papilio_
Well-known member
Happy New Year everyone!!
P. wahlbergii adult female
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SillySnake
Member
Absolutely stunning! The beauty of the animal kingdom really sees one of its peaks among the insects. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of camera do you use? I'd love to take these kind of pictures myself once I get my own mantids.
papilio_
Well-known member
Thanks very much Silly Snake!
I use a Sony a7II mirrorless camera. Even though this is my strong favorite of the cameras I've owned I wouldn't yet recommend mirrorless for someone starting out .. they still have quite a few quirks to work out of this new technology, especially in the less expensive models.
In any case, the lenses are much more important than the camera body used (assuming the camera is decent). You'll want a macro lens which is a lens which focuses from infinity (as a telephoto, and macro lenses are especially good for portraiture) down to about 9 inches at which point the magnification is 1X, otherwise referred to as 1:1. This means that the size of the image on the camera's sensor is the same as the actual size of the subject. 1:1 macro lenses were originally designed to duplicate slide transparencies. By far the best buy right now is the 100mm Tokina, it's one of the sharpest lenses available and can be purchased new for ~$350 these days as opposed to most macro lenses which are typically around $1000. The only downside to the Tokina is that it has higher than average color aberrations, but these are not likely to be noticeable unless you seek them out.
The lens I use most often though is Canon's MP-E 65mm, which picks up where normal macros start off and magnifies from 1X to 5X.
Here's my current rig with a DIY flash diffuser.
If you get to the point of buying just PM me and I'll be happy to offer some suggestions if I can ... but beware, macro is addictive as well as equipment-intensive!
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SillySnake
Member
Thank you for all the information, papilio!Thanks very much Silly Snake!
I use a Sony a7II mirrorless camera. Even though this is my strong favorite of the cameras I've owned I wouldn't yet recommend mirrorless for someone starting out .. they still have quite a few quirks to work out of this new technology, especially in the less expensive models.
In any case, the lenses are much more important than the camera body used (assuming the camera is decent). You'll want a macro lens which is a lens which focuses from infinity (as a telephoto, and macro lenses are especially good for portraiture) down to about 9 inches at which point the magnification is 1X, otherwise referred to as 1:1. This means that the size of the image on the camera's sensor is the same as the actual size of the subject. 1:1 macro lenses were originally designed to duplicate slide transparencies. By far the best buy right now is the 100mm Tokina, it's one of the sharpest lenses available and can be purchased new for ~$350 these days as opposed to most macro lenses which are typically around $1000. The only downside to the Tokina is that it has higher than average color aberrations, but these are not likely to be noticeable unless you seek them out.
The lens I use most often though is Canon's MP-E 65mm, which picks up where normal macros start off and magnifies from 1X to 5X.
If you get to the point of buying just PM me and I'll be happy to offer some suggestions if I can ... but beware, macro is addictive as well as equipment-intensive!
Photography is an artform that I've always appreciated, but have been scared off from by a few too many botched school projects and an injured eye. (Don't ask)
But seeing all the gorgeous images people have been able to produce with just a macro lens and some free time, I'm really considering giving the medium another chance!
If I do end up buying the equipment, you will be one of the first to know!
papilio_
Well-known member
You're most welcome, I love macro photography and enjoy doing what I can to help others discover the fun too!
It's Michael BTW.
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Wow!
