Long ago and far away. And unforgettable. July 2005
New Photos
As my interest in the micro-wildlife on our terrace has grown I have found myself wanting to know more exactly what I am looking at. I don’t have any way to catch things, but I do have a macro lens on my camera. Problem is, the focal length is quite short, which means that in macro mode the subject can be about 1cm from the front of the lens. In addition to sometimes blocking the light, it alarms most insects. It’s fine for things that aren’t moving, and though the auto-focus is reasonably quick, even a gently waving flower can defeat it. So, yes, I have taken some good close-ups with it, but that’s often more a matter of luck than judgement. It lives on my camera because quite apart from the macro capabilities, it is a great lens for out and about photography.
As I was reading around and contemplating a new, longer macro lens, I came across an article that made me realise that my zoom lens has a much shorter close focus, something I had never really paid attention to. For some reason, I’ve always tended to use it from about 3 metres on out, but it can actually focus one metre away.
Most of the insects I watch don’t actually seem to land very often, and although I have managed to catch bumblebees in flight, I wouldn’t dream of forcing those images on you. If something settles, however, the camera is quick enough and the lens sharp enough to get something useful.
The image is a 1200 pixel crop from the full frame, and I reckon it is decent enough.
I’m still tempted by “proper” macro-photography, although I am wary that to do it well will need a bunch more equipment than just another lens. I’m also in awe of some of the images I see online. For now, then, I will continue to try my improper macro-photography and hope to snap something more interesting than a far-too-common wasp.
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