There doesn't seem to be an art shot room, and since this started out as a macro

Thunder_o_b · Feb 19, 2012

I posted it here.

Canon 50D, 1/250 sec, f/11 (?), ISO 200 (?), MP-E65 at 5x, 580EXII flash with a soft box in a bracket, handheld.
PP was iPhoto, Topaz plugged into CS5, unsharp mask. I did not alter the substance of the shot, just the colors and such.

I hope you like it C&C always welcomeOh, this is a spider web with the dawn dew.

pgriz · Feb 19, 2012

Very nice. You've got enough DOF to get many of the beads of dew in focus, and your positioning got the plane of focus on much of the web... Although, I'm curious if you had a shot with the lens more open, as the hexagonal OOF highlights are reducing my enjoyment of your shot. Looking into the beads, you appear to have two light souces, a flash with diffuser at the top and ambient along the bottom, giving you a mix of bluish and reddish tones... I'd say, well seen and well done. Tried doing much the same as you, but not with as good a result. I think it is partly that the low morning sun requires a low angle to really catch the highlights, and low means getting wet...

Overread · Feb 19, 2012

Nice! You got a great reflection off the water so that it looks almost metallic with all those reflected details!

And yeah the MPE has rather horrible aperture blades - very angular. This is one of those occasions where a microscope element might have been superior in its rendering (esp with focus stacking). It's a shame as otherwise the MPE is (as its showing here) a fantastic lens

Thunder_o_b · Feb 19, 2012

Thank you pgriz and Overread

I have a reputation for crawling around on the ground. We were the backup shooters at a friends wedding, at the reception Sunhawk (my wife) turned to say something to me and I was gone. Looking around she saw me down in the weeds in my suit shooting some bugs. She just shook her head and continued with the conversation with her friend. Got a fairly good shot of an assassin bug :mrgreen:

Interesting what different people like and dislike. I chose this rather mediocre shot to play with because I found the angular highlights fascinating :lol:

But I agree that Canon REALY needs to update this lens, I mean really, at what it costs they could do better.

Thank for your input and ideas, it is very helpful

Overread · Feb 19, 2012

Sadly I think its market is just too limited - though I've often wondered if Sigma would ever try to take that market share considering that they keep 5 macro lenses on the market themselves. An updated MPE and updated twinflash would be fantastic (that twinflash needs a silencer on it at least for its recharging - though I find combined with a battery pack like a Pixel its a lot more usable - esp with the faster refresh speed).

Thunder_o_b · Feb 19, 2012

Overread said:
Sadly I think its market is just too limited - though I've often wondered if Sigma would ever try to take that market share considering that they keep 5 macro lenses on the market themselves. An updated MPE and updated twinflash would be fantastic (that twinflash needs a silencer on it at least for its recharging - though I find combined with a battery pack like a Pixel its a lot more usable - esp with the faster refresh speed).

I have been singing the blues (I do have a nice voice :lol:

) about this lens and the MT-24 flash for a while now. I wish that they would update the flash to the 580EXII's specks, and making it wireless like the Nikon would be even greater. (is that Arrow Smith playing "Dream on" in the background?)

As good as my Sigma non IS 150mm f/2.8 is, I would love to see them do a lens like the MP-E65. I am eying the 180mm f/2.8 IS macro that they are going to be releasing, but I really need (there is that word again) the 50mm 1.4 they have.

Overread · Feb 19, 2012

Ahh I've got my eye on the 150mm OS - I've got the original of that lens and would really like to have the addition of the OS for regular shooting. The 180mm OS is interesting, but I'll wait and see how heavy its going to turn out - considering that its f2.8 it might well end up being a much heavier lens. Then again a little wider does allow for a brighter viewfinder and some more creativity.

As for the twinflash - I actually think it works better without being wireless - if it were wireless the flashheads would have to be heavier to accommodate the capacitor and batteries. which puts more weight frontend on the setup. That said I do find that swapping the heads over so that their cables cross helps to keep the cables a little more in control (I've even known some to put velcro on their setup to help hold the cables in place.

Thunder_o_b · Feb 19, 2012

Overread said:
Ahh I've got my eye on the 150mm OS - I've got the original of that lens and would really like to have the addition of the OS for regular shooting. The 180mm OS is interesting, but I'll wait and see how heavy its going to turn out - considering that its f2.8 it might well end up being a much heavier lens. Then again a little wider does allow for a brighter viewfinder and some more creativity.

As for the twinflash - I actually think it works better without being wireless - if it were wireless the flashheads would have to be heavier to accommodate the capacitor and batteries. which puts more weight frontend on the setup. That said I do find that swapping the heads over so that their cables cross helps to keep the cables a little more in control (I've even known some to put velcro on their setup to help hold the cables in place.

That is a good point about the batteries.

We are off to the butterfly room at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, hopefully I have some good shots to post to night.