under the magnifying glass

 

6th June

It is disappointing to wait all Winter for Summer to come along and then it turns out to be a bit shit. Too much rain, too much wind, low cloud; very poor! The butterflies are either not appearing or doing so in low numbers and looking pretty gutted and washed out.

One thing I have been enjoying enormously is macro photography. To the extent that, against my better judgement, I spent far too much money recently on another macro lens that is not significantly different to the one I already have. There was nothing wrong with the 60mm, but the 90mm is even better. The 60mm promises 1:1 magnification. The 90mm 2:1. Which increases if you add Raynox filters or extension tubes. Today was the first day road testing the 90mm. I bought it in the new Wex store which opened on Leith Walk (39 Haddington Place) recently. They may have chosen a new venue based on which customers spent the most money in the past year. And then moved as near to me as possible. I think I can only afford to go in once or twice a year.

speckled wood

So this was the first try out of the new macro lens. It is considerably larger than the 60mm but I have got used to the greater weight of the 100~400mm which is on the camera most of the time, so the bulk is not an issue. Apart from the increased magnification, the thing that drew me to the 90mm was it doesn't have to be so close to the subject. (Don't forget the micro four thirds sensor size means 90mm is actually 180mm in 35mm terms.) This means I am not shoving it so close to a bug or butterfly. Which most insects are not super keen on. Almost all will allow a glacial approach but with most there is a limited time before they move or fly off. So it makes life a bit easier with fewer fly-offs. 

Once you get a little closer in (than the photos above and below) the detail of the macro lens is far superior to the telephoto lens. I mostly use it with a flash and softbox diffuser. The diffuser is still the £10 one I bought for the 60mm. I was looking to replace it with something a bit more up market. There are 3 main brands, non-brand ones from eBay which presumably are undercutting main brands. Another is from an American company, and one from an individual who sends stuff out of Australia. I got as far as finding out how much the Australian one costs before reckoning I'll stick with the £10 softbox. £109. Fuck that for 3 sheets of polypropylene that clip together with pop-studs (and a small booklet). Jimmy R who takes epic macro shots made his own which is the admirable road to go down. Jimmy R also has the 90mm lens, (on the equivalent OM Systems body to my Lumix body) so I have no excuse not to be taking shots as good as his soon. (It may take some time to get there!)

silver-ground carpet moth

speckled wood

Heliphilus pendulus

Lucilia sericata
Greenbottle

tree bumblebee

I wasn't expecting to come across this comma. It was a bit knackered and the right rear wing was missing sections, however from this angle looked okay. It gave me a sense of how distant I could be and still get a decent record shot. When I moved in it allowed me to get fairly close before it flew off. Maybe a hand span to half a metre away to fill the frame. Difficult to tell as I slithered through the grass like a snake - I believe it is beneficial to stay as low as possible because when the butterfly is down low it will see a higher profile approaching more clearly than a low one.

Mesopsocus

I must have gone over to the Peter Smellie gravestone, famous for harbouring about 40 orange ladybirds over Winter. They have all dispersed since. However looking closely at gravestones you begin to see tiny bugs, only just visible to the (my) naked eye. I never take my reading glasses out, but may have to start, as some of the insects were practically invisible until I used the camera as a roving telescope to survey the tiny world of macro. This specimen appears to be a barklouse according to google lens. There are several Mesopsocus species, which tend to be about 5mm in length. I felt this one was a bit shorter than that although it is very tricky to measure things you can hardly see. Perhaps the colour and pattern being so similar to the background made this delightful creature seem smaller. I was very pleased to get a couple of focussed shots, so that you can even see the texture on its eyes. If I remember I will take a small ruler with me next time.

orange ladybird - much bigger

Birch Catkin Bug - Kleidocerys resedae

This is a Birch Catkin Bug. You can see aspects of shieldbug about it and I'm guessing the 2 are relatives. This is smaller than a shieldbug. 5mm BL (assuming body length?) says the big book of insects.

orange ladybird BL 4mm

So there are several things like froghoppers (leafhoppers / treehoppers) that are protected by a froth commonly known as cuckoo spit. Are they nymphs that grow into cicada like flies? So much to learn, so little brainpower to spare!

froghopper

anthocoris
(is this a nymph that will grow wings later?)

relative size of orange ladybird and index finger

google lens say Rose Leafhopper
and I'm not inclined to argue

I love this rhododendron bush/tree

18 spot ladybird
covered in pollen grains?

big book of insects says not found in the Lothians

Lygocoris

initially I thought this a Pine ladybird
but a bit of research (and white patches) suggests another harlequin

red admiral

The 90mm lens seems to take rather fine photos of butterflies, though you do have to exercise more caution to approach closer.

Dolichopus

Empid / Asilus

didn't notice the pair of carpet beetles till later

Volucella pellucens

same

Above: 2 pics of a large fly. I prefer the lower one because it is taken from the eye level of the fly and not just from a human standpoint. I had to make a bit of effort to get down to the right height and (while holding breath, always holding breath) take the shot without falling over, while possibly one knee is getting wet and muddy, and maybe one hand on a nettle or something jaggy!

red admiral

nearly the last of the holly blues
(there will be a second brood along in July) 

female Holly Blue

damselfly

One of the most red most glossy ladybirds I've ever seen landed on a fern near me. I spent a long time trying to get photos. While most are okay I'm not sure I got anywhere near the perfect photo. It was moving continually which didn't help. Very glossy and red though! Likely a harlequin.

underside of fern

I might have got a little bit of finger/thumb in the frame.

it did a walkabout on my hand then took off. 
Did I get lift-off in focus? Fuck no!

Far too soon to give a full review of the new macro lens. Was all that money well spent? Mmm, hard to say. It certainly works well but due to the 60mm being so good in the first place, the 90mm was never going to make a massive difference. While it is not easy to use, it is a pleasure to work with, and with a little bit of time to experiment, you begin to get an idea of what works and how to set it up. Lots of great tips and videos from Micael Widdel, a friendly guide to macro. He rates the 90mm lens as the best in the world.

There is always a difficulty in working with insects whose first priority is not making beautiful photos, but aside from outbursts of swearing as yet another bug runs off or flies away, it is all good fun and work in progress. And a window into a new world of treasures and wonders. Perhaps worth the huge price tag after all.