Orchid nymphs L1-L2

[agent A]

5 months??? Wow! A male creo only lasts me 2 months!!!

 

[Precarious]

I totally understand, it was surprisingly jarring to me. I wonder if I'll get used to it over time. Kinda doubt it. Even if the sting isn't as severe after I've experienced it many times, it's not something we can really relate to (I hope!) lol

It's only the ones that I really depend on that get me down. But he lived a long life and got a lot of action. I thought he was a pro at his job so I feel it was my fault for not knowing the female was in 'eat everything!' mode. That's how the females are. Best time to mate them is when they're refusing food. Poor little guy.

 

[CoolMantid]

Well Precarious... you have so many nymphs I would love to take them off your hands!

 

[Precarious]

L3

 

[agent A]

Aww how cute!!! :wub:

 

[CoolMantid]

That means my female is L4 because she looked just like that last molt

 

[jcal]

Good to know the males can live that long. That's reassuring.

Thanks for the info.

 

[twolfe]

Your L3 images are beautiful and so sharp. Are those with the new lens?

 

[Precarious]

Good to know the males can live that long. That's reassuring.

Thanks for the info.

I think he was the exception. It seems the males generally die pretty fast. May depend on how deprived of food they were while growing since you have to slow their growth in relation to the females. My males were both adult a full month before the females but it still worked out.

Your L3 images are beautiful and so sharp. Are those with the new lens?

Thanks! Yes, that the MP-E. I've been using it at f10 since the details start to get fuzzy beyond that and DOF is pretty useless in the other direction. The DOF is way more shallow than I'm used to but it's adding more depth to the images. That's the trade off. I'm also getting better at sweetening the images in Photoshop too. I think I've got a good formula going.

 

[GreenOasis]

Henry, ya' gotta' stop it with all the cool pics of these guys! You're going to make me have to go change my pants!

I have to tell you: the disappointment of losing a "good male" never goes away. I'm still cussing at my old Pnigomantis girls for killing all the males...I *thought* before even ONE of them got mated, but apparently ONE girl wasn't faster than the male she was with! (Too bad she only laid two ooths before dying.) And don't EVEN get me started about the Lobatas! :angry:

 

[Precarious]

Henry, ya' gotta' stop it with all the cool pics of these guys! You're going to make me have to go change my pants!

I have to tell you: the disappointment of losing a "good male" never goes away. I'm still cussing at my old Pnigomantis girls for killing all the males...I *thought* before even ONE of them got mated, but apparently ONE girl wasn't faster than the male she was with! (Too bad she only laid two ooths before dying.) And don't EVEN get me started about the Lobatas! :angry:

Me sawee... :blush:

I'm just doing my part to keep you regular.

Should have the next hatch in a week and you're at the front of the line.

 

[GreenOasis]

YAY! Oops...gotta' go change my pants again! :blush:

 

[Precarious]

YAY! Oops...gotta' go change my pants again! :blush:

Oh, Carey...

:no:

 

[CoolMantid]

When my female becomes L6 do you think you will still have an L3 male?

 

[Precarious]

When my female becomes L6 do you think you will still have an L3 male?

I have no idea. I never count my chickens, or mantids, before they hatch. The girls are still laying ooths and incubation is around 45 days so they should be hatching for a while yet. I will try to move them all at L2 but you never know. I'll definitely be selling in batches because there is some space between the ooths.

 

[Psychobunny]

Are you having any luck with X5 shooting with your MP-E yet?

The focal range is only 0.03mm (or so I read), so moving the camera by a hair's width

would make the whole frame blurry!!

 

[Precarious]

Are you having any luck with X5 shooting with your MP-E yet?

The focal range is only 0.03mm (or so I read), so moving the camera by a hair's width

would make the whole frame blurry!!

Yeah, I shoot 5x all the time. Those jumping spider shots were 5x plus the dioptors! I probably couldn't do it without resting my left hand against something.

 

[Psychobunny]

Yeah, I shoot 5x all the time. Those jumping spider shots were 5x plus the dioptors! I probably couldn't do it without resting my left hand against something.

You amaze me, I cant hold that still even holding my breath (which your not supposed to do!!LOL)

I have never used a lens anywhere near like the MP-E.

This will take work to get right, and I dont have CS4!! But the new version of Elements does everything

(except stacking).

Wait a second, did you say your sticking diopters on this thing!!!!!??????

 

[Precarious]

You amaze me, I cant hold that still even holding my breath (which your not supposed to do!!LOL)

I have never used a lens anywhere near like the MP-E.

This will take work to get right, and I dont have CS4!! But the new version of Elements does everything

(except stacking).

I warned you it's a specialized skill. I had a year of daily practice with a camcorder, and macro video demands you hold those distances way beyond a single frame. After that macro photography came pretty easy.

Wait a second, did you say your sticking diopters on this thing!!!!!??????

Yeah, I stacked the Canon 250D and the Opteka 10x. For me that's easier than using extension tubes.

 

[agent A]

I would literally send u some of my mantises just so u could get good pics and videos of them