More MP-E65 Macros

[Dennis]

Hello,

My apprenticeship continues with the Canon MP-E65 manual focus macro lens, forcing me down the path of focus stacking to inject some depth of focus into the scene. I use a tripod mounted focusing rail for this technique, although even all this additional stability is often thwarted by breeze induced leaf tremors.:sadeyes:

For the focus stacking, I mostly use the Auto Align and Auto Blend functions in CS5 then sometimes I duck out of CS5 to use Helicon Focus. Some of the backgrounds can be a bit of a struggle when focus stacking, as the insect rarely stays motionless between frames.

So, without further ado, here is the latest collection of critters captured in our back garden.:)

Cheers

Dennis

[Deeno]

Fantastic!
I'm gob smacked, without words, amazed!

[RickS]

Beautiful images and incredible detail, as always, Dennis!

[iceman]

Incredible stuff Dennis. Lovely!

[Octane]

The last image is a standout.

H

[RobF]

Wow, all beautiful, but I love the grasshopper best too. Wonderful details and contrasting colour in that one.

[multiweb]

Some stunning shots Dennis. The close up on the spider eyes is really amazing. :thumbsup:

[astroboy]

Fantastic shots Dennis , sounds like the MP-65 is a harsh mistress .

Thanks
Zane

[Osirisra]

Wowzers! very nice indeed, agree the juvenile grasshopper is pretty darn good but they are all brilliant.

[astronobob]

Far Out, Stunning colours and Detail, super Captures Dennis

Very Cool :cool2:

[lacad01]

Spectacular - these are all great shots! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Dennis]

Thanks Deeno, Rick, Humayun, Mike, Rob, Marc, Ken, Bob & Adam for your nice words of appreciation and encouragement.:)

Who would have thought that the skills I acquired from astrophotography vis-à-vis complicated set ups, lots of fiddling, auto guiding, stacking and hours of post processing are just as applicable to macro photography with the Canon MP-E65 lens!:lol:

Cheers

Dennis

[Dennis]

Thanks Zane.

The Canon MP-E65 really is a nice lens and can produce some wonderful results, although from personal experience it can be a challenging lens to master in terms of technique and how you apply it.:)

I have the Canon 100mm F2.8 macro and for all my standard macro shots, I use it in AutoFocus (AF) mode using the centre AF point on my 7D - it is a wonderfully sharp and accurate lens. Using AF usually gives me almost 100% of my hand held frames in focus. Of those that are in focus, maybe 10 out of say 100 shots are keepers and of those 10, maybe 3 or 4 might get posted here.

With the MP-E65, it is a manual focus lens and in my early hand held days, maybe only 10% were in focus, so I now use a tripod and focusing rail. Generally, each MP-E65 photo I post here is the result of maybe 1 or 2 hours stalking and set up, followed by 1 or 2 hours of processing if the final image requires focus stacking.:)

Cheers

Dennis

[Kal]

Wow, they really are quite remarkable pics. Alot of effort but the images really stand out because of it!