles on the ballhead.

So, whenever you are sure that you are going to shoot at the magnification between 1:2 and 1:1, you would be better off using PN-11 from the outset and mount the collar of PN-11 onto the tripod head.  RRS used to make a dedicated Arca-Swiss plate called "5A" that fits perfectly and solidly with the somewhat rounded foot of PN-11 and guarantees the rock solid support.

[ColinM]

But as Erik is probably right even the "in focus" parts here are not biting. So the 105VR does not shine in this discipline while it was really nice in the Tomatoe thread.

Interesting. So can you or Erik say whether you think it's the optical qualities of the 105VR that are stopping you getting the quality you want, or is it
- Not being able to acquire sharp focus quickly enough, or
- Subject movement affecting the image more than usual because of the magnification involved?

I appreciate you are after natural images of your bees. However one option I was going to suggest several days ago was using flash to eliminate some of the variables. This might not be a long term solution but might at least indicate the main source of your issues.
- Being able to freeze the action with the short flash duration
- Giving you more light so you have more options on aperture etc
Of course, once you start doing this, you are into another world of
a) Keeping this setup mobile enough as you stalk your prey
b) Getting a natural-looking balance of light between the subject & background
     (easy in a studio macro setup, harder whilst out in the field and when moving around)

I have the full Nikon R1C1 macro setup inc Commander. I've used this with insects on several occaisions and it works.
I am not using it much at the moment, so if you wanted to give it a go, could ship it across to you.....

This guy wasn't moving as much as your bees, but indicates what's possible
(note taken with the 105BR plus D50, so less pixels or AF ability than your setup)

[ColinM]

Problems with the 105VR???

I was interested in the point raised by Erik and others. I have only used this lens and the older Tamron SP90mm to do closeups, so don't have extensive experience in this area. However I have attached a couple of images taken with the 105VR in case they help confirm or question the issue.

I don't doubt the VR version of this lens has some drawbacks compared to other models (the VR makes it ridiculously bigger & heavier than needed). I also don't know how its AF response stacks up, but that isn't usually an issue for macro unless you are chasing a moving object - I wonder if at that point the AFS might offer some advantages compared to the older screwdriver system on the 200mm (whether or not that lens has superior optics)

So any comments on the images below would be welcome

Ichneumon wasp (flash)


Minty Cricket (flash)


Crawly beetle (NO FLASH)

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Frank has already specified that flash cannot be used in this project.

[Frank Fremerey]

For very shy bees flash does not help as stated above. My bee scientist burst into laughter when I told her.

My final goal is to shoot sequenes of bees in flight. It could bee that flash is helpful in this case.

The limiting factor to me seems to be AF speed or better put how to acquire focus.

We have roughly 8mm DOF. Many bees are bigger than 8mm. They move at 10cm per second often erratic.

For sitting bees my setup is not so bad and the 4/200 Micro wil make it better. See examples.

[ColinM]

We have roughly 8mm DOF. Many bees are bigger than 8mm. They move at 10cm per second often erratic.
For sitting bees my setup is not so bad and the 4/200 Micro wil make it better. See examples.

Although your bees may fit inside this DOF, you may find that many people feel the shot isn't "in focus" if the insect's eyes aren't sharp. So perhaps the tolerance is even tighter than that.

However the last image you posted was excellent, eyes looked good and it was also a very pleasing photographic image (even without any scientific content).

For very shy bees flash does not help as stated above. My bee scientist burst into laughter when I told her.

Yes, I read this and smiled as an image came into my mind of a bee emerging from a nightclub with a leg up in front of its face yelling "No Pictures please"

[Frank Fremerey]

Colin. The most hits I get with the 60G Micro when it comes to bees  in flight. Look at my other bee threads.

But it is wasting film still. Lots of that. With 64GB cards the film roll is veeeery long.

There are laser tracking rigs to capture insects in a proper technical way. For me the images are not
pleasing photographically. I love the natural light. For insects that do not feel disturbed by flash a fill could
effectively help with the micro contrast though.

Thank you for your support.

Frank

[rosko]

.

The last image of bee (on borage flower) looks ''creamy''. really nice !

If I have correctly understood you took it with the 200mm micro-nikkor ?

Cheers, Francis.

[Frank Fremerey]

Francis: No the picture is taken with the 60G Micro Nikkor anmd stems from the "tracking bees" thread.

Here is it: http://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?topic=293.0