Butterflies

[Zoesmama03]

Sorry not Disney related but I got a few butterfly shots worth sharing while at Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix today. I wish I had that macro lens now. LOL But got a couple decent shots still with my 50mm f/1.8 I wanted to try out the kit lens on them but its hard to go with hyper 4 1/2 year old alone.

#1 I think its my fav

#2 Butterfly OOF a bit but oh well...must have been camera shake

#3

#4

#5

 

[MarkBarbieri]

A cheap alternative to a macro lens is a closeup filter. They screw onto the end of your lens and allow you to focus more closely. You can also use extension tubes, but they are a little harder to use.

I need to get out to our local butterfly garden and try shooting there.

 

[Zoesmama03]

Oh thanks for tip. I'll have to research that. I hope to buy one in May when the tax rebates get out, but most of it will be put up for Disney/Florida trip or move. I'd move but I don't want to stay with family so not sure it would be possible for some time yet but I'm really considering moving back there again just so much "life" to figure out first. So if I find something like that cheaper it would be cool. Does it just work regularly otherwise? I can use Manual exposure still and all that?

 

[Jeanne B]

Nice pics...and is this an invitation to post butterly photos? Here are a few I took at Gumbo Limbo Nature Park in Boca Raton, FL after our cruise a few weeks ago. I haven't done any PP other than cropping them. Taken with my Pentax K100D w/ Tamron 18-250 lens.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Oh thanks for tip. I'll have to research that. I hope to buy one in May when the tax rebates get out, but most of it will be put up for Disney/Florida trip or move. I'd move but I don't want to stay with family so not sure it would be possible for some time yet but I'm really considering moving back there again just so much "life" to figure out first. So if I find something like that cheaper it would be cool. Does it just work regularly otherwise? I can use Manual exposure still and all that?

If you use a closeup filter, everything works just like normal with one exception - you can no longer focus on objects that are far away. With the closeup lens on, you can focus on things that are closer, but you give up the ability to focus on things that are farther away.

Another option is a set of extension tubes. If you get these, make sure that you get ones that will work with your camera. With the right tubes, everything will still work (except that, once again, you can't focus on things that are far away).

 

[Deedee Star]

Nice pictures.

 

[Zoesmama03]

Thanks. Nice shots Jeanne B.

 

[AndrewWG]

If you use a closeup filter, everything works just like normal with one exception - you can no longer focus on objects that are far away. With the closeup lens on, you can focus on things that are closer, but you give up the ability to focus on things that are farther away.

Another option is a set of extension tubes. If you get these, make sure that you get ones that will work with your camera. With the right tubes, everything will still work (except that, once again, you can't focus on things that are far away).

Mark,

I half-heartedly looked into extension tubes before. I recall that I never found them for sale anywhere. I'm sure they exist though. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right places. Do you have any suggestions?

 

[wdwensel]

I took each of these late last summer a few weeks after upgrading from a point and shoot.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Mark,

I half-heartedly looked into extension tubes before. I recall that I never found them for sale anywhere. I'm sure they exist though. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right places. Do you have any suggestions?

B&H has them. Here is a link to the Kenko Extension tube set for Canon EOS cameras. I'd buy the Kenko ones instead of the Canon/Nikon ones because they is no optical difference.

Extension tubes are really just spaces between your lens and your camera body. There might be differences in durability or something, but there is no difference in optical quality because there is no glass in an extension tube. They do have to include a means for the camera to transmit autofocus an aperture information, but so make sure that you get ones that work with your system. I'm not sure how they affect lenses that rely on the camera body for focusing. That's not an issue with Canon equipment, but it could be for others. It's still not a big deal because you will almost certainly manually focus with the tubes on anyway.

 

[AndrewWG]

B&H has them. Here is a link to the Kenko Extension tube set for Canon EOS cameras. I'd buy the Kenko ones instead of the Canon/Nikon ones because they is no optical difference.

Extension tubes are really just spaces between your lens and your camera body. There might be differences in durability or something, but there is no difference in optical quality because there is no glass in an extension tube. They do have to include a means for the camera to transmit autofocus an aperture information, but so make sure that you get ones that work with your system. I'm not sure how they affect lenses that rely on the camera body for focusing. That's not an issue with Canon equipment, but it could be for others. It's still not a big deal because you will almost certainly manually focus with the tubes on anyway.

Thanks Mark! I will be looking into these some more to see if I REALLY need/want them, but if it like most things, I will probably get them eventually!

Thanks again.

 

[DueyDooDah]

Thanks Mark! I will be looking into these some more to see if I REALLY need/want them, but if it like most things, I will probably get them eventually!

Thanks again.

Andrew, check out the ProOptic version here. Looks like as good a solution for 1/2 the price. If you read the reviews, they seem quite upbeat.

 

[Mr._The_King]

here's one I got at the end of last summer. Not as pretty as some of the others but this little guy let me get real close and snap a bunch of shots