Hi Everyone,

Here are a few more images, from the miscellaneous categories: flowering plants and cacti. The third image garnered the win in the macro division for the fall fair competition and will be on display locally at the regional fair. It managed to finish in the top 2 or 3 photos for the overall win.

Taken with the K10D or K20D and the FA* 200/4 Macro lens. Image #1 is with the K10D...

Flowering plants category

Taken at F/10, 1/80 sec., ISO 400, EV +0.7, M mode:


Taken at F/9, 1/180 sec., ISO 250, EV-0.7, M mode, fill flash with the AF 540FGZ + Stofen diffuser:


Cacti category

Taken at F/13, 1/50 sec., ISO 100, AV mode, EV +0.3, immediately after a heavy rainstorm - the only one on my third trip, and the first in 7-8 months in the area. I consider myself very fortunate to make the mad dash across the 6,000 acre ranch to the only real concentration of cacti on the property:

BTW, the "bright spot" just underneath the foremost bloom is actually the overcast sky reflected in a water droplet...

I hope you enjoy them!

Regards,
Marc

[Peter Zack]

I knew I shouldn't have looked at these. This is one of those LBA dream lenses and in your hands it is even better. Beautiful images Marc. congrats on the win and very well done!

[Marc Langille]

Great shots Marc. Somehow "sharp" doesn't seem adequate. I took some spider shots under the heading "Along came a Spider". Clearly you are the macro man. I would appreciate you thoughts on lighting etc. Please don't suggest getting a macro like yours as, alas, that is just not going to happen. I have the A 100 2.8 macro at this time.

Cheers

Tom G

Thank you Tom. They are scary sharp, believe me. This lens, once you learn it's abilities, is a gem.

I'll post some FA 100/2.8 macro images (before I sold it - it was my first macro lens) when time permits. It's pretty much in the same realm of sharpness, but the focal length is the magic. It gets you right into the subject without any cropping.

Here is a shot with the 100/2.8 of the endangered Texas Horned Lizard (no cropping):


This is not my best image, and I am saving the head shots with the same lens for another post... getting that close just requires patience and some skill...

What lighting questions do you have? I certainly don't mind answering them... let me know. You are welcome to post in this thread too - sharing information is important. I've always said I can learn something from everyone, regardless if they are new or a veteran. That's the beauty of photography!

Regards,
Marc

[Marc Langille]

Those are wonderful shots Marc. You did use a tripod didn't you?
Gary

Thanks Gary - glad you enjoyed these images.

Regarding your question: normally I will use a cabled remote and tripod with this lens, unless it's a Swallowtail Butterfly:


I shot this in bright daylight, and it's still a favorite of mine. This is a rare wing position, which is why it's such a favorite. These butterflies are too active to rely solely on a tripod setup.

Regards,
Marc

[Marc Langille]

Great shots and thanks for your info on this lens.

Impressive

Neil

Hi Neil, thanks for stopping by to enjoy them!

Here are some of the specs:

FA★ Macro 200mm f/4ED (IF)

"The SMC PENTAX-FA Macro 200mm f/4 ED [IF] telephoto macro lens offers a minimum focusing distance of 1.69 feet for the maximum magnification of life-size. Its working distance of 11 inches at life size is the longest in its class, allowing for the high-magnification photography of subjects which are not always easily approachable by the photographer. It incorporates two Extra-low Dispersion (ED) lens elements and features an Inner Focus (IF) mechanism to improve brightness at the edges of the image field even when shooting at close range. "

Short distance range
0.514m(1x) - 0.7m(1/2x)

Long distance range
Approx.0.7m - infinity

It comes with a push/pull clutch for MF/AF. I can dig up an image comparing the FA 100/2.8 and the FA ★ 200/4 Macro if you like? Let me know and I'll be happy to do so.

Basically it's about a foot of so from the front element as the MWD.

Regards,
Marc

[Marc Langille]

The styles are always unique with your images. Great series of photographs again.

Thanks James! Your statement encourages me to know that I have a somewhat unique style. That heartens my intent to continue to learn and grow as a photographer...

I may do some non-wildlife images soon!

Regards,
Marc

[8540tomg]

Marc,

I see you use a K10 as do I. As far a flash goes I have AF360FGZ which I use along with the pop flash. I am assuming you are using some fairly complex lighting to achieve these effects. I noted you use a Stofen diffuser to “soften” the image. My ignorance in this area is complete.

Here are a few of my spider shots from the other day. I’m not that big a fan of spiders but this fellow has made a home outside my kitchen window and was convenient and willing subject. The shots are all hand held using just the onboard flash or available light. The lens was the Pentax A 100 2.8 macro.

I was in a bit of a hurry when I took these shots. The mosquitoes were chewing on my legs and I have the itchy welts to prove it. I should have used a tripod as well. Any suggestions on how to cut down the reflected glare?

I was shooting at ISO 400 with a 180th sec default flash setting speed. All shots were about f18.










I guess my question to you is:

1) How would you approach a subject such as this?
2) What sort of special lighting (if any) would you use?

I would appreciate your insights or any other suggestions from the group as a whole.

Thanks

Tom G

[Marc Langille]

Hey Tom,

You asked, so here are my thoughts... this is what I've learned on my own! They are guidelines, not cut in stone...

Be advised that I started shooting seriously by learning macro photography, and I did some sports photography before that - two images published during my film days.

1. Maximize the huge strength of the CCD. It's phenomenal at ISO 100.
2. First: drop the ISO - you should shoot ISO 100 whenever possible, especially when using a flash. Exception is if you want to include some of the background in the image.
3. What you are doing by using ISO 400 is increasing the sensitivity of the sensor (or film) to light. This is (in part) allowing your glare to occur from the reflection off the subject due to the flash. Your settings are (unintentionally) creating a distracting background, because the sensitivity is high enough to capture some of the light reflected back to the camera.
4. I'd drop the aperture a bit, and not use the flash if you stuck with ISO 400.
5. Try shooting AV mode - especially with macro. It's that or M mode most of the time for me.
6. I call avoidance of distracting backgrounds "shooting clean". Shooting clean is a critical element to excellent images in nature photography. That or the out of focus (OOF) background supports the subject. This is critical to the subject looking good.
7. This is a similar rule with portraiture: the eyes of the subject should be sharp, whenever possible. That's why portraits are often shot with a background that is minimized in terms of being "busy".
8. Be careful with really high F stops. You may be approaching diffraction territory with that lens and the result is slightly softer images.

The approach is up to you - Orb Weavers are very, very approachable, no question.

I'll post a full frame image of my Orb Weaver image submission sometime soon, so you can see what I did. It was shot at 10:30PM at night, and I used the flash + diffuser. The diffuser is simply a translucent white plastic housing that fits over the head of the flash. It diffuses the light of the flash, ensuring less harsh lighting, and reduction of shadows to some degree.

Let me know if that clears the situation and is of any assistance with your questions?

Regards,
Marc

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Last edited by Marc Langille; 08-14-2008 at 08:22 PM. Reason: clarification

[8540tomg]

Thanks Marc,

Sounds like good advice Marc. I shall put it into practice. This is the reason I frequent this forum.

Tom G

[LaRee]

Wow Marc, the last two are stunning! Hey, you ever get tired of that FA*200 f/4 macro lens, I'll take it off your hands. I may have to sell the car to do it, but hey.... something about suffering for our art?

[Marc Langille]

Excellent shots. Great color!!

Thank you!! that lens continues to let me know what it's capable of, and it still surprises me with it's clarity.

I have brutally close head on shot of a grasshopper with camouflage markings... at 100% it is crazy. Eye surface structure detail... wow....

Cheers,
Marc

[Marc Langille]

I knew I shouldn't have looked at these. This is one of those LBA dream lenses and in your hands it is even better. Beautiful images Marc. congrats on the win and very well done!

Thank you Peter... it's an evil plot to make you dream for one...

Well, now I have to wait and find out how well I did...

Cheers,
Marc

[Marc Langille]

Thanks Marc,

Sounds like good advice Marc. I shall put it into practice. This is the reason I frequent this forum.

Tom G

Glad to help Tom! Practice is the key to success. Having a good eye never hurts either... I was very lucky to have "an eye" for photography that just needed training.

Wow Marc, the last two are stunning! Hey, you ever get tired of that FA*200 f/4 macro lens, I'll take it off your hands. I may have to sell the car to do it, but hey.... something about suffering for our art?

Thank you LaRee, it's such a great lens, and it requires a lot of understanding, since it is (simplified) a long telephoto with incredible macro capabilities. It really, really opens up a lot of the world of macro, because you get in closer without disturbing the subject(s).

If you ever bought mine, you must agree to the paid guards that must be employed while it's in transit!!! The last one sold for almost $2500 on Ebay, and the irony is that it's not that much more than retail MSRP on a new one. I bought mine as a demo from Pentax Canada for $1395, and with 2 day air, came to $1485. Considering it's qualities, I still consider it a bargain... This is definitely my favorite lens, although the FA* 300/2.8 is pretty darn close.

Cheers,
Marc

[Jonson PL]

All different, all beautiful. And I'm not really much into flower shots.
The amount of detail that the FA* 200 macro delivers, is breathtaking.

Congrats on the win in the macro division.

Thanks for your tips, and great shot of the Horned Lizard. What aperture did you use in that shot posted above ?

[Marc Langille]

All different, all beautiful. And I'm not really much into flower shots.
The amount of detail that the FA* 200 macro delivers, is breathtaking.

Congrats on the win in the macro division.

Thanks for your tips, and great shot of the Horned Lizard. What aperture did you use in that shot posted above ?

Thanks Sune - I really appreciate that I could have you enjoy flowers, which you normally don't...

I wish I could say it was a win, but these are some of my submissions (obviously not the swallowtail butterfly). Actually I am still waiting on the results... got the letter notifying me of my placing(s), but that's it... It's like the Grammy or Oscar awards - you know you are nominated, so you get your images published, but not exactly how well you did until the awards ceremony.

Regarding the Horned Lizard - thanks for the comments! Believe it not, was nearly the last set of shots I took with my FA 100/2.8 Macro before selling it... I shot it at F/7.1, 1/500 sec., ISO 640 with the K20D. I'll post some close ups later on!

Cheers,
Marc