Stuart Ord
September 2023 - Insect on rose bud
About the Image(s)
For a change, this was taken with my "do-it-all" lens with an extension tube.
OM Systems OM-1, Olympus 14-150mm lens at 100mm, 1/125sec, f8, ISO 200, probably a 16mm extension tube.
Processed in Affinity 2 - crop a little, darken the background, and remove some spider's web filaments, no noise reduction. Then process in Topaz Denoise AI.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
9 comments posted
Overall, a lovely combination of colors and the parts that are sharp are great. For me, the head of the bug and the front 4 green parts are blurry. If the bug's head was sharp, I think you would have a bang-on image. But without that, it won't work for me. Extension tubes are great but hard. Posted: 09/07/2023 17:35:15
Thanks, I like the colours here too.
Yes, I noticed that lack of sharpness, and did try to sharpen the fly. I even got a trial copy of Topaz AI Sharpen, but it didn't help.
Looking at the items at different distances, though, I think that the flower bud is sharp at closer distances than the fly's head. So what does that tell us? Maybe it's the nature of the subject? I've noticed before how some subjects just never look sharp. The 2nd leg from the left is also a puzzle, as it's blurred, and looks to be at a distance where I'd expect it to be sharp. Or is it a right hand leg? If so, it's further away, and understandable.
Whatever, the subjective reaction is "it's blurred"! Pity.
The closest green area is blurred, I couldn't help that! Posted: 09/08/2023 08:42:22
Yes, I noticed that lack of sharpness, and did try to sharpen the fly. I even got a trial copy of Topaz AI Sharpen, but it didn't help.
Looking at the items at different distances, though, I think that the flower bud is sharp at closer distances than the fly's head. So what does that tell us? Maybe it's the nature of the subject? I've noticed before how some subjects just never look sharp. The 2nd leg from the left is also a puzzle, as it's blurred, and looks to be at a distance where I'd expect it to be sharp. Or is it a right hand leg? If so, it's further away, and understandable.
Whatever, the subjective reaction is "it's blurred"! Pity.
The closest green area is blurred, I couldn't help that! Posted: 09/08/2023 08:42:22
(Group 0)
The soft legs are on the far side, so that's expected. I could never get such a good result without using a tripod. Over all, I think this is a good result. Posted: 09/28/2023 14:08:54
Hi Stuart, I also like the color combination and the composition very much. I find it so so hard to get insects sharp - maybe it is the imperceptible movements while you take the shot. Posted: 09/08/2023 15:07:38
Nice picture with pleasing colour combination. As an audience, I immediately realized that the picture's focus is the fly. I am okay with the bit blurred head.. I always thought extension tubes (or adapters) could not produce very sharp close-up images.. This changes my perception.
Posted: 09/09/2023 21:28:39
Posted: 09/09/2023 21:28:39
Thanks, Keith.
In defense of extension tubes! Extension tubes, per se, have no optical elements in them, so it's all up to the lens used as to the sharpness of the result (assuming the photo was in focus, of course!). I bought my first ones back in the 1960s, when my 58mm Helios lens was my only lens! But the combination worked quite well, and as the lens focussed by moving the whole lens away from the camera, it was easy to see how extension tubes worked - they just added to the focus extension.
Nowadays many lenses focus using movement of lens elements inside the lens body, so it's not so obvious. But the same considerations still apply.
So, if you use an extension tube(s) and get a soft result even when you were certain it was in focus, then try another lens.
The mysteries of compound lens design are not open to me, so I can only say that some lenses, which work well at "normal" focus distances, work less well when placed on extension tubes (or bellows, for that matter). Others work really well on tubes, all you can do it try them!
I found a couple of years ago that my Panasonic 100-400mm lens works really well with 50mm or more extension, when the working distance was a metre or so! I don't think I quite got it to 1:1, but it was a great fun set-up Posted: 09/10/2023 01:46:28
In defense of extension tubes! Extension tubes, per se, have no optical elements in them, so it's all up to the lens used as to the sharpness of the result (assuming the photo was in focus, of course!). I bought my first ones back in the 1960s, when my 58mm Helios lens was my only lens! But the combination worked quite well, and as the lens focussed by moving the whole lens away from the camera, it was easy to see how extension tubes worked - they just added to the focus extension.
Nowadays many lenses focus using movement of lens elements inside the lens body, so it's not so obvious. But the same considerations still apply.
So, if you use an extension tube(s) and get a soft result even when you were certain it was in focus, then try another lens.
The mysteries of compound lens design are not open to me, so I can only say that some lenses, which work well at "normal" focus distances, work less well when placed on extension tubes (or bellows, for that matter). Others work really well on tubes, all you can do it try them!
I found a couple of years ago that my Panasonic 100-400mm lens works really well with 50mm or more extension, when the working distance was a metre or so! I don't think I quite got it to 1:1, but it was a great fun set-up Posted: 09/10/2023 01:46:28
Ah.. I see.. I think I had an old extension tube (before I bought my macro lens). I gave up using it when I heard people saying that they could provide very sharp focus.. Maybe I should dig it out and try on different lenses and see whether it works for me.. Thanks for the info. Appreciate it. Posted: 09/11/2023 12:59:15
(Group 0)
My first real forays into macro were with a set of extension tubes, which I still use on occasion. Because the tubes push you into being closer to the subject, the only path to sharpness is with a sturdy tripod. Posted: 09/28/2023 14:10:52
Hi Stuart- I would echo Gloria's comments. The colors and composition are great. If the eyes/face were sharp, it would be an even better image. Posted: 09/28/2023 10:00:10