The Australian Brown Bull ant, is not one to be messed with...
These are some pictures I took, of one of my Bull ants.
It was taken prior to owning my DSLR.
I used a compact point and shoot with a reversed 50mm slr lens. I think these shots would represent, an adequate example for a theoretical design...
Why are there no compact point n shoots, using a similar principal of a reversed slr lens?
I love the compact cell eye of the ant. The Austalian Bull ant has a remarkable depth perception. They can react and visualise elements over 2.5meters away.... Considering the average house ant has a visual scope of all 10cm. Their articulating neck allows them to rotate their head 200 degrees... They hear you coming, then "turn" their heads to look behind them at you. Freaky little guys...
I once had several get loose at the one time.... They actually decided to attack me. They ran around to vantage points and were all looking at me, stalking me....
If anyone is interested is keeping ants, check out this Formicarium How to I put together.... Very easy instuctions on how to build your own humidity controlled ant enclosure... Kind of neat if I do say so.... http://www.instructables.com/id/3_Fo...ea_Authentic_/
Notice the aggresive serations on the jaw? Notice the hairs which create an arch along the length of the jaw? The hairs perfectly cradle their eggs, holding them off the serations. They are so savage, yet have these tender hairs to carry their young.
Any comments welcome!!
Last edited by Lumen Miner; 14-08-2009 at 10:02 PM.
thanks for posting some very interesting pic's I know what their bit feels like "ouch"
As a child we use to call them "runny hoppy skippy jumpies" because not only did they "run hop skip and jump" after you, you had to do the same to get the hell away from them!!
They're brilliant. You've done very well to push the boundaries to far. Pity macro's depth of field is so incredibly tight isn't it? It can often limit you to capturing one feature and loosing another. I love shots that reveal what the naked eye has trouble with; these are an excellent example of just that.
Awesome photo's mitchell,,I love Macro,,Let's us see detail we'd never know about,,Glad you guys said that they CAN jump,Probably just saved me a Painful lesson,,,,,,,Cheers Mat
Awesome photo's mitchell,,I love Macro,,Let's us see detail we'd never know about,,Glad you guys said that they CAN jump,Probably just saved me a Painful lesson,,,,,,,Cheers Mat
The one pictured is a "Brown Bull ant" they can not jump. The larger variety found throughtout Australia, with more developed rear legs, can jump..
They're brilliant. You've done very well to push the boundaries to far. Pity macro's depth of field is so incredibly tight isn't it? It can often limit you to capturing one feature and loosing another. I love shots that reveal what the naked eye has trouble with; these are an excellent example of just that.
Yes, more definatley!! Using a reversed slr lens, only gives you maybe 1cm depth of field. Possibly less.
WOW what fantastic pics of the pointy end of an ant! Thanks for posting them, I've really enjoyed the beautiful details. Ants really are amazing creatures when you think about it.
Yes, more definatley!! Using a reversed slr lens, only gives you maybe 1cm depth of field. Possibly less.
1:1 (lifesize) gives you depth of field around 6mm or so from my experience. At f11. Sure, you can stop down more, but then you'll lose sharpness and resolution due to diffraction. Even more so with the smaller pixel sizes on most digital compacts. The benefits of compact digitals for macro is that the smaller sensor escapes COC (circle of confusion) as a rule.
Good shots. You'd probably have fun with a Canon MPE-65 + DSLR (gives 5:1 magnification).
1:1 (lifesize) gives you depth of field around 6mm or so from my experience. At f11. Sure, you can stop down more, but then you'll lose sharpness and resolution due to diffraction. Even more so with the smaller pixel sizes on most digital compacts. The benefits of compact digitals for macro is that the smaller sensor escapes COC (circle of confusion) as a rule.
Good shots. You'd probably have fun with a Canon MPE-65 + DSLR (gives 5:1 magnification).
Dave
5:1 hey!!?? Nice!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by BerrieK
WOW what fantastic pics of the pointy end of an ant! Thanks for posting them, I've really enjoyed the beautiful details. Ants really are amazing creatures when you think about it.
Kerrie
Yes, I like the details too. I didn't think I would be able to capture, the celled eye. Thanks for your comment!