Well, I have tried a few obligatory BIF shots - with the 1-in-50 or so turning out not too bad. But IIF shots? I If? Insects in flight, of course! Thought everybody knew that!

Have seen one or two amazing shots on the forum - mine don't get quite get that good (focus not quite there!), unfortunately, but thought they might afford some amused interest. So here they are - mostly heavily cropped.


(The two brown butterfly shots are probably a bit of a cheat - it had almost landed!)

[bertwert]

It's a (fun ?) challenge for sure! The secret is a lot of patience and a one to hundreds keeper ratio

[Tonytee]

A very nice, pleasant and enjoyable viewing experience. Well done and many thanks for posting.

tt

[Apet-Sure]

(focus not quite there!)

The AF on the K-3 III will nail that for you.

[Des]

You've set yourself quite a task trying to do this with the DFA 100 macro, Peter. Try the 55-300 PLM.

[K2 to K50]

The AF on the K-3 III will nail that for you.

Please - don't give me bad ideas!! I have just outlaid on the 150-450mm lens, a CottonCarrier CCS G3 vest harness with universal tripod plate, and a Pentax D-Li90 battery and appropriate charger.

You've set yourself quite a task trying to do this with the DFA 100 macro, Peter. Try the 55-300 PLM.

Well Des - the brown and yellow butterfly was with the 100mm Macro - he was flying all around me, and that was the lens I had on the camera!! The blue butterfly was with the 55-300mm PLM, and, believe it or not, the wasp/hornet was with the 150-450mm set at 360mm!!!


The last was taken a good 4-6 metres away with the following settings:
Exposure Time - 1/800 seconds
F Number - 6.30
ISO Speed Ratings - 500
I would have liked to set a smaller aperture for better DOF, but needed the high shutter speed to freeze the insect, and wanted to avoid any ISO noise - the shot was taken at around 3:30pm with very weak sunlight. The hornet had been circling around the bird bath, going away and coming back. So I focused on the black water spout in the centre of the bird bath and waited.

However, I will no doubt experiment with all these lenses again in different circumstances. Sometimes I may have time and opportunity to choose the lens, other times I will have to make do with whatever I have to hand to make the most of a fleeting opportunity.

I used burst mode for the brown and yellow butterfly - must have had my wits about me that day!! But just single-shot mode for the wasp - hadn't got around to waking up my wits that day!!


One day in the future I will have trained myself to consider ALL the camera settings required for the current task!!!

[Des]

The last was taken a good 4-6 metres away with the following settings:Exposure Time - 1/800 secondsF Number - 6.30ISO Speed Ratings - 500

For birds in flight I set the shutter to 1/1250th or faster. I'd suggest faster for insects. 1/1600th would be one stop faster, which would mean ISO1000. That should be a snack for the KP. You could go to ISO 3200 without much penalty if you need to.

One day in the future I will have trained myself to consider ALL the camera settings required for the current task!!!

That's what user modes are for!

[eaglem]

a very good attempt for those action shots

[ToddK]

You did a very good job capturing these insects in flight! I have only really had success with bees, but I haven't tried much yet with the 55-300 PLM. I think it would be the perfect lens with its light weight and super fast focus.