On Sat, 31 Jul 2004 12:24:30 +0100, "Rachael of Nex, the Wiccan Rat"
wrote:

~
~"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
. com...
~ "Rachael of Nex, the Wiccan Rat" wrote in message
...
~ [...]
~ (If you wish to decide for yourself if this technique actually works for
~me
~ or I am in fact talking total rubbish, go here
~http://littleurl.com/?01k5 )
~
~ OK, forget about the bath-plug chain: you're good. Hope you don't mind
~ if I put the site in "Favourites".
~
~LOL. ;-) Thanks, and no, I don't mind at all. I've become alot happier for
~people to see my stuff now that I am getting better at it.
~I'm not sure the bathplug and bolt would work with my digital as it goes
~anyway - digitals seem to require proprietary shutter releases (which I keep
~telling myself I will get around to buying one day ...)
~
I'm impressed. The ducklings are now wallpaper :-)

What I'd love to know is how the heck did you get those really close
close-ups eg the butterfly. Is it the native macro or do you have an
extra close-up lens or something else?


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

On Sat, 31 Jul 2004 12:24:30 +0100, "Rachael of Nex, the Wiccan Rat"
wrote:

~
~"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
. com...
~ "Rachael of Nex, the Wiccan Rat" wrote in message
...
~ [...]
~ (If you wish to decide for yourself if this technique actually works for
~me
~ or I am in fact talking total rubbish, go here
~http://littleurl.com/?01k5 )
~
~ OK, forget about the bath-plug chain: you're good. Hope you don't mind
~ if I put the site in "Favourites".
~
~LOL. ;-) Thanks, and no, I don't mind at all. I've become alot happier for
~people to see my stuff now that I am getting better at it.
~I'm not sure the bathplug and bolt would work with my digital as it goes
~anyway - digitals seem to require proprietary shutter releases (which I keep
~telling myself I will get around to buying one day ...)
~
I'm impressed. The ducklings are now wallpaper :-)

What I'd love to know is how the heck did you get those really close
close-ups eg the butterfly. Is it the native macro or do you have an
extra close-up lens or something else?


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

"jane" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 31 Jul 2004 12:24:30 +0100, "Rachael of Nex, the Wiccan Rat"
wrote:
~
~LOL. ;-) Thanks, and no, I don't mind at all. I've become alot happier
for
~people to see my stuff now that I am getting better at it.
~I'm not sure the bathplug and bolt would work with my digital as it goes
~anyway - digitals seem to require proprietary shutter releases (which I
keep
~telling myself I will get around to buying one day ...)
~
I'm impressed. The ducklings are now wallpaper :-)

What I'd love to know is how the heck did you get those really close
close-ups eg the butterfly. Is it the native macro or do you have an
extra close-up lens or something else?

As I recall the butterflies were the camera's own macro with no attachments.
I do have many attachments of various ilk for my camera (some of them very
Heath Robinson) but at the butterfly farm it is so hot that you don't want
to be carrying alot of kit around.

The butterflies are not worried about you getting very close to them either
if you're slow moving and careful - they even land on you. I think the Owl
buttefly was taken by resting the camera on a rail about three inches from
the buttefly, as I recall. And he was quite big to begin with - about five
inches tall maybe, not a small one like the natives to the uk at all. The
Nikon Coolpix range have great macros, and mine is one of the high end in
that range. Macro is it's speciality which is why I bought it. ;-)

Things like the very small pink flower and the forget-me-not were done with
a reversed lens stuck on the existing lens of the camera (well, to be exact
on a metal tube that screws into the camera body and encases the existing
lens - I fear the weight of another lens attached to the actual end of the
existing lens would actually damage it), making what is called a "poor man's
macro" - a very high quality magnifying lens of about +40 (depending on the
length of that lens, of course.) If you happen to have an slr camera hanging
about you can unscrew the lens, turn it over and look in the "wrong end" and
you'll see what I mean - you have to get close to the subject for this one
though. This does mean that the area of things that are in focus - the depth
of field - is very very thin though, almost a milimetre thin in some cases.
High mags means swallow depth of field. To be honest, this technique is one
where a tripod is pretty much essential - I have heard tell of people being
able to do it handheld but I can't, that much I do know - one tiny shake of
the hands and it's all out of focus !


Glad you enjoyed it. The ducklings do seem to be popular !


Rachael

"jane" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 31 Jul 2004 12:24:30 +0100, "Rachael of Nex, the Wiccan Rat"
wrote:
~
~LOL. ;-) Thanks, and no, I don't mind at all. I've become alot happier
for
~people to see my stuff now that I am getting better at it.
~I'm not sure the bathplug and bolt would work with my digital as it goes
~anyway - digitals seem to require proprietary shutter releases (which I
keep
~telling myself I will get around to buying one day ...)
~
I'm impressed. The ducklings are now wallpaper :-)

What I'd love to know is how the heck did you get those really close
close-ups eg the butterfly. Is it the native macro or do you have an
extra close-up lens or something else?

As I recall the butterflies were the camera's own macro with no attachments.
I do have many attachments of various ilk for my camera (some of them very
Heath Robinson) but at the butterfly farm it is so hot that you don't want
to be carrying alot of kit around.

The butterflies are not worried about you getting very close to them either
if you're slow moving and careful - they even land on you. I think the Owl
buttefly was taken by resting the camera on a rail about three inches from
the buttefly, as I recall. And he was quite big to begin with - about five
inches tall maybe, not a small one like the natives to the uk at all. The
Nikon Coolpix range have great macros, and mine is one of the high end in
that range. Macro is it's speciality which is why I bought it. ;-)

Things like the very small pink flower and the forget-me-not were done with
a reversed lens stuck on the existing lens of the camera (well, to be exact
on a metal tube that screws into the camera body and encases the existing
lens - I fear the weight of another lens attached to the actual end of the
existing lens would actually damage it), making what is called a "poor man's
macro" - a very high quality magnifying lens of about +40 (depending on the
length of that lens, of course.) If you happen to have an slr camera hanging
about you can unscrew the lens, turn it over and look in the "wrong end" and
you'll see what I mean - you have to get close to the subject for this one
though. This does mean that the area of things that are in focus - the depth
of field - is very very thin though, almost a milimetre thin in some cases.
High mags means swallow depth of field. To be honest, this technique is one
where a tripod is pretty much essential - I have heard tell of people being
able to do it handheld but I can't, that much I do know - one tiny shake of
the hands and it's all out of focus !


Glad you enjoyed it. The ducklings do seem to be popular !


Rachael

"Rachael of Nex, the Wiccan Rat" wrote in message
...

"jane" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 31 Jul 2004 12:24:30 +0100, "Rachael of Nex, the Wiccan Rat"
wrote:
~
~LOL. ;-) Thanks, and no, I don't mind at all. I've become alot
happier
for
~people to see my stuff now that I am getting better at it.
~I'm not sure the bathplug and bolt would work with my digital as it
goes
~anyway - digitals seem to require proprietary shutter releases
(which I
keep
~telling myself I will get around to buying one day ...)
~
I'm impressed. The ducklings are now wallpaper :-)

What I'd love to know is how the heck did you get those really close
close-ups eg the butterfly. Is it the native macro or do you have an
extra close-up lens or something else?

As I recall the butterflies were the camera's own macro with no
attachments.
I do have many attachments of various ilk for my camera (some of them
very
Heath Robinson) but at the butterfly farm it is so hot that you don't
want
to be carrying alot of kit around.

The butterflies are not worried about you getting very close to them
either
if you're slow moving and careful - they even land on you. I think the
Owl
buttefly was taken by resting the camera on a rail about three inches
from
the buttefly, as I recall. And he was quite big to begin with - about
five
inches tall maybe, not a small one like the natives to the uk at all.
The
Nikon Coolpix range have great macros, and mine is one of the high end
in
that range. Macro is it's speciality which is why I bought it. ;-)

************
Sorry Folks!, a macro lens is a handy implement but success in getting
close to insects that can fly without them flitting is very small.
A zoom lens camera is better - using your unipod in the approved
manner, - you can stand away and completely fill the screen with the
subject without scaring the wits out of it, and then get a
good sharp image. Also you can open the lens aperture to get a
faster shot and the depth of field will put your butterfly in its own
narrow depth with front and behind slightly out of focus and
there's your Flutterby sat there, all on its tod and standing out like
Mona Lisa.

All I do in a case like yours is, I stop the wife's
gin money for a few days - that's usually enough.
So - ladies, - all you have to do is cease getting The Big Fellow his
six-pack at the Supermarket, plus stop two tins of his favourite Black
Twist Baccy for a day or two and you'll have enough to - (for only
once, probably, tell him,) and bingo! there's your zoom camera!.
(Hint!, based on long experience) - Always put on a good feed before
telling him!)
Doug,
**********

Things like the very small pink flower and the forget-me-not were done
with
a reversed lens stuck on the existing lens of the camera (well, to be
exact
on a metal tube that screws into the camera body and encases the
existing
lens - I fear the weight of another lens attached to the actual end of
the
existing lens would actually damage it), making what is called a "poor
man's
macro" - a very high quality magnifying lens of about +40 (depending
on the
length of that lens, of course.) If you happen to have an slr camera
hanging
about you can unscrew the lens, turn it over and look in the "wrong
end" and
you'll see what I mean - you have to get close to the subject for this
one
though. This does mean that the area of things that are in focus - the
depth
of field - is very very thin though, almost a milimetre thin in some
cases.
High mags means swallow depth of field. To be honest, this technique
is one
where a tripod is pretty much essential - I have heard tell of people
being
able to do it handheld but I can't, that much I do know - one tiny
shake of
the hands and it's all out of focus !


Glad you enjoyed it. The ducklings do seem to be popular !


Rachael

"Rachael of Nex, the Wiccan Rat" wrote in message
...

"jane" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 31 Jul 2004 12:24:30 +0100, "Rachael of Nex, the Wiccan Rat"
wrote:
~
~LOL. ;-) Thanks, and no, I don't mind at all. I've become alot
happier
for
~people to see my stuff now that I am getting better at it.
~I'm not sure the bathplug and bolt would work with my digital as it
goes
~anyway - digitals seem to require proprietary shutter releases
(which I
keep
~telling myself I will get around to buying one day ...)
~
I'm impressed. The ducklings are now wallpaper :-)

What I'd love to know is how the heck did you get those really close
close-ups eg the butterfly. Is it the native macro or do you have an
extra close-up lens or something else?

As I recall the butterflies were the camera's own macro with no
attachments.
I do have many attachments of various ilk for my camera (some of them
very
Heath Robinson) but at the butterfly farm it is so hot that you don't
want
to be carrying alot of kit around.

The butterflies are not worried about you getting very close to them
either
if you're slow moving and careful - they even land on you. I think the
Owl
buttefly was taken by resting the camera on a rail about three inches
from
the buttefly, as I recall. And he was quite big to begin with - about
five
inches tall maybe, not a small one like the natives to the uk at all.
The
Nikon Coolpix range have great macros, and mine is one of the high end
in
that range. Macro is it's speciality which is why I bought it. ;-)

************
Sorry Folks!, a macro lens is a handy implement but success in getting
close to insects that can fly without them flitting is very small.
A zoom lens camera is better - using your unipod in the approved
manner, - you can stand away and completely fill the screen with the
subject without scaring the wits out of it, and then get a
good sharp image. Also you can open the lens aperture to get a
faster shot and the depth of field will put your butterfly in its own
narrow depth with front and behind slightly out of focus and
there's your Flutterby sat there, all on its tod and standing out like
Mona Lisa.

All I do in a case like yours is, I stop the wife's
gin money for a few days - that's usually enough.
So - ladies, - all you have to do is cease getting The Big Fellow his
six-pack at the Supermarket, plus stop two tins of his favourite Black
Twist Baccy for a day or two and you'll have enough to - (for only
once, probably, tell him,) and bingo! there's your zoom camera!.
(Hint!, based on long experience) - Always put on a good feed before
telling him!)
Doug,
**********

Things like the very small pink flower and the forget-me-not were done
with
a reversed lens stuck on the existing lens of the camera (well, to be
exact
on a metal tube that screws into the camera body and encases the
existing
lens - I fear the weight of another lens attached to the actual end of
the
existing lens would actually damage it), making what is called a "poor
man's
macro" - a very high quality magnifying lens of about +40 (depending
on the
length of that lens, of course.) If you happen to have an slr camera
hanging
about you can unscrew the lens, turn it over and look in the "wrong
end" and
you'll see what I mean - you have to get close to the subject for this
one
though. This does mean that the area of things that are in focus - the
depth
of field - is very very thin though, almost a milimetre thin in some
cases.
High mags means swallow depth of field. To be honest, this technique
is one
where a tripod is pretty much essential - I have heard tell of people
being
able to do it handheld but I can't, that much I do know - one tiny
shake of
the hands and it's all out of focus !


Glad you enjoyed it. The ducklings do seem to be popular !


Rachael

"Rachael of Nex, the Wiccan Rat" wrote in message ...
"Franz Heymann" wrote in message
...

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
om...

[snip]

But getting down to slight side-to-side movement is already reducing
the shake to within practical limits, since plant photography
usually
likes a wide aperture and hence high shutter speed.

Why do you suggest that plant photography usually likes a wide
aperture?

Less dof ? Good for isolating the subject if it's in situ with others I
suppose. This depends on your style though and the shooting conditions and
the length of your lens and the light and the ...
[...]

That's what I meant: individual wildflower blooms. Never really tried
extensions, or even the couple of close-up lenses in the bottom of a
case under the bed. Sure sign of a mug photographer may be owning bits
he doesn't use!

Mike.