# Couple of nice damselfly's



## HeavenHell (Jun 11, 2012)

I shot these photos this weekend. If you look at the second photo you'll notice a fly in the damselfly's mouth.
Canon T2i + Tamron 90 mm.


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## rwmson (Jun 11, 2012)

Awesome shots! Good focus, I like the blue on the top fly but I prefer the bottom shot because more of the fly has the leaf as the BG, making it easier to focus on the subject.


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## neuroanatomist (Jun 11, 2012)

Great shots! Love the eletric blue of the top one...

I have yet to get good shots of damselflies, but here's one I like of their dragonfly relatives.

"Look Out Below!"




EOS 7D, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM @ 400mm, 1/640 s, f/5.6, ISO 100


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## Chewy734 (Jun 11, 2012)

Great shots... the first one really pops.


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## BCMAR15 (Jun 11, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> Great shots! Love the eletric blue of the top one...
> 
> I have yet to get good shots of damselflies, but here's one I like of their dragonfly relatives.
> 
> ...



Shutter speed is perfect. You see movement in the wings.


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## DB (Jun 11, 2012)

Superb color & sharpness. I do not own a macro lens... yet, but am thinking of getting one soon, instead I just use my standard zoom

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=7248.0


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## neuroanatomist (Jun 11, 2012)

DB said:


> Superb color & sharpness. I do not own a macro lens... yet, but am thinking of getting one soon, instead I just use my standard zoom
> 
> http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=7248.0



Well...the 24-70mm has among the highest native maximum magnifications of any non-macro lens...


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## gary (Jun 11, 2012)

Really nice photo's, I struggled to get close to a dragon fly surveying my pool as a possible egg laying site, hence its a bit overcropped, you never have the right lens when you really need it.


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## HeavenHell (Jun 11, 2012)

That's a real cool shot neuroanatomist. I need some experience with motion shots....you've inspired me.


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## DJL329 (Jun 11, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> Well...the 24-70mm has among the highest native maximum magnifications of any non-macro lens...



... even slightly better than the 300mm f/4L IS...





http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4805898391/#in/set-72157624532018776
(Shot using the 1.4x TC)


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## neuroanatomist (Jun 11, 2012)

HeavenHell said:


> That's a real cool shot neuroanatomist. I need some experience with motion shots....you've inspired me.



Thanks!

The cool thing about dragonflies is that they are wait-and-pounce hunters, so they will find a perch and sit for a while, then fly, then return to that same perch. So, you set up your tripod, focus, and wait...then SHOOT.


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## jimmy156 (Jun 11, 2012)

Great shots guys, neuroanatomist you have captured a great moment there!

Here is one of mine, shot on my 50d with the Canon 60mm Macro and a home made flash diffuser. You have to get really close with a 60mm lens, ninja creeping skills are needed!




2012-05-30 by jimmyb156, on Flickr


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## DB (Jun 12, 2012)

Wow! Great shot...from only 1-foot away too, amazing it didn't fly away. It seems those macro lenses really do the job. 

@ jimmy156 what made you opt for the EF-S 60mm f/2.8 over the 50mm f/2.5? was just the extra reach?


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## neuroanatomist (Jun 12, 2012)

DJL329 said:


> Actually, on a 1.6x crop body (like the 50D), the *EF* 50 f/2.5 would have an equivalent focal length of 80mm, which would give it more "reach" than the *EF-S* 60mm.



Ummm...actually, *no*. Not only no, but *NO*. 

I suspect you are suffering from a (rather common) misconception, that EF-S lenses have a focal length that is somehow 'adjusted' for an APS-C sensor. That is not the case. Focal length, by definition, is the physical distance from the rear nodal point of a lens to the image plane. In other words, a lens marked 50mm has a focal length of 50mm, and a lens marked 60mm has a focal length of 60mm (ignoring focus breathing) - regardless of the size of the sensor behind that lens, or even whether there is a camera there at all. Focal length is focal length - it's an intrinsic property of a lens. Canon made a 60mm lens with a focal length of 60mm, they didn't make a lens with a focal length of 37.5mm then lie and print 60mm on the barrel. 

So...the EF-S 60mm will have more 'reach' than the EF 50mm (10mm more reach, to be exact) regardless of the camera on which it's mounted. The EF 50mm delivers a FF-equivalent AoV of 80mm on 1.6x, and the EF-S 60mm gives a FF-equivalent AoV of 96mm on 1.6x. It's just that EF-S lenses can only mount on APS-C bodies, whereas EF lenses can mount on any body.


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## DB (Jun 12, 2012)

Neuro, it is just that the EF-S 60mm has a quoted max. magnification of 1.0x whereas the cheaper EF 50mm f/2.5 has a figure of 0.5x (so I guess we should just use the reciprocal values i.e. 50mm macro has a max reproduction ratio of 1:2 whilst the EF-S 60 enjoys 1:1)

Looking at the prices, obviously the EF-S 60mm has USM with FTM override, but the cheaper 50 f/2.5 doesn't. So fast AF is probably why jimmy156 prefers that particular lens on his crop body (very similar to 100mm macro on FF), plus the 60mm has the edge on the min focus distance too - by a whisker


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## neuroanatomist (Jun 12, 2012)

DB said:


> Neuro, it is just that the EF-S 60mm has a quoted max. magnification of 1.0x whereas the cheaper EF 50mm f/2.5 has a figure of 0.5x (so I guess we should just use the reciprocal values i.e. 50mm macro has a max reproduction ratio of 1:2 whilst the EF-S 60 enjoys 1:1)



True...but that has nothing to do with the focal length, per se, which was what DJL329 was talking about. I agree that the EF-S 60mm is a much better lens for APS-C users than the EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro, for many reasons.


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## cayenne (Jun 12, 2012)

I got a couple shots of a lizard EATING a dragonfly the other day...need to find those and process those...

The circle of life, you know...


cayenne


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## DJL329 (Jun 12, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> In other words, a lens marked 50mm has a focal length of 50mm, and a lens marked 60mm has a focal length of 60mm ... - regardless of the size of the sensor behind that lens...



I _knew_ that, so I don't know what I was thinking. That's what I get for posting when not properly caffeinated...


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## jimmy156 (Jun 12, 2012)

DB said:


> Wow! Great shot...from only 1-foot away too, amazing it didn't fly away. It seems those macro lenses really do the job.
> 
> @ jimmy156 what made you opt for the EF-S 60mm f/2.8 over the 50mm f/2.5? was just the extra reach?



Thanks! It did fly away, many times ;D , persistance paid off though!

The main thing that made me opt for the 60mm was that it was bought for me as a surprise birthday present by my other half! It is however superior to the 50mm 2.5 macro in many way, 1:1 focuing, construction, AF to name a few!.


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## DJL329 (Jun 14, 2012)

Went looking through some shots from 2 years ago and came across this pair that I "caught in the act" (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more...)





http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7370774322/#in/photostream


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## Jmanc (Jun 20, 2012)

Great shots!


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## Kernuak (Jun 20, 2012)

DJL329 said:


> Went looking through some shots from 2 years ago and came across this pair that I "caught in the act" (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more...)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nah, that's just foreplay .




The Mating Wheel by Kernuak, on Flickr


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## MRLinVA (Jun 21, 2012)

Very nice shots. Here is one taken with 100mm 2.8 IS


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## MRLinVA (Jun 21, 2012)

And one of a less fortunate damselfly!


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## DJL329 (Jun 21, 2012)

Kernuak said:


> DJL329 said:
> 
> 
> > Went looking through some shots from 2 years ago and came across this pair that I "caught in the act" (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more...)
> ...



I saw a pair doing that this weekend! I guess they really ♥ that position! :





http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7411290870/#


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## DJL329 (Jun 21, 2012)

MRLinVA said:


> And one of a less fortunate damselfly!



Well, now I know why they call them "swallows."


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## candyman (Jun 21, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> Great shots! Love the eletric blue of the top one...
> 
> I have yet to get good shots of damselflies, but here's one I like of their dragonfly relatives.
> 
> ...




Great shot.
Is it handhold or on tripod with remote shutter release?


And, if handhold; did you sharpen the photo?


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## Kernuak (Jun 21, 2012)

DJL329 said:


> Kernuak said:
> 
> 
> > DJL329 said:
> ...


They always seem to settle on something with a messy background, no consideration for photographers at all. In hot weather, I quite often see them flying in tandem, with the male "escorting" the female while she oviposits, so that another male can't hijack her and remove the first male's sperm.


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## funkboy (Jun 21, 2012)

Caught these dragonflies in the act several years ago. I was up to my armpits in a creek at the bottom of a ravine in rural Greece:






This was with a C/Y mount Zeiss adapted to my 10D & set to the minimum focus distance. I can't remember if it was the 28mm f/2.8 Distagon (my walkaround lens at the time) or the 50mm f/1.4 Planar, but I remember being very close (less than 30cm/1ft).

The plane of focus just misses the head of the green one but I nailed the golden one. In retrospect I probably should crop this a bit more...


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## neuroanatomist (Jun 21, 2012)

candyman said:


> neuroanatomist said:
> 
> 
> > Great shots! Love the eletric blue of the top one...
> ...



Thanks! Shot from a tripod with remote shutter.


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## Kernuak (Jun 21, 2012)

funkboy said:


> Caught these dragonflies in the act several years ago. I was up to my armpits in a creek at the bottom of a ravine in rural Greece:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I haven't had many opportunities to photograph demoiselles, plenty of the various blues, but neither the beautiful or banded demoiselle. I think I've only had the one opportunity and that was a female banded demoiselle in very harsh lighting. It's always difficult to get sufficient DoF when they're in a mating wheel (or attempting it in your case), as they're usually in a position where it is difficult to get the plane right, particularly as they are active enough to move off if you get too close or disturb them too much. Because the demoiselles are larger than most other damselflies, there is probably an even bigger difference in distance between the two heads.


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## sootzzs (Aug 13, 2012)

One more. Taken with EF-S 55-250 and edited in GIMP 2.8 and Lightroom 4.1 desaturate.


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## cayenne (Aug 13, 2012)

sootzzs said:


> One more. Taken with EF-S 55-250 and edited in GIMP 2.8 and Lightroom 4.1 desaturate.



I was going to try to play a bit with GIMP, but first time I imported in, it said it was downconverting my image....can't remember the exact message, but I was shocked that GIMP seemingly couldn't handle my image at high resolution.

You're pic looks great..wondering if you found a way to bypass this downgrade GIMP seems to want to do at times...or if not.
What did you import into GIMP with as far as format, 64/32 bit....etc....

Thanks in advance,

cayenne


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## sootzzs (Aug 13, 2012)

Thank You! It is one of my favorites, especially taken with such a simple lens. 

Unfortunately I'm not an expert on GIMP (or Photoshop in that matter). I know what you are talking about because it happened to me also while I have opened the Tiff from Lightroom in GIMP (don't remember the exat message). I think GIMP (in my case at least) just couldn't read the 16bit encoded image and converted it to 8 bit. I didn't seen any noticeable downgrade in image quality though and after I've finished to edit it I just exported it as JPEG. I use 32bit Windows7, but not sure this limitation comes from that or from some other reason.

But again, I am far from understand anything on this issue and would appreciate if some one more knowledgeable could share his insights with both of us. 




cayenne said:


> sootzzs said:
> 
> 
> > One more. Taken with EF-S 55-250 and edited in GIMP 2.8 and Lightroom 4.1 desaturate.
> ...


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## akiskev (Aug 26, 2012)

Whenever I use my S5 (rarely), I get impressed from the results.






For comparison reasons here is a shot with my 30d + Zeiss 80-200 f/4 (I LOVE THIS LENS) :


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