# Dragonflies and Damselflies



## AlanF (Aug 6, 2018)

Birds have become so scarce this time of year and the heat keeps them hidden in the thick foliage, so what does a bird photographer do? Well, I have suddenly become hooked on dragonflies and damselflies. Portraits can be fun and you can sneak up on them easily. And it's perfect for the opportunistic photographer with lightweight gear, and you don't need very long telephotos. Dragonflies in flight are something different - they can be really difficult to track and focus on. I thought I could never capture them but the 100-400mm II on a 5DIV or 5DSR has proven to be brilliant. So, I am starting a new thread just devoted to dragonflies and damselflies. I'll start with a couple of Banded Demoiselles in flight. They are tiny and fly very erratically. I must admit I didn't even know their name or that they even existed a week ago. But, I am now addicted.


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## applecider (Aug 6, 2018)

Good shots. How many did it take to get keepers?

I noticed that the second shot , which I really like, has a crippled wing.


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## AlanF (Aug 6, 2018)

applecider said:


> Good shots. How many did it take to get keepers?
> 
> I noticed that the second shot , which I really like, has a crippled wing.


That sharp, 2/40, and another 4 of some not bad ones, here, plus 4 OK. 




.


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## AlanF (Aug 6, 2018)

Here are two from yesterday of which I am quite proud. Again on the 5DSR + 100-400mm II. These are much closer, much larger and far more difficult to capture because they are close.


The first is a male Common Darter in mid flight. The second is of a male and female Common Darter in the process of ovipositing - spraying eggs into the water. The male guards the female. What is remarkable is that by shear fluke you can see the eggs being released from the female.


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## Nat_WA (Aug 6, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Birds have become so scarce this time of year and the heat keeps them hidden in the thick foliage, so what does a bird photographer do? Well, I have suddenly become hooked on dragonflies and damselflies. Portraits can be fun and you can sneak up on them easily. And it's perfect for the opportunistic photographer with lightweight gear, and you don't need very long telephotos. Dragonflies in flight are something different - they can be really difficult to track and focus on. I thought I could never capture them but the 100-400mm II on a 5DIV or 5DSR has proven to be brilliant. So, I am starting a new thread just devoted to dragonflies and damselflies. I'll start with a couple of Banded Demoiselles in flight. They are tiny and fly very erratically. I must admit I didn't even know their name or that they even existed a week ago. But, I am now addicted.



We've had some dragonflies and damselflies before in this forum, but not that many "in flight"... So hard to get and keep them in view and in focus!
Great shots Alan, and very nice to see the 'banded' with its special wings.
The one with the Darters oviposting is also quite special! V. well done.
Wiebe.


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## PKinDenmark (Aug 6, 2018)

Very interesting new thread, Alan. 
And several great shots above to get it started.

I can add a few shots of (in Danish) Blåbåndet Pragtvandnymfe - in Latin _Calopteryx splendens_ from June 2016.
All made with Canon 6D and Tamron 150-600 (Mk I).



A comment on technique: On the following three shots, I focused on the bud of the plant, as I had noticed, that the insects returned to that place regularly.


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## AlanF (Aug 6, 2018)

Thanks Wiebe.
Nic shots Dansk!


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## IslanderMV (Aug 6, 2018)

Great Bifs ! (Bugs in Flight ) . Truly hard to do. Here is a static shot of damselfly mating. Notice the mite on the male abdomen. (the blue one ) Bonus bug !


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## Nat_WA (Aug 6, 2018)

Very Nice shots PK and Jeff!
From recent stock?  At least quick to join Alan's initiative!
Wiebe.


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## lion rock (Aug 6, 2018)

AlanF and IslanderMV,
The two of you rock!
Small, fast and randomly moving things and you both shoot very well.
-r


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## Click (Aug 6, 2018)

Great shots, guys. Well done.


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## AlanF (Aug 7, 2018)

Thanks Lion rock and click as ever!


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## AlanF (Aug 7, 2018)

Ruddy Darters mating. The Ruddy differs from the Common Darter most obviously by its club-shaped body. I had the 400mm DO II + 1.4xTC on the 5DSR for this - a fearsomely sharp combo. It's as sharp at 560mm as the 100-400mm II is at 400mm, but with the added 2x number of pixels.


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## Maximilian (Aug 7, 2018)

Hi Alan!

Really great shots you made here!
I tried such (DIF) myself this summer but miserably failed 
Even though I know that those demoiselles have a territorial behavior and start from and return to a certain raised hide.




AlanF said:


> ...
> Dragonflies in flight are something different - they can be really difficult to track and focus on. I thought I could never capture them but the 100-400mm II on a 5DIV or 5DSR has proven to be brilliant.
> ...


As I have similar equipment (5D3 and 100-400 II) I'd really like to know more about your settings and photo technique here.
Thanks in advance for your help.



PKinDenmark said:


> Very interesting new thread, Alan.
> ...
> A comment on technique: On the following three shots, I focused on the bud of the plant, as I had noticed, that the insects returned to that place regularly.
> ...


Thanks for those hints, PK. Also great shots.
I've tried similar things but the demoiselles were to fast for me, in an out of the framing


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## AlanF (Aug 7, 2018)

Maximilian said:


> Hi Alan!
> 
> Really great shots you made here!
> I tried such (DIF) myself this summer but miserably failed
> ...



Neutral on tracking, manual speed 1/3200s, wide open, auto iso and centre 9 points on focussing. We old'uns are pretty fast with our hands and feet.


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## Maximilian (Aug 7, 2018)

Here are some of mine - all sitting.


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## Maximilian (Aug 7, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Neutral on tracking, manual speed 1/3200s, wide open, auto iso and centre 9 points on focussing. We old'uns are pretty fast with our hands and feet.


Same settings here, although I've tried 1/2000 to reduce high ISO values.
So it seems that next time I've got to work more on patience, fast refexes and hands


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## AlanF (Aug 7, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Neutral on tracking, manual speed 1/3200s, wide open, auto iso and centre 9 points on focussing. We old'uns are pretty fast with our hands and feet.





Maximilian said:


> Here are some of mine - all sitting.
> 
> View attachment 179497
> 
> ...


Very nice indeed. Are they Beautiful Demoiselles?


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## Maximilian (Aug 7, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Very nice indeed. Are they Beautiful Demoiselles?


Thanks and yes, _calopteryx virgo_


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## AlanF (Aug 7, 2018)

You don't need the fanciest of equipment. Here is a female Banded Demoiselle taken by me with the 5DSR and 100-400mm II at 400mm, and one from the opposite side by Mrs point-and-shoot at 100mm with the M5 and EF-M 18-150mm (which I really do think are great). The colours are quite different because of the different backgrounds.


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## lion rock (Aug 7, 2018)

AlanF and Maximilian,
Great shots of these flying creatures.
-r


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## Maximilian (Aug 7, 2018)

AlanF said:


> The colours are quite different because of the different backgrounds.


Not only because of the background but also because of the angle of incident light.

I absolutely fell in love with the beautiful demoiselles when I first saw them with thei typical metallic cobalt blue/cyan.
It was quite difficult to get them in this color style so when you see my pictures they allways have a touch of green as well.
Here is one where the color at the wings is almost perfect but missing sharpness on the body and ISO3200 is killing the details.


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## AlanF (Aug 7, 2018)

The colour of the wing from my reading is not due to pigmentation but the structure of components of the wings, microcrystals, photonic crystals etc and so the colour varies according to the angle of viewing and whether the light is reflected or transmitted.


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## ISv (Aug 7, 2018)

AlanF said:


> The colour of the wing from my reading is not due to pigmentation but the structure of components of the wings, microcrystals, photonic crystals etc and so the colour varies according to the angle of viewing and whether the light is reflected or transmitted.



Nice shots Alan!
Same for Maximilian, but I have to agree with the Alan's explanation of the variable color!

I still have no new photos of this sort, will try do get some in the weekend.


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## AlanF (Aug 7, 2018)

I have spent a couple of days finding what this one is: a Brown Hawker female in the process of ovipositing. The 400 DO II at 560mm on the 5DSR. At the distance, the depth of focus is pretty good and I was able to get a nice reflection.


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## Maximilian (Aug 7, 2018)

AlanF said:


> The colour of the wing from my reading is not due to pigmentation but the structure of components of the wings, microcrystals, photonic crystals etc and so the colour varies according to the angle of viewing and whether the light is reflected or transmitted.


+1 and 100% with you 
If I ever wrote something sounding different, I wasn't precise enough.
It is because of the micro pigmentation/crystals in combination with angle of viewing AND angle of incident light.


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## AlanF (Aug 7, 2018)

Maximilian said:


> +1 and 100% with you
> If I ever wrote something sounding different, I wasn't precise enough.
> It is because of the micro pigmentation/crystals in combination with angle of viewing AND angle of incident light.



You are absolutely right. It's really interesting how the banded demoiselles look intensely blue when they flutter and the light reflects from their bands but their wings have black bands when viewed against the light and you just see the transmitted rays, like this one. And in the flying shots you can sometimes see a pair of black and a pair of blue wings.

.


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## Valvebounce (Aug 8, 2018)

Hi Folks
Some great shots, but don’t forget this thread, https://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?threads/dragonfly-series.8819/ started in 2012 and only dormant since January this year!

Cheers, Graham.


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## ISv (Aug 8, 2018)

Dig up some older files: 2016-2017.
The first one is my first and only attempt for DIF. After that: Crocothemis servilia - Scarlet skimmer, female; Orthemis ferruginea - Roseate Skimmer, male and Ischnura posita. I hope I identify them properly...


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## AlanF (Aug 8, 2018)

Nice ones ISv.


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## Nat_WA (Aug 8, 2018)

ISv said:


> Dig up some older files: 2016-2017.
> The first one is my first and only attempt for DIF. After that: Crocothemis servilia - Scarlet skimmer, female; Orthemis ferruginea - Roseate Skimmer, male and Ischnura posita. I hope I identify them properly...





AlanF said:


> Nice ones ISv.


+1 !


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## Click (Aug 8, 2018)

Maximilian, Alan and ISv,

Very nice pictures, guys

Alan, I especially like the Brown Hawker female in the process of ovipositing.


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## Maximilian (Aug 8, 2018)

lion rock said:


> AlanF and Maximilian,
> Great shots of these flying creatures.
> -r





Click said:


> Maximilian, Alan and ISv,
> 
> Very nice pictures, guys


Thanks, lion rock and Click


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## ISv (Aug 8, 2018)

Thanks everybody!


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## AlanF (Aug 8, 2018)

Valvebounce said:


> Hi Folks
> Some great shots, but don’t forget this thread, https://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?threads/dragonfly-series.8819/ started in 2012 and only dormant since January this year!
> 
> Cheers, Graham.


Well, I could say that it doesn't include damselflies or that it had become dormant. But, the truth is I had missed it! Anyway, we are having good fun with the new thread and its revived interest in this fascinating area of nature.


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## Valvebounce (Aug 9, 2018)

Hi Alan. 
Sorry, it wasn’t meant as a dig at you, I could probably have worded it better but I’m no English professor!  
My intention was for those posting here who didn’t know of it’s existence to be aware of its presence and be able to look at some other great work. 

Cheers, Graham. 



AlanF said:


> Well, I could say that it doesn't include damselflies or that it had become dormant. But, the truth is I had missed it! Anyway, we are having good fun with the new thread and its revived interest in this fascinating area of nature.


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## MalingJemuran (Aug 9, 2018)




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## AlanF (Aug 9, 2018)

Valvebounce said:


> Hi Alan.
> Sorry, it wasn’t meant as a dig at you, I could probably have worded it better but I’m no English professor!
> My intention was for those posting here who didn’t know of it’s existence to be aware of its presence and be able to look at some other great work.
> 
> Cheers, Graham.


Graham
No offence taken!
Alan


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## Click (Aug 9, 2018)

Very nice picture, MalingJemuran.


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## DSP121 (Aug 10, 2018)

Look at those wonderful colors!
So beautiful!


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## AlanF (Aug 10, 2018)

DSP121 said:


> Look at those wonderful colors!
> So beautiful!


+1


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## applecider (Aug 23, 2018)

Great stuff, here are a couple of may better tries...

The first is a blue darter, the second is a GOK.


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## Click (Aug 23, 2018)

Nice shots, applecider. I especially like the first one.


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## AlanF (Aug 23, 2018)

Superb!


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## Maximilian (Aug 23, 2018)

applecider said:


> Great stuff, here are a couple of may better tries...
> 
> The first is a blue darter, the second is a GOK.


Hi *applecider*!
Really nice shots!
IMO a little bit too much sharpening that makes the background too nervous, esp. at the blue darter.
Maybe try to reduce that a little bit. You will see, that you don't lose too much detail.

But that's just my personal taste.


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## Maximilian (Aug 23, 2018)

Two recent new ones of a really nice and patient migrant hawker (_Aeshna mixta_)


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## Click (Aug 23, 2018)

I really like your pictures, Maximilian.


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## AlanF (Aug 23, 2018)

Maximilian said:


> Two recent new ones of a really nice and patient migrant hawker (_Aeshna mixta_)


Great close up.


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## AlanF (Aug 23, 2018)

Haven't seen so many recently, but here is an Emperor from earlier this month.


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## Click (Aug 23, 2018)

Beautiful picture, Alan.


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## Maximilian (Aug 23, 2018)

Click said:


> I really like your pictures, Maximilian.





AlanF said:


> Great close up.


Thanks Click and Alan. 



AlanF said:


> ... here is an Emperor ...


Also great. I love the _Anax imperator_ . I haven't seen one personally for two or three years.
It's not common at the lakes and streams where I live.


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## AlanF (Aug 23, 2018)

Thanks Click and Maximilian. He was flying around pretty fast but the decided to land.


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## applecider (Aug 24, 2018)

Maximillian nice images, I’ll try less sharpening, but lately around where I’m at we have had weird lighting due to fires. Even mid day light is dim and red tinged.

Curious as to what lens you are using..tried to find your exif

AlanF your image was very nice as well.


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## AlanF (Aug 24, 2018)

Thanks applecider


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## AlanF (Aug 24, 2018)

Tried out the Sony R10 IV this afternoon and found a couple. The first is of the unusual blue form of the common blue damselfly. The second is a ruddy darter. In the face on view you can see the individual eyes in the compound eye.


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## Click (Aug 24, 2018)

Nice pictures. Well done, Alan.


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## razashaikh (Aug 25, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Tried out the Sony R10 IV this afternoon and found a couple. The first is of the unusual blue form of the common blue damselfly. The second is a ruddy darter. In the face on view you can see the individual eyes in the compound eye.
> View attachment 179884
> View attachment 179885
> View attachment 179886


Nice Set!


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## applecider (Aug 25, 2018)

Here is a stationary widow skimmer by my id. NW US near pond in Oregon. Shot with a 500mm f4 w 1.4 extender, not really my lens of choice for insects (I'd prefer the 100mm f2.8 macro if given a choice) the amount of depth of field at 5.6 is seen with the far wing out of focus, but for a free hand bigly white shot I'll take it.


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## applecider (Aug 25, 2018)

And an attempt at flying DF's probable blue dasher second . The first is a try out for the lead in to men in black...

Face only in focus These were shot at 700mm 1/1600 sec f 7.1 iso 800.


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## Click (Aug 25, 2018)

Nice pictures, applecider. I especially like the last one.


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## Maximilian (Aug 26, 2018)

applecider said:


> ...Face only in focus...


I really like that one.


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## AlanF (Aug 26, 2018)

Click said:


> Nice pictures, applecider. I especially like the last one.


+1 The second is excellent.


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## Eindorn (Aug 26, 2018)

dragonfly 
https://500px.com/photo/270141963/big-dragon-by-gerhard-dorne


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## AlanF (Aug 26, 2018)

Another superb shot!


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## beforeEos Camaras (Aug 26, 2018)

a wonderful set


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## Click (Aug 26, 2018)

Eindorn said:


> dragonfly



Beautiful. Well done, Eindorn.


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## Click (Aug 26, 2018)

Nice one, beforeEOSCamera.


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## AlanF (Aug 27, 2018)

Wiebe asked me to post some comparisons of the RX10 IV with the 5DSR. Here are some of a ruddydarter taken on the 5DSR + 100-400mm II and the RX10 with iso settings of 250, 1600 and 400 respectively for the latter. They are all processed is DxO PL with PRIME noise reduction. All are 100% crops - 1px = 1px of original.


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## Nat_WA (Aug 27, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Wiebe asked me to post some comparisons of the RX10 IV with the 5DSR. Here are some of a ruddydarter taken on the 5DSR + 100-400mm II and the RX10 with iso settings of 250, 1600 and 400 respectively for the latter. They are all processed is DxO PL with PRIME noise reduction. All are 100% crops - 1px = 1px of original.



Hi Alan, for one the comparison shows that the (your...) RX10 IV can achieve pretty high quality pictures. That said, I still like the 5DSR ones better; contrast appears to be better (especially the last of RX10 appears a bit softer) and the background rendering is smoother. Differences aren't huge though...
Thanks for posting this "side by side"!
Wiebe.


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## AlanF (Aug 27, 2018)

The comparison isn't quite on equal terms. Dragonfly 1 is sunlit for both cameras but dragonfly 2 is sunlit, as you can see from the shadow, for the 5DSR but not for the RX10. When both are sunlit, the difference is less. The £5,200 of gear weighing 2.7kg does outperform £1800 at 1.1kg - if it didn't, I'd be very miffed! But, the very high quality and 24-600mm zoom make the RX10 IV a great companion on a hike and as a complement to the Canon gear on a safari - you can track a beast from close up to far away.


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## AlanF (Aug 27, 2018)

I found an image of dragonfly 2 when sunlit - it is much better.


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## applecider (Aug 30, 2018)

A good model that I cannot identify to species. The amazing thing to me is that it was shot with the 100-400mmii the fine details are pretty pleasing to me at least.
Larger view and head focus shots.


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## Click (Aug 30, 2018)

Beautiful shots, Applecider.


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## Erik X (Aug 30, 2018)

Wow, a thread for dragonflies, how could I have missed it?  Great pictures!
I throw in an Aeshna Mixta, migrant hawker? 



F36A2414_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## AlanF (Aug 30, 2018)

applecider said:


> A good model that I cannot identify to species. The amazing thing to me is that it was shot with the 100-400mmii the fine details are pretty pleasing to me at least.
> Larger view and head focus shots.
> 
> 
> > What wonderful shots of the compound eyes, you can really clearly the individual lenses. The 100-400mm II is a really good lens as it is sharp and can close focus.


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## AlanF (Aug 30, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Wow, a thread for dragonflies, how could I have missed it?  Great pictures!
> I throw in an Aeshna Mixta, migrant hawker?
> 
> by Erik Astrom, on Flickr



A really great shot of one in flight.


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## Click (Aug 30, 2018)

Excellent shot, Erik.


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## Maximilian (Aug 31, 2018)

Erik X said:


> I throw in an Aeshna Mixta, migrant hawker?


Lovely DOF! Great sharpness. Great shot, Erik


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## Erik X (Aug 31, 2018)

Thanks Alan, Click and Maximilian
Here is a front/face picture of the same individual...



F36A2304_DxO_full-4 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/29fAARD]

F36A2416_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Click (Aug 31, 2018)

WOW! Great shot, Erik!


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## Erik X (Aug 31, 2018)

Click said:


> WOW! Great shot, Erik!


Thanks Click. The 100-400 II with 1.4x TC is almost perfect for this kind of jobs. And also for airshows.. 
I just wish I could use AF, unfortunately it has a tendency to lock on the background most of the time 

A White-faced Darter, waiting for lunch to be served.  Photo taken from a kayak!
Edit: more likely a Four-spotted Chaser



F36A1502_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## Berowne (Sep 1, 2018)

Lots of Beautiful Pictures here! The Damselfly is dificult to catch. At least could see her for a short time.


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## Erik X (Sep 1, 2018)

Nice photos Berowne, those are hard to catch..

A Ruddy Darter with a relaxed look.. 



F36A1867_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr



F36A1868_DxO_full-1 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr

"-Is that a Canon 5D3 you are shooting with..?" 
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2aEDYKX]

F36A3474 ZS DMap retouched by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Berowne (Sep 2, 2018)

Great shots Erik, never caught one in Flight - here is a male darter sitting - and cropped

.


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## Click (Sep 2, 2018)

Beautiful pictures, Erik.


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## Click (Sep 2, 2018)

Very nice shot, Berowne.


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## AlanF (Sep 2, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Thanks Click. The 100-400 II with 1.4x TC is almost perfect for this kind of jobs. And also for airshows..
> I just wish I could use AF, unfortunately it has a tendency to lock on the background most of the time
> 
> A White-faced Darter, waiting for lunch to be served.  Photo taken from a kayak!
> ...


Great shot with the fly as well!


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## AlanF (Sep 2, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Thanks Alan, Click and Maximilian
> Here is a front/face picture of the same individual...
> 
> by Erik Astrom, on Flick by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


Outstanding!


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## AlanF (Sep 2, 2018)

Berowne said:


> Lots of Beautiful Pictures here! The Damselfly is dificult to catch. At least could see her for a short time.


Beautiful colours.


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## AlanF (Sep 2, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Nice photos Berowne, those are hard to catch..
> 
> A Ruddy Darter with a relaxed look..
> 
> ...


More superb shots.


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## AlanF (Sep 2, 2018)

Not many dragonflies around any more. Here is a common darter I saw yesterday.


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## Erik X (Sep 4, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Not many dragonflies around any more. Here is a common darter I saw yesterday.


Now we're talking close-up  Good job!

Since the four-spotted chaser has a transparent body, body fluids and internal organs must of course be color-matched to the transparent skin. It would simply not look good otherwise  I wonder if those has to be careful with what they eat so they don't get any unsightly discoloration.. ? 

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Gywkcz]

F36A4408 ZS DMap_DxO_r2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## AlanF (Sep 4, 2018)

You have really nailed the body from head to tail.


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## Click (Sep 4, 2018)

Beautiful shot! Well done, Erik.


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## Erik X (Sep 4, 2018)

AlanF said:


> You have really nailed the body from head to tail.


Actually, it is a focus stack from 3 pictures.. The dragonfly sat perfectly still 
Thanks Click!


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## Berowne (Sep 5, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Now we're talking close-up  Good job!
> 
> Since the four-spotted chaser has a transparent body, body fluids and internal organs must of course be color-matched to the transparent skin. It would simply not look good otherwise  I wonder if those has to be careful with what they eat so they don't get any unsightly discoloration.. ?
> 
> ...



OMG, this is sharp! Great Picture Erik.
Greetings Andy


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## applecider (Sep 5, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Thanks Alan, Click and Maximilian
> Here is a front/face picture of the same individual...
> 
> 
> ...


great shots, noticed shot ar 1/6400 on 1.4x adapted 100-400mm, beautifully sharp and clear...


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## Erik X (Sep 5, 2018)

Thanks for the feedback, Andy and Applecider!


applecider said:


> great shots, noticed shot ar 1/6400 on 1.4x adapted 100-400mm, beautifully sharp and clear...


Fast shutter speed helps abit, worst problem is to keep a fast moving dragonfly centered in viewfinder at 560mm.. not to mention how difficult it is to focus manually. But it is fun when a sharp picture appears among hundreds of blurred  5D3 gives reasonably low noise at 1:1 crop up to iso1600. 3200 can also give quite good result with less cropping

It looks like this dragonfly is eating something from its hand (or what is it called, paw, claw?)



F36A8856_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## Click (Sep 5, 2018)

Another very nice shot, Erik. Well done.


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## Erik X (Sep 6, 2018)

Love among Damselflies..



F36A1244_DxO_2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr



F36A1307_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr



F36A5499_DxO_2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr

Maybe they look better alone in close-up 



F36A3250_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/21sm5FA]

F36A6240_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]



F36A6079 ZS DMap_DxO_r2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## Click (Sep 6, 2018)

Beautiful. Nicely done, Erik.


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## Erik X (Sep 6, 2018)

Click said:


> Beautiful. Nicely done, Erik.


Thanks Click, much appreciated
Do you think I should post this one in the 'military aircraft'-thread instead, it looks like some kind of Russian WWII fighter.. 

[url=https://flic.kr/p/21qe35J]

F36A5966_DxO_full_2 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Click (Sep 6, 2018)

Yes, you should. 


Very nice picture!


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## AlanF (Sep 7, 2018)

Great shots Erik!


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## Erik X (Sep 7, 2018)

A few focus stacking experiments, the third picture is a single shot.. Sigma 150/2.8 macro with 2x teleconverter, handheld

[url=https://flic.kr/p/21v6nGR]

F36A2123 ZS DMap 10p retouched_DxO_r2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Gywo2n]

F36A2352 ZS PMax retouched_DxO_r2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Gywoo4]

F36A2266_DxO_r2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Berowne (Sep 7, 2018)

Great Shots, Erik. Here is another dangerous creature.


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## Erik X (Sep 7, 2018)

Berowne said:


> Great Shots, Erik. Here is another dangerous creature.


Beautiful!


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## Click (Sep 7, 2018)

Erik X said:


> A few focus stacking experiments, the third picture is a single shot.. Sigma 150/2.8 macro with 2x teleconverter, handheld




Awesome. Beautiful shots, Erik !!


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## Click (Sep 7, 2018)

Very nice shot, Berowne. Well done.


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## Erik X (Sep 7, 2018)

Click said:


> Awesome. Beautiful shots, Erik !!


Thanks Click!

Some dragonflies obviously have different resolution on the upper and the lower part of their eyes. The facets are larger at the upper part, I assume it is only used to get a warning that there is a threat above. Dragonflies frequently turn their head to one side, the purpose is probably to use the higher resolution view to check what is going on above..? There is some disorder along the division line between large and small facets, but evolution has solved it quite well after all 




The inside of the head looks a bit hollow! It is of course color-styled into every detail as well as the wing machinery.. Honestly, I don't understand the point. Yes I know about Darwin, survival of the fittest and the importance of making a good impression on any possible partner, but still.. A dragonfly is said to have only 16 neurons in its brain, how can it be so picky about its partners color styling??


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## Click (Sep 7, 2018)

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing this, Erik.


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## Erik X (Sep 8, 2018)

I think the Yellow-winged Darter is my personal favorite. The wings are gold-shimmering in the evening sun.. 

[url=https://flic.kr/p/M8o9kZ]

F36A6793 ZS DMap retouched2_DxO_2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Click (Sep 8, 2018)

Beautiful. Nicely done, Erik.


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## bluediablo (Sep 8, 2018)

Erik X said:


> A few focus stacking experiments, the third picture is a single shot.. Sigma 150/2.8 macro with 2x teleconverter, handheld
> 
> 
> 
> ...


These shots show personalities and are stunning. Man, I chase these things around and they never land...


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## Erik X (Sep 9, 2018)

bluediablo said:


> These shots show personalities and are stunning. Man, I chase these things around and they never land...


Sit down and relax, soon they will be sitting on your feet 

[url=https://flic.kr/p/29v3giV]

F36A6654_DxO_2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/M8nZwM]

F36A6691 ZS DMap retouched_DxO_2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Berowne (Sep 9, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Sit down and relax, soon they will be sitting on your feet
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Obviously an emergency landing with broken wings.


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## Erik X (Sep 9, 2018)

Berowne said:


> Obviously an emergency landing with broken wings.


Could be but they use to fly perfectly fine with much worse wings..

[url=https://flic.kr/p/28aoTC1]

F36A5329_DxO_PL_1920-1 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/29JkLZ5]

F36A5387_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/21v6p1T]

F36A9235_DxO_r2500 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Erik X (Sep 9, 2018)

Not again..! I went out to shoot dragonflies today just to find a Peregrine falcon eating my photo models 

[url=https://flic.kr/p/NMDt9L]

F36A3940_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2aQVTpW]

F36A3942_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]

But finally I found this couple that managed to stay out of sight from any birds of prey 



F36A4487_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## Click (Sep 9, 2018)

Beautiful pictures, Erik. I especially like the last one.


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## AlanF (Sep 10, 2018)

Nice one Berowne


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## AlanF (Sep 10, 2018)

Beautiful and scientifically interesting series Erik. I have read that large insects like dragonflies have a million neurons. I came across quite a lot of interesting stuff trying to find the number of neurons.
https://listverse.com/2013/04/18/10-surprisingly-brutal-facts-about-dragonflies/
https://elifesciences.org/articles/26478
https://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news93682.html


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## Erik X (Sep 10, 2018)

AlanF said:


> I came across quite a lot of interesting stuff trying to find the number of neurons.


Thanks Alan. Very interesting, that might explain a thing or two.. I will dig into the facts later 
Thanks for the comment Click


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## AlanF (Sep 10, 2018)

It seems that dragonflies have a tracking system that Canon learn from! They are highly involved predators.


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## martti (Sep 10, 2018)

AlanF said:


> It seems that dragonflies have a tracking system that Canon learn from! They are highly involved predators.



I'd hate to have my 5D4 full of bugs after each outing.
Just saying.


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## Erik X (Sep 10, 2018)

AlanF said:


> It seems that dragonflies have a tracking system that Canon learn from!


Cool stuff 
I wonder what the small pearl-looking objects next to the nose are. And there is something looking like a single optical lens centered in the nose...
The metal pearls looks very much like the germanium lenses used on thermal imaging cameras but it simply can't be. Snakes has thermal vision but since there is no biological material that can act as lens for thermal radiation, they use a 'pit'-sensor which is is more or less a pinhole camera with extremely low resolution.

I read somewhere that dragonflies shake the retina behind the facets to improve resolution beyond 'facet-grid'. So it was quite fun to read the press release from Hasselblad about their new technique to improve resultion from a 50 Mp sensor to 200 Mp.. guess how they do it 
https://www.wired.com/2011/05/hasselblad-squeezes-200mp-images-by-shaking-a-50mb-sensor/


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## Erik X (Sep 11, 2018)

Anyway.. Flying makes you happy 



F36A5872_DxO_full_1 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr

And the lady in red, isn't she a beauty? Kind of 

[url=https://flic.kr/p/28e4sLG]

F36A4477_DxO_full-1 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Click (Sep 11, 2018)

Nice shots. Well done, Erik.


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## AlanF (Sep 12, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Anyway.. Flying makes you happy
> 
> by Erik Astrom, on Flickr
> 
> ...


Keep at it Erik!


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## applecider (Sep 12, 2018)

Erik I checked out your flicker pages and gave you some well deserved favs.

I'm really trying to do birds but these guys keep showing up instead.

This is a blue dasher eating a damselfly probably... based on other unposted shots.

The quality of the photos here is getting too good, I'm embarrassed to post my humble guns. Keep up the good work but post a thumb shot or a shutter cap every once in a while, please.


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## Click (Sep 12, 2018)

Very nice shots, applecider.


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## AlanF (Sep 12, 2018)

Gorgeous blues and greens!


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## Pieter (Sep 12, 2018)

Great to see all these !!


Wandering Glider in flight


Mating wheel - Wandering Gliders


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## Pieter (Sep 12, 2018)

Immature Black Meadowhawk - the wings are not yet fully transparent


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## Pieter (Sep 12, 2018)

Dew-covered Meadowhawk



Emperor Dragonfly laying eggs.
I'll stop now - sorry for taking up all this space! I did a little book on dragonfly photography a few years ago - hence my enthusiasm ;-)

Used a 40D, 5D III, or 7D II, with the 100 f2.8 macro or the 300mm f/4L.


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## Pieter (Sep 12, 2018)

OK one more: very young (probably just a few days old) and tiny nymph of a Meadowhawk, under water.


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## Click (Sep 12, 2018)

Very nice series, Pieter. Well done.


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## Erik X (Sep 12, 2018)

At a certain point, photos become magic. I think we are there.. 
Great shots Pieter and Applecider! 

Oh, I think I'm running out of in-flight pictures, it has to be a sitting duck (or actually a couple) this time 

[url=https://flic.kr/p/21v6qRB]

F36A9350_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Click (Sep 12, 2018)

Beautiful. Well done, Erik.


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## Erik X (Sep 13, 2018)

Nordic Emerald. Nice green eyes.. 

[url=https://flic.kr/p/29JkM3G]

F36A5096_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Maximilian (Sep 13, 2018)

Pieter said:


> Immature Black Meadowhawk - the wings are not yet fully transparent


Lovely detail shot. Great work!


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## Maximilian (Sep 13, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Nordic Emerald. Nice green eyes..


Great sharpness on the head! Kudos!


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## Click (Sep 13, 2018)

Excellent shot, Erik.


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## Maximilian (Sep 13, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Cool stuff
> I wonder what the small pearl-looking objects next to the nose are. And there is something looking like a single optical lens centered in the nose...
> ...


Those three small dots / lenses are the so called "simple eyes" or "ocelli", typical for (allmost) all insects.
More details see here.


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## AlanF (Sep 13, 2018)

Pieter said:


> View attachment 180338
> 
> Dew-covered Meadowhawk
> 
> ...


Beautiful and informative shots Pieter! Please post more.


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## AlanF (Sep 13, 2018)

Pieter said:


> View attachment 180337
> 
> Immature Black Meadowhawk - the wings are not yet fully transparent


So interesting.


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## Berowne (Sep 13, 2018)

Great Photos, Erik, Applecider and Pieter. Thanks for showing! 
Greetings Andy


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## Erik X (Sep 13, 2018)

Maximilian said:


> Those three small dots / lenses are the so called "simple eyes" or "ocelli", typical for (allmost) all insects.
> More details see here.


Very interesting reading, thanks for the link. I still suspect that the silvery surface on the outer ocelli is an attempt to keep visible (for humans) light out of the sensor, making it more sensitive to UV, IR or possibly thermal radiation... But the theory that the ocelli is used for attitude control seems reasonable. And maybe the center ocellus at the Ruddy Darter is optimised for low-light conditions considering its relatively large size. ""Second-order neurons in the dragonfly median ocellus respond more strongly to upwards-moving bars and gratings than to downwards-moving bars and gratings, but this effect is only present when ultraviolet light is used in the stimulus "" That makes sense for pilots, it is usually a more acute problem if you are heading down toward the ground than if you are climbing upwards . But UV is less likely to appear in low-light conditions. Fog in daylight is another story; lots of UV. Could the ocellus be equipment for instrument flying? 

Thanks for the feedback, Click, Alan, Berowne and Bluediablo

Emerald damselfly / common spreadwing.. click twice to enlarge to 100% 



F36A6392_DxO_r2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## FramerMCB (Sep 13, 2018)

Beautiful images all... Here's a couple of mine. I'm not sure of the Latin name for this particular "model". These are from 2013, my 40D with a 70-200mm f2.8L IS. In the second image, I was as close as my lens would allow me (approx. 6') at f2.8 and belatedly realised the focus nailed the wings but the head is not in focus... feel free to double-click to view full-screen.


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## applecider (Sep 13, 2018)

So with my earlier images I tried to use dual pixel raw micro adjustment to sharpen focus on the eyes of my subjects. I did not find any difference to speak of in this attempt to dual pixel raw sharpen/ stack.

Have any of you tried the dual pixel raw adjustments and do they work for you?Attached image is the one I tried with but no difference as far as I can tell thus no pre and post images. Quite cropped and enlarged to 300% as seen here. Or is this even the situation that DPRAW is designed for?


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## Pieter (Sep 13, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Beautiful and informative shots Pieter! Please post more.



OK thanks very much Alan - I don't need a lot of encouragement! ;-)


Green Darner. All my in-flight shots are "full manual" - focus, exposure, aperture, and of course hand-held. I find the 300 f4 L with the Canon 5D III provides an almost ideal field of view, and the large focusing ring really helps.



Nymphs of the Skimmer family (left) and the Darner family (right), under water. Shot with a tripod, through glass after putting them in a little aquarium , using a hand-held flash to provide lighting from the side.


Just-emerged Meadowhawk, backlit by the full moon (no other lighting). Most dragonfly species emerge at night.



Dew drops magnifying eye facets and some hairs.



Male Variegated Meadowhawk - one of the most interestingly-patterned common dragonflies.


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## Pieter (Sep 13, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Birds have become so scarce this time of year and the heat keeps them hidden in the thick foliage, so what does a bird photographer do? Well, I have suddenly become hooked on dragonflies and damselflies. Portraits can be fun and you can sneak up on them easily. And it's perfect for the opportunistic photographer with lightweight gear, and you don't need very long telephotos. Dragonflies in flight are something different - they can be really difficult to track and focus on. I thought I could never capture them but the 100-400mm II on a 5DIV or 5DSR has proven to be brilliant. So, I am starting a new thread just devoted to dragonflies and damselflies. I'll start with a couple of Banded Demoiselles in flight. They are tiny and fly very erratically. I must admit I didn't even know their name or that they even existed a week ago. But, I am now addicted.
> View attachment 179469
> View attachment 179470


I love these - particularly the first one, with the swirly background!


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## Click (Sep 14, 2018)

Very nice shots, Pieter. I especially like the first and last picture. Well done!


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## Click (Sep 14, 2018)

Erik, FramerMCB and Applecider,

Beautiful shots, guys. Nicely done.


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## applecider (Sep 14, 2018)

Pieter your images are outstanding.

The night shot and the underwater ones are outstanding ( in their pond?).

The nymphs have mouths that look like frog mouths. I understand that they are fierce predators in that life phase.


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## Erik X (Sep 14, 2018)

Pieter said:


> . All my in-flight shots are "full manual" - focus, exposure, aperture, and of course hand-held.


How do you manage to do that..? My own experience is that tracking and manual focusing on fast moving targets causes 120% (or maybe a bit more) workload  When I'm not fast enough, I only get the tail

[url=https://flic.kr/p/21v6qYR]

F36A9246_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Click (Sep 14, 2018)

Awesome! Beautiful shot, Erik.


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## Click (Sep 14, 2018)

Erik X said:


> When I'm not fast enough, I only get the tail



I agree with you. Sometime you're not fast enough and only get the tail...








_Just kidding, of course_


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## Berowne (Sep 14, 2018)

Click said:


> I agree with you. Sometime you're not fast enough and only get the tail...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## Berowne (Sep 14, 2018)

Lots of Beautiful Pictures. Welcome FramerMCB!


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## Pieter (Sep 14, 2018)

Erik X said:


> How do you manage to do that..? My own experience is that tracking and manual focusing on fast moving targets causes 120% (or maybe a bit more) workload  When I'm not fast enough, I only get the tail



I find that it's possible to anticipate the right moment, following the dragonfly through the lens and slowly moving the focus ring at the same time. Then there will be a few moments when it is in focus. I don't keep the button pressed - after 5-10 continuous shots the dragonfly is often gone / way out of focus, and I find I get more keepers when I take individual shots 0.5 - 1 second apart while continuously tracking and manually adjusting focus. It also depends a lot on the individual dragonfly: even within a species, some will fly slower, hover more often, and/or fly in a more predictable pattern than others. I tend to stick with a single specimen for a long time, waiting for it to return after it passed by (they usually have pretty fixed patrol patterns). Having said that, you're right about the workload! I would say about 1 in a few 100 is a keeper - and that's before throwing out images with busy backgrounds, uninteresting lighting, wings in weird positions, etc. Yours is a lovely shot, even if it's from a slight angle. Here are a few more of mine.


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## Click (Sep 14, 2018)

Beautiful series, Pieter.


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## AlanF (Sep 14, 2018)

Pieter said:


> OK thanks very much Alan - I don't need a lot of encouragement! ;-)
> View attachment 180388
> 
> Green Darner. All my in-flight shots are "full manual" - focus, exposure, aperture, and of course hand-held. I find the 300 f4 L with the Canon 5D III provides an almost ideal field of view, and the large focusing ring really helps.
> ...


Spectacular shots!!!!!


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## AlanF (Sep 14, 2018)

applecider said:


> So with my earlier images I tried to use dual pixel raw micro adjustment to sharpen focus on the eyes of my subjects. I did not find any difference to speak of in this attempt to dual pixel raw sharpen/ stack.
> 
> Have any of you tried the dual pixel raw adjustments and do they work for you?Attached image is the one I tried with but no difference as far as I can tell thus no pre and post images. Quite cropped and enlarged to 300% as seen here. Or is this even the situation that DPRAW is designed for?
> View attachment 180386


I tried dpraw when I first got the 5DIV and couldn't make any difference with it.


----------



## AlanF (Sep 14, 2018)

Pieter said:


> I find that it's possible to anticipate the right moment, following the dragonfly through the lens and slowly moving the focus ring at the same time. Then there will be a few moments when it is in focus. I don't keep the button pressed - after 5-10 continuous shots the dragonfly is often gone / way out of focus, and I find I get more keepers when I take individual shots 0.5 - 1 second apart while continuously tracking and manually adjusting focus. It also depends a lot on the individual dragonfly: even within a species, some will fly slower, hover more often, and/or fly in a more predictable pattern than others. I tend to stick with a single specimen for a long time, waiting for it to return after it passed by (they usually have pretty fixed patrol patterns). Having said that, you're right about the workload! I would say about 1 in a few 100 is a keeper - and that's before throwing out images with busy backgrounds, uninteresting lighting, wings in weird positions, etc. Yours is a lovely shot, even if it's from a slight angle. Here are a few more of mine.
> 
> View attachment 180408
> 
> ...


Great shots resulting from hard work.


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## Erik X (Sep 14, 2018)

Click said:


> I agree with you. Sometime you're not fast enough and only get the tail...


Some tails look better than others  But in general, the front is more interesting


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## Erik X (Sep 14, 2018)

Pieter said:


> Then there will be a few moments when it is in focus. I don't keep the button pressed - after 5-10 continuous shots the dragonfly is often gone / way out of focus, and I find I get more keepers when I take individual shots 0.5 - 1 second apart while continuously tracking and manually adjusting focus.


That sounds familiar, I tend to use continuous shooting while I think there is a chance the dragonfly is in focus, I adjust focus slowly back and forth around what I think is the right spot while the shutter is rolling. Exposure handled by the camera (Av mode, max open aperture) but exposure compensation might need some attention.. A 128g CF card gives plenty of room for mistakes  'Safety shift'-function always set to 'ISO' to allow the 5D3 to step down ISO if it hits the shortest possible shutter time 1/8000
I like the Migrant Hawker, I have seen it hover for 10 seconds, less than a meter away from me. Of course I had no camera at that occasion 
10mm back focus on this one, how could it happen? 



F36A2429_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## AlanF (Sep 14, 2018)

Erik X said:


> That sounds familiar, I tend to use continuous shooting while I think there is a chance the dragonfly is in focus, I adjust focus slowly back and forth around what I think is the right spot while the shutter is rolling. Exposure handled by the camera but exposure compensation might need some attention.. A 128g CF card gives plenty of room for mistakes
> I like the Migrant Hawker, I have seen it hover 10 seconds, less than a meter away from me. Of course I had no camera at that occasion
> 10mm back focus on this one, how could it happen?
> 
> ...


Interesting technique you and Pieter have - I have used just AF.


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## Pieter (Sep 14, 2018)

Erik X said:


> That sounds familiar, I tend to use continuous shooting while I think there is a chance the dragonfly is in focus, I adjust focus slowly back and forth around what I think is the right spot while the shutter is rolling. Exposure handled by the camera (Av mode, max open aperture) but exposure compensation might need some attention.. A 128g CF card gives plenty of room for mistakes  'Safety shift'-function always set to 'ISO' to allow the 5D3 to step down ISO if it hits the shortest possible shutter time 1/8000
> I like the Migrant Hawker, I have seen it hover 10 seconds, less than a meter away from me. Of course I had no camera at that occasion
> 10mm back focus on this one, how could it happen?
> 
> by Erik Astrom, on Flickr



Yes - I also like to slowly vary the focus on a hovering dragonfly. As far as exposure settings go, I tend to use full manual or auto ISO, with the exposure time set to 1/1000 or 1/1600 (to prevent motion blur in the body and to half-freeze the wings) and the aperture somewhere in the range f8 - f11 (to have a larger fraction of the dragonfly in focus). I found the same metering problem as you note; usually the background is lit very differently from the dragonflies, and changes while you're panning, and then exposures tend to be off. Usually the dragonflies themselves are pretty uniformly lit (as you shoot them always at about the same distance and roughly in the same direction), so once I figure out when the dragonfly has the right exposure (through trial and error) I freeze everything (iso, exposure, and aperture) for the rest of the shots and just worry about framing and focus.


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## Click (Sep 14, 2018)

Very interesting technique. Excellent shot, Erik,


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## Erik X (Sep 15, 2018)

Pieter said:


> .. usually the background is lit very differently from the dragonflies, and changes while you're panning, and then exposures tend to be off. Usually the dragonflies themselves are pretty uniformly lit (as you shoot them always at about the same distance and roughly in the same direction)...


You have a point there  EF100-400 with 1.4x TC starts at f/8 so I'm there most of the time
AF is a good choice when the background happen to be smooth (a blu sky for example) otherwise my camera has very odd opinion where to focus 

No luck today, all in-flight photos were disasters
But at least I got a decent picture of the rare Halloween Darter 



F36A4989 ZS DMap 4p retouched_DxO_2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr

The standard Ruddy Darter, this one looks a bit tired?



F36A5281 ZS DMap 5p retouched_DxO by Erik Astrom, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2b75N7x]

F36A5460 ZS DMap 7p retouched_DxO by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## AlanF (Sep 15, 2018)

Very detailed eyes! By chance I got a head on of a ruddy darter this afternoon.


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## AlanF (Sep 15, 2018)

And a couple of shots, one backlit to highlight the wings, of an Emerald Damselfly.


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## Click (Sep 15, 2018)

Erik and Alan,

Great shots, guys.


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## Berowne (Sep 16, 2018)

Beautiful Pictures, Erik and Alan! Thanks for showing. 
Greetings Andy


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## Berowne (Sep 16, 2018)

I cannot keep pace with you guys. This does not depend on my Equipment. Most of my dragonfly-photos are made incidentally on holiday (here for instance: Tauernteich ). Dragonflies are rather seldom to find in our Area (Frankfurt am Main). So I have to look for more opportunities to find these animals and be better prepared - more time, tripod, exercise.


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## AlanF (Sep 16, 2018)

Thanks for all your kind comments Andy.
There are very few dragonflies where I am at the moment. I go for walks along streams and near lakes and occasionally see one. I don't know about the others but I never use a tripod - could be useful for focus stacking, I suppose. Things will be better next late spring and early summer.
Alan


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## tonblom (Sep 16, 2018)

Naturally, didn't have my camera with me .


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## Erik X (Sep 17, 2018)

The season is almost over here.. 
A photo from the archive:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/GywiSv]

F36A4623_DxO_r2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Click (Sep 17, 2018)

Another great shot. Well done. Erik.


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## AlanF (Sep 17, 2018)

Erik X said:


> The season is almost over here..
> A photo from the archive:


Here's to next year. It's been my first season for dragonflies and damselflies and so I am looking forward to next summer!


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## Erik X (Sep 17, 2018)

Thanks Click, Andy and Alan. Hopefully there will be some interesting snowflakes or ice formations that need to be documented.. I don't like to see my photo gear collecting dust until next summer 

[url=https://flic.kr/p/GywmZn]

F36A2978_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Nat_WA (Sep 17, 2018)

Wow... I didn't find time to look into this thread for a number of weeks - and it has grown by 8 pages or so...
A lot of excellent shots from a great number of contributors!
With more 'static' shots shown, I gained enough courage to enter some from my (small) collection . I don't know the name of this quite common dragonfly:




Wiebe.


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## AlanF (Sep 17, 2018)

Nat_WA said:


> Wow... I didn't find time to look into this thread for a number of weeks - and it has grown by 8 pages or so...
> A lot of excellent shots from a great number of contributors!
> With more 'static' shots shown, I gained enough courage to enter some from my (small) collection . I don't know the name of this quite common dragonfly:
> View attachment 180494
> ...



Nice shot of what I think is a male common darter.


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## Click (Sep 17, 2018)

Beautiful shots, Wiebe.


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## DSP121 (Sep 18, 2018)

Wow! Look at the colors. 
Awesome!


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## Erik X (Sep 18, 2018)

Northern emerald



F36A4506_DxO_r2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## Nat_WA (Sep 18, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Northern emerald
> 
> by Erik Astrom, on Flickr



Beautiful colours together - the red tones in the grass and the 'Emerald' 
W.


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## AlanF (Sep 18, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Northern emerald
> 
> 
> 
> F36A4506_DxO_r2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


Beautiful composition and colours!


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## Click (Sep 18, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Beautiful composition and colours!



+1 Well done, Erik.


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## applecider (Sep 19, 2018)

These dragonfly faces look like monkey or great ape faces to me. Nat_Wa if you’d prefer I not desecrate your photo let me know it’s just the perfect dragonfly monkey. I’d call it bonobo playing bongos.


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## Valvebounce (Sep 19, 2018)

Hi Applecider. 
Very funny, I really see where you are coming from but you should probably modify your own image or pm the owner and ask first! 

Cheers, Graham. 



applecider said:


> These dragonfly faces look like monkey or great ape faces to me. Nat_Wa if you’d prefer I not desecrate your photo let me know it’s just the perfect dragonfly monkey. I’d call it bonobo playing bongos.


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## Nat_WA (Sep 19, 2018)

applecider said:


> These dragonfly faces look like monkey or great ape faces to me. Nat_Wa if you’d prefer I not desecrate your photo let me know it’s just the perfect dragonfly monkey. I’d call it bonobo playing bongos.



Hi applecider, - no offence taken for using my photo (now that it stays in the same thread) - but I struggle to follow your association with monkeys...
W.


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## Erik X (Sep 19, 2018)

Alright, what can you get out of this one 
Brown Hawker, shot with a 500D and kit lens.. not even in raw format. It simply shouldn't work! 



IMG_6526_DxO by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## Click (Sep 19, 2018)

Lovely shot, Erik.


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## Erik X (Sep 19, 2018)

Thanks Click


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## AlanF (Sep 19, 2018)

Lucky it wasn't a D500!


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## Erik X (Sep 19, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Lucky it wasn't a D500!


Don't worry 
I'm still trying to figure out how I could get an almost sharp in-flight picture with the 500D and EF70-300 at ISO1600 at one of my very first attempts to shoot dragonflies. And this one was not in raw either.. Later I found out that 800 was about the highest usable ISO on that camera.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/GywgV4]

IMG_0457_DxO by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## AlanF (Sep 19, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Don't worry
> I'm still trying to figure out how I could get an almost sharp in-flight picture with the 500D and EF70-300 at ISO1600 at one of my very first attempts to shoot dragonflies. And this one was not in raw either.. Later I found out that 800 was about the highest usable ISO on that camera.
> 
> [url=https://flic.kr/p/GywgV4]
> ...


It shows action! I still have a 300D!


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## Nat_WA (Sep 19, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Don't worry
> I'm still trying to figure out how I could get an almost sharp in-flight picture with the 500D and EF70-300 at ISO1600 at one of my very first attempts to shoot dragonflies. And this one was not in raw either.. Later I found out that 800 was about the highest usable ISO on that camera.
> 
> [...]by Erik Astrom, on Flickr



It may have been a lucky shot - but certainly a good one !

iirc the EOS500D used the same sensor and very similar AF system as the 50D that I've used many years (and still use occasionally as second camera) - so apart from the ISO (I agree, limit to ISO800 if possible) I'm much more impressed that you've been able to get sharp focus! The AF for moving objects is not what I'd call "easy and spot on"... So, double well done 
Wiebe.


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## Erik X (Sep 20, 2018)

Nat_WA said:


> The AF for moving objects is not what I'd call "easy and spot on"...


Actually I thought it was in manual focus but EXIF tells the opposite. Now I'm even more confused, must have been a case of extreme luck! 
Typical in-flight pictures usually look something like this (shot with 3 times more expensive gear)



F36A4824_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## AlanF (Sep 20, 2018)

Would you mind if I didn't compliment you on this one!?


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## Erik X (Sep 20, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Would you mind if I didn't compliment you on this one!?


It is perfectly fine 
Another 'average' picture



F36A9217_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## Nat_WA (Sep 20, 2018)

Erik X said:


> It is perfectly fine
> Another 'average' picture
> [F36A9217_DxO_full]
> by Erik Astrom, on Flickr



Nice one Erik, almost a silhouette, wings almost stopped - you must have used quite short shutter time... (oh I see it on flickr page: 1/4000 so short indeed)
I like this one better than F36A4824_DxO_full - there the background is so plain it could have been photoshopped, while here the background has some 'texture' that makes the picture feel much more 'alive'...
Wiebe.


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## Erik X (Sep 21, 2018)

A few damselflies..



F36A1518_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr



F36A5842_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## Click (Sep 21, 2018)

Beautiful shots. I really like the second one.

Well done, Erik.


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## Erik X (Sep 21, 2018)

Thanks Click and Alan


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## Berowne (Sep 22, 2018)

Nice pic, Erik, the second one is cool.


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## Erik X (Sep 24, 2018)

Another series that once again proves that sitting ducks are sharper than flying ones.. 

[url=https://flic.kr/p/NKJcrL]

F36A6551_DxO_PL_1920 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/29v3d6n]

F36A6552_DxO_2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/29v3bi4]

F36A6591_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Click (Sep 24, 2018)

Very nice series, Erik. 

I agree with you.


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## Erik X (Sep 26, 2018)

Four-spotted chaser

[url=https://flic.kr/p/M4MSMR]

F36A5354 ZS DMAP retouched_DxO_2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Click (Sep 26, 2018)

Beautiful shot, Erik.


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## Erik X (Sep 26, 2018)

Thanks Click!


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## AlanF (Sep 26, 2018)

Erik, sharp, clear and beautiful composition!


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## Nat_WA (Sep 26, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Four-spotted chaser
> by Erik Astrom, on Flickr



Beauty... Very nice with just the 'chaser' _and _the flower in focus 
W.


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## AlanF (Sep 26, 2018)

Nat_WA said:


> Beauty... Very nice with just the 'chaser' _and _the flower in focus
> W.


Focus stacking?


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## bluediablo (Sep 27, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Four-spotted chaser
> 
> 
> 
> F36A5354 ZS DMAP retouched_DxO_2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


Really stunning! Thanks for sharing


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## ISv (Sep 27, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Four-spotted chaser
> 
> 
> 
> F36A5354 ZS DMAP retouched_DxO_2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr



Excellent+++!


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## ISv (Sep 27, 2018)

I just figure out - I didn't post here for a wile. My contribution hardly can compete with the last photo from Erik but that's what I have (2 years old files).
_Crocothemis servilia_ - Scarlet skimmer. The Yellow one is female. Male is red.


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## DSP121 (Sep 27, 2018)

Beautiful set of pictures!


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## Nat_WA (Sep 27, 2018)

ISv said:


> I just figure out - I didn't post here for a wile. My contribution hardly can compete with the last photo from Erik but that's what I have (2 years old files).
> _Crocothemis servilia_ - Scarlet skimmer. The Yellow one is female. Male is red.





DSP121 said:


> Beautiful set of pictures!


+1 to DSP121's comment!
Especially the male scarlet skimmer is very nice with the monochrome grey-ish background; it stands out very nicely!
Wiebe.


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## JBSF (Sep 27, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Four-spotted chaser
> 
> 
> 
> F36A5354 ZS DMAP retouched_DxO_2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr




I have the same question as AlanF: Did you use focus stacking? It’s a beautiful capture, but I can’t achieve that DOF on a dragon perched at such a shallow angle.


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## Click (Sep 27, 2018)

Beautiful shots, ISv


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## Erik X (Sep 27, 2018)

JBSF said:


> I have the same question as AlanF: Did you use focus stacking? It’s a beautiful capture, but I can’t achieve that DOF on a dragon perched at such a shallow angle.


Yes, it is a stack of 3 pictures each at f/14. Wings and body are more or less in the same plane but the head and the flower gained sharpness from the two other pictures.
It is hopeless to stack dragonflies if the picture changeover happens to be is somewhere in a wing. The dragonflies have a tendency to move the wings and the fine structure reveals any microscopic mismatch no matter how much manual retouch effort you put into Zerene stacker  But it use to work out quite well as long as each wing can be taken from a single photo
I'm hoping I can shoot dragonflies this weekend, there might be a few Ruddy Darters still flying but since it was almost freezing the other night, they might be all gone..
Thanks for the feedback ISv, Alan, Wiebe and Bluediablo. Your pictures are beautiful, ISv! 

Here is another chaser (or possibly a white-faced darter?), stacked from 3 pictures at f/25 (Oops! Shouldn't go below f/18..)



f36a4495 ZS DMap3p_DxO_r2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## Click (Sep 27, 2018)

Another very nice picture, Erik.


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## Nat_WA (Sep 27, 2018)

+1 to Click's comment - to me the picture is all the more impressing because you've managed to take 3 shots without significant movement of the dragonfly (and camera )
For focus stacking you need to manually alter focus right?
W.


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## Erik X (Sep 28, 2018)

Nat_WA said:


> +1 to Click's comment - to me the picture is all the more impressing because you've managed to take 3 shots without significant movement of the dragonfly (and camera )
> For focus stacking you need to manually alter focus right?
> W.


I have to admit that it happens now and then that a stack is ruined since a single critical picture is blurred.. It helps a lot to have some kind of support to lean on.
In the past I used to shoot individual pictures and slowly advance focus (or move the camera closer to the subject) between each picture. AE lock (or M mode) is necessary to avoid exposure variation between pictures. Latest tests were done using continuos shooting while I rotate the focus ring slowly. This goes faster and increases the chance that the dragonfly doesn't move, maybe the sharpness of each picture might become slightly worse but I think the final result will be better.
I have reprogrammed the AE lock button so it does not time out but need a second push to release. I think Magic Lantern adds stacking features but I could not live with the 1s delay at start-up..
Both Zerene and Helicon have one month free trial of their software so it doesn't cost anything to try


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## AlanF (Sep 29, 2018)

It’s the dragonfly you should congratulate on not moving! Thanks for the useful information.


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## AlanF (Sep 29, 2018)

Got this pair of Ruddy Darters today with the 5DIV and 400mm DO II at 560mm. I wonder if the EOS R could have focussed on these? They were 6m or so away.


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## Click (Sep 29, 2018)

Excellent shot, Alan.


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## Erik X (Sep 29, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Got this pair of Ruddy Darters today with the 5DIV and 400mm DO II at 560mm. I wonder if the EOS R could have focussed on these? They were 6m or so away.



Well done, you don't need to stack those


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## Nat_WA (Sep 29, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Well done, you don't need to stack those


 Indeed, these come pre-stacked 
Very nice picture all the same 
W.


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## Erik X (Oct 1, 2018)

Another Ruddy Darter.. Slightly unsuccesful stack made from 4 pictures, had to take both wings from a single picture..



A36A9481 ZS DMap 4p retouched_DxO_2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## Click (Oct 1, 2018)

Nice one, Erik.


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## Erik X (Oct 1, 2018)

Thanks Click!


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## AlanF (Oct 2, 2018)

Click said:


> Nice one, Erik.


He doesn't look nice to me - pretty ferocious!


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## AlanF (Oct 2, 2018)

Here's a shot of the ruddy darter pair having landed, with the 2xTCII at 800mm with the 5DIV. People complain about getting dust on the 5D/7D sensors. I change TCs several times on a shoot and never ever have had a dust problem.


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## Click (Oct 2, 2018)

AlanF said:


> He doesn't look nice to me - pretty ferocious!



Ha Ha Ha. I agree with you, Alan.




AlanF said:


> He doesn't look nice to me - pretty ferocious!




Nice shot, Alan.


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## AlanF (Oct 2, 2018)

Click said:


> Ha Ha Ha. I agree with you, Alan.


It's a cracking shot by Erik - I love those eyes (or are scared).


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## Erik X (Oct 2, 2018)

AlanF said:


> He doesn't look nice to me - pretty ferocious!


It is not easy to figure out what is going on behind these facet eyes but at least I was not assaulted.. By the way, I think it is a 'she' judging from the colors.
I tend to get a feeling of 'eye contact' because of the dark spots next to the nose. But the spots are just decoration, dragonflies watch nearly 360 degree view all the time.


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## Erik X (Oct 3, 2018)

This damselfly needs to take a bath!



F36A2558_DxO_r2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## Click (Oct 3, 2018)

Lovely shot. Nicely done, Erik.


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## Erik X (Oct 5, 2018)

A yellow-spotted whiteface, focus stack from 7 pictures at f/18 using Zerene Stacker



F36A4504 ZS DMap7_DxO_r2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## Click (Oct 5, 2018)

Nice. Well done, Erik.


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## Nat_WA (Oct 5, 2018)

Erik X said:


> A yellow-spotted whiteface, focus stack from 7 pictures at f/18 using Zerene Stacker
> [...]


Perfect picture Erik, I don't think it would have been possible without stacking... I keep being impressed that these are handheld, with manually swept focus 
W.


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## Erik X (Oct 6, 2018)

Nat_WA said:


> I don't think it would have been possible without stacking...
> W.


Possibly with a camera with very very small sensor, definitely not with a FF sensor  Aperture below f/20 will bring about diffraction, I wish that Einstein would have solved the wave-particle duality in another way 
Zerene automatically aligns all pictures in the stack; X, Y, rotation and size is adjusted for perfect fit. BUT if the camera shifts position sideways or vertically, there will be changes in the perspective that the stacking software cannot solve. Not to mention any motion blur


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## AlanF (Oct 6, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Possibly with a camera with very very small sensor, definitely not with a FF sensor  Aperture below f/20 will bring about diffraction, I wish that Einstein would have solved the wave-particle duality in another way
> Zerene automatically aligns all pictures in the stack; X, Y, rotation and size is adjusted for perfect fit. BUT if the camera shifts position sideways or vertically, there will be changes in the perspective that the stacking software cannot solve. Not to mention any motion blur


You are stacking the odds in your favour!


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## lion rock (Oct 6, 2018)

This shot of stacked dragon is produced by a master!
-r


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## AlanF (Oct 7, 2018)

Found a dragonfly in Kuwait this morning - how on earth it survived the birds, who only knows! Erik or anyone identify it?


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## Click (Oct 7, 2018)

Nice series, Alan.


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## Erik X (Oct 7, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Found a dragonfly in Kuwait this morning - how on earth it survived the birds, who only knows! Erik or anyone identify it?


Nice pictures!
Oh.. my reference only covers the local species.. _Sympetrum striolatum_ has similar colors http://www.trollslandeforeningen.se/storre-angstrollslanda/
Or more likely a Sympetrum Meridionale? http://www.dragonflypix.com/speciespages/sympetrum_meridionale_sc.html check picture "2 / 20; PhotoID: Dr017"

While searching, I stumbled upon a scientific report which investigates why certain Sympetrum species are attracted by black polished gravestones!!
https://arago.elte.hu/sites/default/files/DragonflyGravestonePol_FWB_0.pdf


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## DSP121 (Oct 8, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Birds have become so scarce this time of year and the heat keeps them hidden in the thick foliage, so what does a bird photographer do? Well, I have suddenly become hooked on dragonflies and damselflies. Portraits can be fun and you can sneak up on them easily. And it's perfect for the opportunistic photographer with lightweight gear, and you don't need very long telephotos. Dragonflies in flight are something different - they can be really difficult to track and focus on. I thought I could never capture them but the 100-400mm II on a 5DIV or 5DSR has proven to be brilliant. So, I am starting a new thread just devoted to dragonflies and damselflies. I'll start with a couple of Banded Demoiselles in flight. They are tiny and fly very erratically. I must admit I didn't even know their name or that they even existed a week ago. But, I am now addicted.
> View attachment 179469
> View attachment 179470





AlanF said:


> Birds have become so scarce this time of year and the heat keeps them hidden in the thick foliage, so what does a bird photographer do? Well, I have suddenly become hooked on dragonflies and damselflies. Portraits can be fun and you can sneak up on them easily. And it's perfect for the opportunistic photographer with lightweight gear, and you don't need very long telephotos. Dragonflies in flight are something different - they can be really difficult to track and focus on. I thought I could never capture them but the 100-400mm II on a 5DIV or 5DSR has proven to be brilliant. So, I am starting a new thread just devoted to dragonflies and damselflies. I'll start with a couple of Banded Demoiselles in flight. They are tiny and fly very erratically. I must admit I didn't even know their name or that they even existed a week ago. But, I am now addicted.
> View attachment 179469
> View attachment 179470


Hi AlanF,
Amazing pics! How much time to spend to capture these two perfect shots?


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## AlanF (Oct 8, 2018)

Not much! The 5DSR and 100-400mm II worked like a dream and picked them up in flight. The Canon might not track as well as Nikon or Sony A9 (allegedly) but it's the quickest at achieving initial AF, which is what you need. You just have to be around when the little beauties are flying.


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## AlanF (Oct 8, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Possibly with a camera with very very small sensor, definitely not with a FF sensor  Aperture below f/20 will bring about diffraction, I wish that Einstein would have solved the wave-particle duality in another way
> Zerene automatically aligns all pictures in the stack; X, Y, rotation and size is adjusted for perfect fit. BUT if the camera shifts position sideways or vertically, there will be changes in the perspective that the stacking software cannot solve. Not to mention any motion blur


I wonder if you could use Zerene for improving S/N? Take a rapid burst of 10 shots without changing focus, stack and the S/N should be 3x better without any change of DoF.


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## Erik X (Oct 8, 2018)

AlanF said:


> I wonder if you could use Zerene for improving S/N? Take a rapid burst of 10 shots without changing focus, stack and the S/N should be 3x better without any change of DoF.


I doubt it. Zerene does not "mix" pixel data from different pictures in the stack (if it did it would reduce noise). It selects the sharpest picture for each spot and copies pixel by pixel from that picture..
But if you do manual retuch with the "pro" brushes available in the more expensive version, there will be a gradual smoothing at least around the edges of the tool. Might be worth experimenting with.. And there are features that I have never tried. I just found some interesting settings under preferences


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## tolusina (Oct 9, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Found a dragonfly in Kuwait this morning - how on earth it survived the birds, who only knows! Erik or anyone identify it?


According to a friend who's pretty sharp on this sort of thing; ".._That's an immature common darter_..."


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## Erik X (Oct 9, 2018)

A happy dragonfly.. it is actually the same individiual as the one with ferocious look on previous page. 
I think it is a female Yellow-wing Darter _Sympetrum flaveolum_



F36A9343_DxO_full-1 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## Click (Oct 9, 2018)

Beautiful shot, Erik.


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## Erik X (Oct 9, 2018)

Thanks Click!


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## Nat_WA (Oct 9, 2018)

Erik X said:


> A happy dragonfly.. it is actually the same individiual as the one with ferocious look on previous page.
> I think it is a female Yellow-wing Darter _Sympetrum flaveolum_
> [...]


Very nice shot Erik, ... she's starting to show her age; her front pair of wings tattered at the ends...
Funny how many dragonfly variants seemingly have pupils and eyelids - where it's actually all facets; also clearly visible in your shot 
W.


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## Berowne (Oct 10, 2018)

Great Shots Alan and Erik!


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## AlanF (Oct 10, 2018)

Berowne said:


> Great Shots Alan and Erik!


Thanks Andy!


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## Erik X (Oct 11, 2018)

Thanks Andy, Wiebe and Alan
Yet another picture of a Northern Emerald

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Gywj78]

F36A4589_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Nat_WA (Oct 11, 2018)

Perfect head-on shot Erik! Lovely colours of the facet eyes, against the different hue of soft green background 
W.


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## Click (Oct 12, 2018)

Very nice , Erik.


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## AlanF (Oct 12, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Thanks Andy, Wiebe and Alan
> Yet another picture of a Northern Emerald



As good as it gets!


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## Berowne (Oct 12, 2018)

Indeed head-on, Erik!


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## Erik X (Oct 13, 2018)

Before I got my first DSLR, I tried to shoot dragonflies with an A95 compact camera. I found out quickly that in-flight photo was more or less impossible but suddenly this Brown Hawker landed on my left arm and sat there while it was eating its lunch. A95 was obviously not built for one-hand manouvering but finally I managed to get one picture.. At that time I was happy with a picture like this


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## Click (Oct 13, 2018)

Nice one, Erik.


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## Erik X (Oct 15, 2018)

A Brown Hawker hiding in the vegetation.. 5D3 has slightly lower noise than A95 



F36A3036_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## Click (Oct 15, 2018)

The background is a little bit busy, but it's still a very nice shot.


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## AlanF (Oct 15, 2018)

The foreground is just so sharp!


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## Erik X (Oct 17, 2018)

An unidentified flying object.. hard to see any colors in such light conditions 

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2ca6DsR]

F36A4429_DxO_2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Erik X (Oct 19, 2018)

A couple of Dragonsflies busy producing more dragonflies 
Slightly failed focus stack, the background shifts from sharp to blurred and sharp again..

[url=https://flic.kr/p/29JkLU5]

F36A5881 ZS DMAP retouched_DxO_PL_800 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Click (Oct 19, 2018)

Another very nice shot. Well done, Erik.


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## Erik X (Oct 19, 2018)

Thanks Click!


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## AlanF (Oct 21, 2018)

It was warm enough yesterday for dragonflies. Here are two shots of a common darter, one taken with the 5DSR + 400mm DO II + 1.4xTC at about 3.3m away, the mfd (bottom), and the same data further along the fence taken with the Sony RX10 IV at about 1m (top). I wish I had taken the 100-400mm II with me rather than the prime.


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## Click (Oct 21, 2018)

Very nice pictures, Alan.


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## Erik X (Oct 21, 2018)

AlanF said:


> I wish I had taken the 100-400mm II with me rather than the prime.


I am just curious about the reason, could it possibly be the 900mm (600mm from front element) minimum focus distance of the 100-400 II? It is quite useful..

Here is a Ruddy Darter chewing on an unidentified prey..
Sigma 150/2.8 apo macro with 2x teleconverter, it has unusually long minimum focus distance for being a dedicated macro lens; 390/180mm. Most insects dislikes camera lenses being closer than that anyway.. I just wish the stabilization was in the same class as the 100-400II 
By the way, it is possible to reduce min focus distance and increase magnification on both EF100-400 and Sigma 150 by adding extension tubes. But then the stabilization will no longer compensate 100% so it does not work well when handheld.. I did some tests on the 100-400 with 1.4x but gave up pretty soon

Thanks for all feedback, Click, Alan, Berowne, Wiebe and Bluediablo!



F36A3724_DxO_r2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## AlanF (Oct 21, 2018)

Erik
Yes, the 1m mfd. But, at least there is better dof with the 3.3m of the prime and the shorter focal length of the bridge camera. The image quality of the 5DSR + 400mm II + 1.4xtc combo is so high that 3x further away it matches the Sony RX10 IV.


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## Erik X (Oct 21, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Yes, the 1m mfd.


Adding extension tubes to EF400 seems to cut mfd a bit but it is still far above 1m


----------



## Erik X (Oct 25, 2018)

My only sharp picture of a beautiful demoiselle.. obscured by a reed straw 

[url=https://flic.kr/p/27PYk6V]

F36A1338_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## AlanF (Oct 27, 2018)

The last dragonfly of the year for me here? The weather has turned freezing cold. This common data was warming itself in the sun this morning, but we are now in for a cold spell.


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## Click (Oct 27, 2018)

Erik and Alan,

Very nice pictures, guys.


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## AlanF (Oct 27, 2018)

Thanks click. And his face:


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## Erik X (Oct 27, 2018)

Thanks Click. Nice shots Alan.
All dragonflies are gone since weeks ago, it's freezing cold tonight.. I'm dreaming about a trip to warmer latitudes but have a lot of work to finish first
Maybe we can revive the 'ice and snow' thread soon


----------



## Erik X (Oct 30, 2018)

Maybe I have a few pictures left in the archive.. 

[url=https://flic.kr/p/GywiZz]

F36A4554_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Click (Oct 30, 2018)

Nicely done, Erik.


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## Erik X (Oct 30, 2018)

Thanks Click
Focus is supposed to be on the eyes on any portrait photo.. but which one on a dragonfly in profile? The right, the left or the small third 'ocelli' eye in between? I think I got the latter


----------



## Click (Oct 31, 2018)

Ha Ha Ha You got that right!


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## AlanF (Oct 31, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Maybe I have a few pictures left in the archive..
> 
> by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


Erik, I have had a request from one of my friends to accompany you next summer on your photo sessions.


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## Berowne (Oct 31, 2018)

Thanks for the lot of beautiful pictures, Erik and Alan. Last night was also a bit cold here (Frankfurt am Main). 

Greetings Andy


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## Erik X (Oct 31, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Erik, I have had a request from one of my friends to accompany you next summer on your photo sessions.


Sure, I've heard that story before, -"we are only going to watch, nothing else" 
But on the other hand, I could stand loosing a few dragonflies if I had a Kingfisher nearby..  Beautiful picture!
Thanks for the comment Andy


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## Erik X (Nov 5, 2018)

Archive stuff.. 


F36A9244_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## Click (Nov 5, 2018)

Beautiful picture, Erik.


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## Erik X (Nov 7, 2018)

Thanks Click!


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## Erik X (Nov 12, 2018)

Most likely a Northern Damselfly (Coenagrion hastulatum), possibly a Coenagrion lunulatum or maybe something completely different.. I have to start taking photos from straight above to get the details necessary for identification



F36A0167 ZS DMap 2p retouched_DxO_2880 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


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## Erik X (Nov 15, 2018)

Can anyone explain why dragonflies can be seen taking a dip now and them? Is it in order to cool down, wash or eat insects in the water?
I have seen it happen a couple of times, no warning at all, suddenly the dragonfly splashes down into the water. The time available for focusing was practically zero


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## AlanF (Nov 20, 2018)

While Erik has been freezing in Sweden, I have had some opportunities at 39o in Tanzania. Here is the first, taken with the 5DSR and 100-400mmm II.


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## Click (Nov 20, 2018)

39 °C is too hot for me...

Very nice shot, Alan.


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## Erik X (Nov 22, 2018)

You are welcome over here Click but it is barely freezing. It will be worse soon 
Nice shot Alan


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## AlanF (Nov 22, 2018)

Erik X said:


> You are welcome over here Click but it is barely freezing. It will be worse soon
> Nice shot Alan


I'll be over there in a couple of weeks so I had better bring thermal underwear. In the meanwhile, I have been stocking up on East African dragonflies. These two were taken with the 5DSR and 100-400mm II. The second was at 560mm with a TC, and it picks up the individual lenses in the compound eyes.


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## Click (Nov 22, 2018)

Erik X said:


> You are welcome over here Click but it is barely freezing. It will be worse soon
> Nice shot Alan




Thanks Erik






-19 °C here tonight... Very cold for this period of the year.


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## Click (Nov 22, 2018)

Very Nice shots, Alan.


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## DSP121 (Nov 23, 2018)

AlanF said:


> While Erik has been freezing in Sweden, I have had some opportunities at 39o in Tanzania. Here is the first, taken with the 5DSR and 100-400mmm II.
> View attachment 181654


Superb! Very nice shot.


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## Nat_WA (Nov 23, 2018)

Very nice dragonflies Alan; clearly shot in non-freezing conditions  - position of the sun is higher then it'll come at a November mid day in our northern parts of the hemisphere...
W.


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## Erik X (Nov 27, 2018)

Definitely freezing conditions over here, all dragonflies are gone 
I'd better plan a trip to warmer latitudes, can't wait the half year it takes until they're back.. 

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2c5GYRd]

F36A0661 ZS DMap 12p retouched_DxO_2880-1 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## Nat_WA (Nov 27, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Definitely freezing conditions over here, all dragonflies are gone
> I'd better plan a trip to warmer latitudes, can't wait the half year it takes until they're back..
> [...]



Taking a trip to other interesting, possibly warmer locations sounds like a good idea . Alternatively you could focus on flying objects that are less sensitive to cold weather (the name "Saab" comes to mind ). Whatever you choose, no excuse for not posting pictures anymore ...
W.


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## AlanF (Nov 27, 2018)

Day 1 from a warm place. The first two are using 800mm at long mfd and the last the 100-400mm II of banded groundlings.


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## Click (Nov 27, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Definitely freezing conditions over here, all dragonflies are gone
> I'd better plan a trip to warmer latitudes, can't wait the half year it takes until they're back..
> 
> by Erik Astrom, on Flickr



I really like this picture. Well done, Erik.


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## Click (Nov 27, 2018)

Very nice pictures, Alan. Especially the first one.


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## AlanF (Nov 27, 2018)

Thanks click!


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## Erik X (Nov 27, 2018)

Nat_WA said:


> (the name "Saab" comes to mind ). Whatever you choose, no excuse for not posting pictures anymore ...
> W.


Actually I quit at my job at Saab a few weeks ago but I guess that's no excuse to stop spamming.. You won't get rid of me that easy  And there might also be a few pictures left in the archive..

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Gywj78]

F36A4589_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr[/URL]


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## AlanF (Nov 27, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Actually I quit at my job at Saab a few weeks ago but I guess that's no excuse to stop spamming.. You won't get rid of me that easy  And there might also be a few pictures left in the archive..


I hope you have another job because photography isn’t cheap.


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## Click (Nov 28, 2018)

Great shot, Erik.


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## Nat_WA (Nov 28, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Day 1 from a warm place. The first two are using 800mm at long mfd and the last the 100-400mm II of banded groundlings.



Very nice shots Alan! From the two perched banded groundlings, I like the perspective of the '800mm' one better - to my taste the '100-400mm' appears to be a bit too much "top down"... First picture may not show the best perspective for the groundling, but the picture is excellent 
W.


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## Nat_WA (Nov 28, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Actually I quit at my job at Saab a few weeks ago but I guess that's no excuse to stop spamming.. You won't get rid of me that easy  And there might also be a few pictures left in the archive..
> [...]


Excellent 'head on' shot Erik!


AlanF said:


> I hope you have another job because photography isn’t cheap.


+1 
W.


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## Erik X (Nov 28, 2018)

AlanF said:


> I hope you have another job because photography isn’t cheap.


I'm afraid I haven't.. Maybe I need to start looking for cheaper photo gear, what do you think about pinhole cameras made from apples..?
I like the idea but I'm not sure if it is fast enough to catch dragonflies in flight? Maybe a bit messy also? 
https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-41833878

Thanks for the comments, Alan, Wiebe and Click


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## Nat_WA (Nov 29, 2018)

Erik X said:


> I'm afraid I haven't.. Maybe I need to start looking for cheaper photo gear, what do you think about pinhole cameras made from apples..?
> I like the idea but I'm not sure if it is fast enough to catch dragonflies in flight? Maybe a bit messy also?
> https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-41833878
> 
> Thanks for the comments, Alan, Wiebe and Click



Actually, you may have an excellent idea there  - the messy apple will attract insects that will attract the dragonflies - so you'll have the opportunity to take macro photos of foraging dragonflies  (not sure whether photo quality will be anything to boast about though )
W.


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## DSP121 (Nov 30, 2018)

Erik X said:


> Actually I quit at my job at Saab a few weeks ago but I guess that's no excuse to stop spamming.. You won't get rid of me that easy  And there might also be a few pictures left in the archive..
> 
> 
> 
> F36A4589_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


Nice click! I am amazed by seeing it.


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## ISv (Dec 2, 2018)

As usually - you don't look at specific part of the forum and they are putting a pile of nice photos there! 
Great pictures from every one!! Erik, that frosted plant is very nice (despite not dragonfly)!
Here is my contribution from today - Common green darner (Anax junius). I don't like the first photo but it illustrates well what happens with most of the dragonfly


eggs before they hatched!


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## ISv (Dec 2, 2018)

Oh! Forget to say - this is my the second attempt to handhold my combo (there was no room for the tripod there)!


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## AlanF (Dec 2, 2018)

ISv said:


> Oh! Forget to say - this is my the second attempt to handhold my combo (there was no room for the tripod there)!


Nice shots! I don't have any time for tripods.


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## Click (Dec 2, 2018)

Very nice shots. Well done, ISv.


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## AlanF (Dec 2, 2018)

Another one from Tanzania. Odd angles of the wings.


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## smallfries (Dec 2, 2018)

With 100 mm Macro and Canon 1-Dx


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## AlanF (Dec 2, 2018)

smallfries said:


> With 100 mm Macro and Canon 1-Dx


Please post as a full image not a thumbnail as it is a pain to have to click on the thumbnail to view.


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## Chaitanya (Dec 25, 2018)

Golden dartlet one of few damselflies that live on dry grasslands of Deccan plateau.


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## Click (Dec 25, 2018)

Nice shot, Chaitanya.


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## Chaitanya (Dec 25, 2018)

Click said:


> Nice shot, Chaitanya.


Thanks, havent still managed to ID and tag all the odonates(around 80 species) from my collection. will add more photos as keep getting IDs for them.


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## Erik X (Apr 14, 2019)

Here are some nice high-speed videos showing the capabilities of dragonflies..
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p035dt53/dragonflies-see-the-world-in-slow-motion


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## AlanF (May 18, 2019)

My first damselfly of the year. Looks like an immature common one. ID please?


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## tolusina (May 20, 2019)

AlanF said:


> My first damselfly of the year. Looks like an immature common one. ID please?
> 
> View attachment 184624


Via Twitter;
The Doctor
@Drstevenhobbs

That looks like a Argia fumipennis.


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## AlanF (May 20, 2019)

tolusina said:


> Via Twitter;
> The Doctor
> @Drstevenhobbs
> 
> That looks like a Argia fumipennis.


Thanks. But, those are rare in the UK and the wings have pseudpterostigmata unlike this one.


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## AlanF (May 25, 2019)

The dragonflies are waking up. A four-spotted chaser and a common blue damselfly enjoying a very warm day today.


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## Click (May 25, 2019)

Nice pictures, Alan. I especially like the first one.


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## AlanF (Jun 2, 2019)

I managed to capture a four-spotted chaser in flight (100-400mm II on 5DSR at 400mm, 1/3200s iso 1000).


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## Click (Jun 2, 2019)

Nice. well done, Alan.


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## Erik X (Jun 6, 2019)

They are back.. at last!
I think they are even faster this year 




(5D mk 3, EF100-400 mk 2, TC 1.4x, 560mm, Manual Focus, ISO1600, 1/4000s, f/8, -1/3EV)


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## Click (Jun 7, 2019)

Beautiful shot, Erik.


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## Erik X (Jun 7, 2019)

Thanks Pape, Alan and Click
Next learning from yesterdays photo session: Common damselflies have fur!  Not very thick but anyway..


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## AlanF (Jun 7, 2019)

Erik X said:


> Thanks Pape, Alan and Click
> Next learning from yesterdays photo session: Common damselflies have fur!  Not very thick but anyway..


I really noticed the fur between two recent shots of a Scarce Chaser. One was at 400mm, and then I put on the 1.4xTC and the fur really stood out. The extra resolution was crucial. I was surprised to come across a Scarce Chaser as they have only recently to our area.


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## Erik X (Jun 7, 2019)

Beautiful pictures, Alan!
The four-spotted chaser is quite furry also, it really stands out when backlit..


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## Maximilian (Jun 7, 2019)

Erik X said:


> They are back.. at last!
> I think they are even faster this year


Great pics Erik!

Useful results in flight is still impossible to me. But great to see what you can get.

This season I didn't have the time yet to go practicing...


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## Maximilian (Jun 7, 2019)

AlanF said:


> ... two recent shots of a Scarce Chaser.


Lovely, Alan


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## AlanF (Jun 7, 2019)

Another furry 4-spot chaser from this week. I managed to get her all in focus.


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## Erik X (Jun 7, 2019)

AlanF said:


> .. I managed to get her all in focus.


Beautiful, how did you do that?


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## Erik X (Jun 7, 2019)

Maximilian said:


> .. Useful results in flight is still impossible to me. But great to see what you can get...


It helps to develop schizophrenia, left eye looking outside the viewfinder to do coarse tracking using right brain hemisphere, right eye looking through the viewfinder to handle fine tracking and focusing simultaneously using left hemisphere.. or whatever, I'm sure the signals are crossed somewhere  Sometimes it works reasonably well for a while but then there is some kind of total short circuit .. Maybe I should start collecting stamps instead 
Those emerald dragonflies use to hover for about 1.5 seconds occasionally, that is the only chance to capture them in flight; use continuos shooting while adjusting focus back and forth. Or shoot from a low position so the background is clear sky, AF might be an option then


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## AlanF (Jun 7, 2019)

Erik X said:


> Beautiful, how did you do that?


Got the angle just right - exactlky perpendicular. As you know, that's more difficult than it sounds. Anyway, the genitalia are in focus and you can see it is a female.


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## Erik X (Jun 7, 2019)

Another view of the yellow-spotted emerald..


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## Click (Jun 7, 2019)

Erik and Alan,

Very nice pictures, guys.


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## Erik X (Jun 7, 2019)

..and yet another..


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## AlanF (Jun 7, 2019)

Exceptional Erik!


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## Maximilian (Jun 7, 2019)

Erik X said:


> It helps to develop schizophrenia, left eye looking outside the viewfinder to do coarse tracking using right brain hemisphere, right eye looking through the viewfinder to handle fine tracking and focusing simultaneously using left hemisphere.. or whatever, I'm sure the signals are crossed somewhere  Sometimes it works reasonably well for a while but then there is some kind of total short circuit .. Maybe I should start collecting stamps instead
> Those emerald dragonflies use to hover for about 1.5 seconds occasionally, that is the only chance to capture them in flight; use continuos shooting while adjusting focus back and forth. Or shoot from a low position so the background is clear sky, AF might be an option then


Thanks for the advice. Some of that I have already tried.
But surely not patient and long enough


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## Erik X (Jun 7, 2019)

A four-spotted chaser, 1 millisecond before landing 
This is another way to catch dragonflies inflight, lock focus on the reed they are sitting on (or a few centimeters behind). When they leave for catching a prey, it is very likely that they will come back to the same spot in a matter of seconds.. just wait and activate continuous shooting when they approach  Success rate maybe one out of ten attempts.. more than ten times better than any other method I have tried


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## Click (Jun 7, 2019)

Cool shot. Well done, Erik.


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## Erik X (Jun 7, 2019)

A damselfly shot with the "pre-focus on the presumed landing spot"-method described above.
I wish I could get also the reflection sharp but it seems impossible due to longer light path. If the reflection is sharp, the main motif is not..


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## Erik X (Jun 8, 2019)

The four-spotted chaser taking a break..


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## AlanF (Jun 8, 2019)

Erik X said:


> The four-spotted chaser taking a break..


Nice one! Look carefully Erik and you might spot this four-spot chaser eating its lunch.


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## Erik X (Jun 8, 2019)

Nice, it seems to enjoy it's lunch  I'm fascinated about their color-scheme, it seems as if the body fluids are color-matched to look good behind the transparent body section? Yeah I know how evolution is supposed to work but sometimes I get the feeling that there was a designer (or possibly an engineer) involved, who did some experiments just for fun 
By the way, I see that you have 2x TC III in your equipment list. How does it work together with EF100-400? I know there will be no AF but besides that, does it add any resolution compared to 1.4x TC?


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## Erik X (Jun 8, 2019)

Maybe damselflies are not as innocent as they may look..
When I was watching them, I suddenly noticed that one damselfly was lying down motionless in the water while another was hovering above. First I though that it was a tragic accident during mating; one of the damselflies accidentially hit the water and the partner was bravely trying to rescue.. But should'nt a damselfly be able to get up from the water, or at least it shouldn't drown immediately? Theory discarded, I guess this is most likely a male damselfly which simply killed its rival and stays for a while to ensure that the rival really is dead..


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## AlanF (Jun 8, 2019)

Erik X said:


> Nice, it seems to enjoy it's lunch  I'm fascinated about their color-scheme, it seems as if the body fluids are color-matched to look good behind the transparent body section? Yeah I know how evolution is supposed to work but sometimes I get the feeling that there was a designer (or possibly an engineer) involved, who did some experiments just for fun
> By the way, I see that you have 2x TC III in your equipment list. How does it work together with EF100-400? I know there will be no AF but besides that, does it add any resolution compared to 1.4x TC?


I don't use it with the 100-400mm, though I did use it once with liveview and it did add resolution - but I wouldn't recommend it. I bought the 2xTC to go with a 300mm f/2.8. Now, I use it with a 400mm DO II, where it is not too bad.


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## Cog (Jun 10, 2019)

I was wondering if anybody can help me ID this dragonfly? My expertise in entomology is less than rudimentary. Taken in Iowa a week ago. Thanks!


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## Click (Jun 10, 2019)

Beautiful shot. Well done, Cog.


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## koenkooi (Jun 11, 2019)

Damselfly on lavender.


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## Click (Jun 11, 2019)

Great shot, koenkool.


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## Erik X (Jun 12, 2019)

koenkooi said:


> Damselfly on lavender.


All five eyes in focus, well done


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## Erik X (Jun 13, 2019)

A red-eyed damselfly, almost sharp..  Crap, those are almost impossible to catch inflight


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## Click (Jun 13, 2019)

Very nice picture, Erik.


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## JBSF (Jun 13, 2019)

Cog said:


> I was wondering if anybody can help me ID this dragonfly? My expertise in entomology is less than rudimentary. Taken in Iowa a week ago. Thanks!


This is an immature male Common Whitetail.


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## Erik X (Jun 13, 2019)

Sitting ducks are much easier to shoot  I just wish the dragonflies could hold their wings steady while I shoot focus stacks.. This yellow-spotted whiteface didn't so the right wings became a mess after stacking.
And why are the leading edges of the wings angled upwards? Any aircraft wings intended to give good lift at low speed have the leading edges angled downwards, either permanently or when deploying leading edge slats. But since dragonflies have been around for 200 million years I guess they know what they are doing?


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## Click (Jun 14, 2019)

Awesome. Great shot!


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## Nat_WA (Jun 14, 2019)

Erik X said:


> A red-eyed damselfly, almost sharp..  Crap, those are almost impossible to catch inflight


I continue to be amazed by your 'in flight' dragon- and damselfly pictures Erik! I'd call this one "sharp on the head / eyes" and an achievement at that .
W.


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## bichex (Jun 14, 2019)

7 DII + 100-400II


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## Click (Jun 14, 2019)

Beautiful pictures, bichex.


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## bichex (Jun 14, 2019)

Click said:


> Beautiful pictures, bichex.


Gracias


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## AlanF (Jun 14, 2019)

Lovely shots Erik and bichex!


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## bichex (Jun 14, 2019)

AlanF said:


> Lovely shots Erik and bichex!



gracias


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## Erik X (Jun 15, 2019)

This procedure looks complicated...


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## Click (Jun 16, 2019)

Very nice shot, Erik.


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## Erik X (Jun 16, 2019)

Another sitting duck, or a yellow-spotted whiteface to be more exact.  Possily the same individual, this time it held the wings steady but moved the tail so I could not use the last picture in the stack.. I noticed another odd thing, the rib patterns in the wings are actually not identical on right and left side, at least when it comes to the smallest sections. I wonder if the pattern is unique for each individual then, like our fingerprints..?


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## Nat_WA (Jun 16, 2019)

Erik X said:


> Another sitting duck, or a yellow-spotted whiteface to be more exact.  Possily the same individual, this time it held the wings steady but moved the tail so I could not use the last picture in the stack.. I noticed another odd thing, the rib patterns in the wings are actually not identical on right and left side, at least when it comes to the smallest sections. I wonder if the pattern is unique for each individual then, like our fingerprints..?


I'd expect the fine detail of the (the 'rib patterns' as you call them) to have a randomness within the larger (genetic) picture, thus indeed be unique to the individual. In nature it wouldn't be efficient to "code" everything to the last micron...  and species that are too fixed in their build cannot adapt to changing circumstances 
W.


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## Click (Jun 16, 2019)

Another very nice shot, Erik.


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## AlanF (Jun 16, 2019)

Erik X said:


> This procedure looks complicated...


Menage a quatre!


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## Erik X (Jun 16, 2019)

AlanF said:


> Menage a quatre!


Apparently  Actually, I saw three pairs hanging together a moment before I got the picture


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## Erik X (Jun 16, 2019)

Nat_WA said:


> .. In nature it wouldn't be efficient to "code" everything to the last micron...  and species that are too fixed in their build cannot adapt to changing circumstances
> W.


That sounds very reasonable ... As I understand, one of the remaining mysteries in biology is how each cell knows which function it should be specialized to. Sure, the instructions for all the alternatives are stored in DNA and RNA in each cell but where and how the "blueprint" for the complete creature is coded is not yet understood..


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## AlanF (Jun 16, 2019)

Went out on a bird shoot today got nothing but my first female beautiful demoiselle. And she is beautiful (5DSR +100-400mm II + 1.4xTC).


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## Click (Jun 16, 2019)

Nice picture. well done, Alan.


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## Cog (Jun 18, 2019)

JBSF said:


> This is an immature male Common Whitetail.


Thanks a lot, JBSF!


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## AlanF (Jun 22, 2019)

Banded demoiselles are active again. (5DSR + 100-400mm II).


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## Click (Jun 22, 2019)

Nice. I especially like the second picture.


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## Erik X (Jun 22, 2019)

A red-eyed damselfly, far out in the water.. That pond skater in the background is not added in photoshop, it was sitting there in real life to add some surreal touch to the picture


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## Click (Jun 22, 2019)

I really like those shots. Well done, Erik.


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## Erik X (Jun 23, 2019)

Why can't they choose a better background..? Black-tailed skimmer


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## AlanF (Jun 23, 2019)

Erik X said:


> Why can't they choose a better background..? Black-tailed skimmer


Don't laugh Erik, I spotted one this afternoon and got in one shot against a horrible background! I wasn't going to post it but I noticed other photos on the net against horrible surfaces, and then you posted!


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## AlanF (Jun 23, 2019)

Female Common Darter, Female Ruddy Darter with an immature Female Azure Damselfly, and a male Azure Damselfly.


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## Click (Jun 23, 2019)

Lovely shots, Alan.


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## Erik X (Jun 23, 2019)

AlanF said:


> Don't laugh Erik, I spotted one this afternoon and got in one shot against a horrible background! I wasn't going to post it but I noticed other photos on the net against horrible surfaces, and then you posted!


Interesting, maybe it is coded in their genes to choose worst possible background?  Actually, their camouflage seems to work pretty well on gravel


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## kodakrome (Jun 24, 2019)

Erik X said:


> A red-eyed damselfly, far out in the water.. That pond skater in the background is not added in photoshop, it was sitting there in real life to add some surreal touch to the picture



Very nice, Erik!


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## kodakrome (Jun 24, 2019)

AlanF said:


> Female Common Darter, Female Ruddy Darter with an immature Female Azure Damselfly, and a male Azure Damselfly.



Nice, Alan! I especially like the blue one.


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## kodakrome (Jun 24, 2019)

Couple of shots taken yesterday...


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## Click (Jun 24, 2019)

Beautiful shots, kodakrome. I especially like the first one.


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## kodakrome (Jun 25, 2019)

Click said:


> Beautiful shots, kodakrome. I especially like the first one.


Thanks, Click!


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## Erik X (Jun 25, 2019)

I got the usual catch today, a not very sharp yellow-spotted emerald in flight, a few four-spotted chasers and a black-tailed skimmer. And guess what kind of background the skimmer had found today.. a nice one? Nooo


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## Click (Jun 25, 2019)

Great shots, Erik. I especially like the first one. Well done.


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## Pape (Jun 27, 2019)

One with messy straws


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## AlanF (Jun 27, 2019)

Pape said:


> One with messy straws
> View attachment 185303


It's a good one of a black-tailed skimmer. They always seem to hide on messy surfaces. Nice and sharp!


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## Erik X (Jun 27, 2019)

A four-spotted chaser I got today..


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## Click (Jun 27, 2019)

Beautiful. Nicely done, Erik.


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## Erik X (Jun 27, 2019)

More of the same sort


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## AlanF (Jun 28, 2019)

Managed to get some banded demoiselles in flight with the old 5DSR and 100-400mm II. Erik knows how difficult these shots are. These little beauts flitter around like fast butterflies and don't hover like dragonflies and are small. But, the 5DSR set to AF with the 9 centre points does give some keepers - the dof is just a few mm.


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## Click (Jun 28, 2019)

Erik and Alan,

Very nice shots, guys.


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## Erik X (Jun 29, 2019)

AlanF said:


> Managed to get some banded demoiselles in flight...


Well done, I've never managed to get those in flight.. it needs some superhuman abilities I guess 
How did you keep the AF from locking on the background?


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## Pape (Jun 29, 2019)

could try 50mm lens and finding place where they swarm  and just spray around  
preventing camera locking backround can use camera setting where it doesnt start hunt focus if too much away from focus . and prefocus more near where actual shoot is ?


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## AlanF (Jun 29, 2019)

Erik X said:


> Well done, I've never managed to get those in flight.. it needs some superhuman abilities I guess
> How did you keep the AF from locking on the background?


The background was relative diffuse, a river with some lily leaves. The AF should focus on the nearest object and I kept concentrating on getting them in the middle of the viewfinder. Most of the discarded images were just out of focus, varying from not being tack sharp to blur. As we know, even static shots aren’t easy to get in sharp focus overall.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 29, 2019)

Pape said:


> could try 50mm lens and finding place where they swarm  and just spray around
> preventing camera locking backround can use camera setting where it doesnt start hunt focus if too much away from focus . and prefocus more near where actual shoot is ?


I know you are joking, but random spray and pray would be very inefficient as there were never more than 2 in the field if view. 400mm on FF is optimal for me. A longer focal length would make it to difficult for me to keep in the viewfinder, and a shorter focal length would give smaller images. Yes, I did prefocus. The 100-400mm II has blisteringly fast AF. The Sigma 150-600 I don’t think would have worked. The 5DIV would have given me more keepers but at lower resolution.


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## AlanF (Jun 30, 2019)

I am checking out gear for our big trip and tried my other 100-400mm II on the 5DIV, having spent yesterday FoCal'ing all combinations of 2 lenses x 2 1.4xTCs + 2 bodies. I have to admit the reproducibility of AF of the 5DIV is simply outstanding with shot after shot absolutely spot on. Here are a female banded demoiselle, a male banded demoiselle and a female emperor draginfly ovipositing.


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## Pape (Jun 30, 2019)

Bit soft flying one RP ,70-300mm 300mm 1/4000s f13 I

S0 6400


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## AlanF (Jun 30, 2019)

Pape said:


> Bit soft flying one RP ,70-300mm 300mm 1/4000s f13 I
> View attachment 185375
> S0 6400


That's a very good attempt. How did you set up the RP AF for it? How many failures for 1 success?


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## Pape (Jun 30, 2019)

AlanF said:


> That's a very good attempt. How did you set up the RP AF for it? How many failures for 1 success?


just 1 shoot, zone af . I rarely see flying dragonflies near me so havent got chanses shoot more. trying stay places where isnt mosquitos  so not densely dragonflies either. 



looks llike only wingtip got to focus .lucky shot i guess.


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## AlanF (Jun 30, 2019)

Pape said:


> just 1 shoot, zone af . I rarely see flying dragonflies near me so havent got chanses shoot more. trying stay places where isnt mosquitos  so not densely dragonflies either.


I am impressed. Was it hovering or was flying past? I am very interested to find out how well the mirrorless do for nature shots. That was a very good shot as it is very difficult to get a whole dragonfly sharp.


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## Pape (Jun 30, 2019)

flied slowly around me then shortly hovered then i shooted.
i am bit suspicious at my autofocus ,i think it focus bit behind what it shoot so thats why wing tip isnt actually sharp even focus locked to it. do i need that AFTMA or what it was.


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## Click (Jun 30, 2019)

Beautiful shots, Alan.


----------



## AlanF (Jul 2, 2019)

Emperor in flight using the 5DIV + 100-400mm II.


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## Click (Jul 2, 2019)

Excellent shot, Alan.


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## AlanF (Jul 4, 2019)

I wanted to compare the 5DSR and 5DIV + 100-400mm II for speed of focus acquisition and managed to get some better shots of an Emperor in flight. It was rather frustrating as dragonflies don't hang around. I think the 5DSR is slower to lock on but when it does, it hangs in there. I used the central 9 focussing points, and 1/3200s. The top one is from the 5DIV at 3m, the bottom two from the 5DSR, with the first at 4m and the second at 7m. The closer they are, the more difficult it is to get both the head and tail in focus and the camera body has to be absolutely parallel to the dragonfly body. These are much closer than the one in the last posting and so much more detailed.


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## Pape (Jul 4, 2019)

Excellent shots Alan! You can use bit smaller aperture with 5d4 if not minding bigger iso. I followed one patrolling brown hawker like 10min but didnt got any shots. Moving ones arent easy to shoot. Looks like you shoot lot on europe.i believe different kind of species on north america


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## AlanF (Jul 4, 2019)

Pape said:


> Excellent shots Alan! You can use bit smaller aperture with 5d4 if not minding bigger iso. I followed one patrolling brown hawker like 10min but didnt got any shots. Moving ones arent easy to shoot. Looks like you shoot lot on europe.i believe different kind of species on north america


It was very bright today so I could have gone to f/8 - f/11, but I quite like keeping the iso low and the speed high..


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## Click (Jul 4, 2019)

Beautiful pictures, Alan.


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## AlanF (Jul 4, 2019)

I did stop down to f/11 for this one. I managed to find a Blacktailed Skimmer on a better background!


----------



## chrysoberyl (Jul 6, 2019)

As you can see from the barbed wire, this is a smallish one.


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## AlanF (Jul 6, 2019)

chrysoberyl said:


> As you can see from the barbed wire, this is a smallish one.


Small but well formed! Fantastic shot of eyes and face.


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## Click (Jul 6, 2019)

Awesome. Well done, chrysoberyl.


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## chrysoberyl (Jul 6, 2019)

Thank you, Alan and Click. I had a very cooperative subject.


----------



## AlanF (Jul 7, 2019)

Couple of side views of a four-spotted chaser and a blacktailed-skimmer.


----------



## AlanF (Jul 7, 2019)

A pair of common blue damselflies hovering over water and weeds below. The 5DSR and 100-400mm II make very versatile kit for amateur insect and birding shots.


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## Click (Jul 7, 2019)

Very nice series, Alan. I especially like the second picture.


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## Pape (Jul 7, 2019)

couple nice try  RP 70-300mm 300mm


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## Click (Jul 7, 2019)

Very nice shots, Pape. Especially the one on the left.


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## AlanF (Jul 7, 2019)

Pape said:


> couple nice try  RP 70-300mm 300mm
> View attachment 185564
> View attachment 185565


Very nice try indeed. A suggestion: upload the images as full size rather than thumbnails as we can then see them at once.


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## AlanF (Jul 7, 2019)

I can't resist uploading another Emperor in flight from this morning. He's got his face slightly turned towards us and I like the look.


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## Click (Jul 7, 2019)

Excellent shot, Alan.


----------



## Pape (Jul 8, 2019)

And flailing wildly his arm .Wow wow what is that thingie what follows me 
Ill make full images when feeling i got good  changed it to full image


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## Nat_WA (Jul 10, 2019)

Black-tailed skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) - stumbled across it when looking for a Bluethroat (bird - for those only aware of dragon-/damselflies )



Due to terrain (and lens I was carrying) I could only approach it from side or top...



7DmkII, S 60-600mm at 400mm and 350mm respectively, f/7.1 
W.


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## Nat_WA (Jul 10, 2019)

Common blue damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) in the same area



7DmkII, S 60-600mm at 250mm f/7.1
W.


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## Click (Jul 10, 2019)

Very nice shots. Well done, Wiebe..


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## AlanF (Jul 10, 2019)

Caught him hovering!


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## chrysoberyl (Jul 10, 2019)

AlanF said:


> I can't resist uploading another Emperor in flight from this morning. He's got his face slightly turned towards us and I like the look.
> View attachment 185566



DIF; very nice.


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## Nat_WA (Jul 10, 2019)

AlanF said:


> Caught him hovering!


... and I already find it hard enough to catch them stationary 
Very nice (set of) shot(s) Alan!
W.


----------



## Jack Douglas (Jul 10, 2019)

Can't say I ever looked for this thread but there sure are impressive photos here. Some, certainly exceed the beauty of what we have here in Alberta.

Jack


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## AlanF (Jul 11, 2019)

Jack Douglas said:


> Can't say I ever looked for this thread but there sure are impressive photos here. Some, certainly exceed the beauty of what we have here in Alberta.
> 
> Jack


You should join in Jack. I didn't appreciate the beauty and onterest of these insects until I started photographing them last year as it helps to see these larger than life -size images.


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## AlanF (Jul 11, 2019)

I have posted so far just photos of male Emperors (a tautology, I realise). Yesterday, I watched a female fly across the surface of the pond, stop and lay her eggs(oviposit).


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## Click (Jul 11, 2019)

Nice! I really like the second shot.


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## Pape (Jul 11, 2019)

I am sure they suprice you jack. i am sure there are all kinds of fancy species on alberta too . I seen tens different kind of them even i am 64 degree north.


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## AlanF (Jul 11, 2019)

Click said:


> Nice! I really like the second shot.


Thanks Click - you always prefer the portrait to the one in flight!


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## Jack Douglas (Jul 11, 2019)

AlanF said:


> You should join in Jack. I didn't appreciate the beauty and onterest of these insects until I started photographing them last year as it helps to see these larger than life -size images.


Thanks Alan, I agree and in fact have taken a fair number of shot of these guys and who knows, with my fading memory, I may even have posted something in this thread. Here's one that in my circle didn't garner much praise, but I liked it. I found that at certain times, especially when they were sexually active, they were easier to shoot in flight but my, they are as challenging as shooting swallows catching mosquitoes! Hovering is about the only time my AF could catch them.

Jack


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## Pape (Jul 12, 2019)

RP, 70-300mm 300mm 5 picture focus stack,could used larger aperture ,messy backround . but i turn brain dead on photographing situation


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## AlanF (Jul 12, 2019)

Pape said:


> RP, 70-300mm 300mm 5 picture focus stack,could used smaller aperture ,messy backround . but i turn brain dead on photographing situation


Nice one! I have never done a focus stack. Erik does them. It seems a very useful technique for dragonflies.


----------



## Pape (Jul 12, 2019)

AlanF said:


> Nice one! I have never done a focus stack. Erik does them. It seems a very useful technique for dragonflies.


Yeah its good for 100-400 and 70-300 ,dragonflys get big with min focus distance. and they like sit very still. smaller insects can get all sharp ,just with small aperture.
and these lenses got just tiny bit focus breathing,makes stack easier


----------



## kodakrome (Jul 13, 2019)

Pape said:


> RP, 70-300mm 300mm 5 picture focus stack,could used larger aperture ,messy backround . but i turn brain dead on photographing situation



Very nice! I've never attempted to do a focus stack with this kind of shot, but maybe I'll give it a try.


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## kodakrome (Jul 13, 2019)

100L, f/13, ISO 800


----------



## Click (Jul 13, 2019)

Nicely done, kodakrome.


----------



## kodakrome (Jul 13, 2019)

Thanks, Click!


----------



## Erik X (Jul 14, 2019)

Got this guy today, it was obviously checking out my camera gear and came within minimum focus distance several times. I have already realized that I am too slow..





The yellow-spotted darter looks like some kind of russian tank..









And an almost sharp ruddy darter..


----------



## Click (Jul 14, 2019)

Excellents pictures. Well done, Erik.


----------



## Erik X (Jul 14, 2019)

Thanks Click!

I think my personal favourite is the yellow-winged darter, its wings shimmer in gold when they reflects the sunlight. Almost impossible to catch in flight, finally got it by pre-focusing on the presumed landing spot


----------



## privatebydesign (Jul 15, 2019)

Well I don't want you guys to have all the fun! Here is my first attempt at free flying dragonflies, not as good as most here but it was fun to play with the AF settings to see how it would work under a very different to my normal shooting style. He/she was going around and around above my swimming pool in a fairly regular pattern though it didn't have any features it was using, so no plant head or twig to prefocus on. The black is just shade of a bush way in the distance.

If it helps anybody here is where I set everything, 1DX MkII, 300mm f2.8 IS. 1/3200 sec, f2.8, iso 800, manual exposure mode as the differing background kept leading to bad dragonfly exposures, lens set to 2.5-6 meter focusing limits to speed up mis-steps, all three AF variables set to max plus value, I used single point center as acquisition spot then let the AF try to keep up with it. It was an ambient around 90ºF so it had a ton of energy and was very fast and erratic. It is a good sized crop unfortunately.

I believe it is a Golden Winged Skimmer (Libellula auripennis) but am happy to stand corrected.


----------



## Jack Douglas (Jul 15, 2019)

Scott, I appreciate the settings comment. So was it all AF points starting with the center? I like to use single spot but realize it's virtually hopeless in shots like these.

Jack


----------



## privatebydesign (Jul 15, 2019)

Jack Douglas said:


> Scott, I appreciate the settings comment. So was it all AF points starting with the center? I like to use single spot but realize it's virtually hopeless in shots like these.
> 
> Jack


Hi Jack, yes all points active with the center one as an acquisition point. It actually did better than I expected as the darn thing was certainly very active. I only tried it because of this thread and the lens was on the camera and I could see it buzzing about from inside. I might try again when it is a bit earlier or where they have a stop and start point, either that or drink more coffee to match their reaction times 

When all the AF settings are set to max plus the spot dances around as fast as the dragonflies do, just not always in step!


----------



## Jack Douglas (Jul 15, 2019)

privatebydesign said:


> Hi Jack, yes all points active with the center one as an acquisition point. It actually did better than I expected as the darn thing was certainly very active. I only tried it because of this thread and the lens was on the camera and I could see it buzzing about from inside. I might try again when it is a bit earlier or where they have a stop and start point, either that or drink more coffee to match their reaction times
> 
> When all the AF settings are set to max plus the spot dances around as fast as the dragonflies do, just not always in step!



Pretty much what I try to do. I have the back button programmed with complete camera settings that are aimed at being ready for that spur of the moment flight shot, which has helped me on occasion. Shutter is single spot. Right now I also occasionally use the other back button for an alternate AF - usually spot with surround. I love the choices between shutter and back button since they take zero thought and virtually zero time. 

It always ticks me off a bit that Canon will only give me such features in a lower MP 1 level camera and so I await the higher level R to see they'll be up to their old tricks again. Can't they get it through their head that we want the features AND more pickles! Surely, they could incorporate high speed and lower speed modes in a single camera.

Jack


----------



## Erik X (Jul 15, 2019)

Autofocus, what is that?  I have given up such things.. Can't keep any of the center AF boxes on the target, they are too fast for me..


----------



## AlanF (Jul 15, 2019)

privatebydesign said:


> Well I don't want you guys to have all the fun! Here is my first attempt at free flying dragonflies, not as good as most here but it was fun to play with the AF settings to see how it would work under a very different to my normal shooting style. He/she was going around and around above my swimming pool in a fairly regular pattern though it didn't have any features it was using, so no plant head or twig to prefocus on. The black is just shade of a bush way in the distance.
> 
> If it helps anybody here is where I set everything, 1DX MkII, 300mm f2.8 IS. 1/3200 sec, f2.8, iso 800, manual exposure mode as the differing background kept leading to bad dragonfly exposures, lens set to 2.5-6 meter focusing limits to speed up mis-steps, all three AF variables set to max plus value, I used single point center as acquisition spot then let the AF try to keep up with it. It was an ambient around 90ºF so it had a ton of energy and was very fast and erratic. It is a good sized crop unfortunately.
> 
> I believe it is a Golden Winged Skimmer (Libellula auripennis) but am happy to stand corrected.


Good shot! Re your settings: 1DX MkII, 300mm f2.8 IS. 1/3200 sec, f2.8, iso 800 manual exposure, centre point. Manual exposure is pretty well standard for birds/dragonflies etc in flight. On the 5DIV and 5DSR I find central 9 points the most effective for small erratic subjects flying in and out of frame. f/2.8 is somewhat unforgiving in dof for dragonflies close up. The 1DX MkII + 300mm f2.8 is heavy gear to move around quickly for DIF, but you are probably used to it.


----------



## kodakrome (Jul 15, 2019)

Why do I like dragonflies? I like dragonflies because they're good, honest, hardworking bugs. And they're not pretentious like butterflies. Butterflies are a bunch of phonies. Butterflies hide behind those big fancy wings, and they try to pretend that they're better than the other bugs. But if you look under the butterfly wings, you can see that they're just bugs like everybody else. Dragonflies are more straight to the point.
And suppose you go out shooting right after lunch? If you run out of toothpicks, you can just grab a dragonfly. In that stiuation, a butterfly would not help at all.


----------



## AlanF (Jul 15, 2019)

kodakrome said:


> Why do I like dragonflies? I like dragonflies because they're good, honest, hardworking bugs. And they're not pretentious like butterflies. Butterflies are a bunch of phonies. Butterflies hide behind those big fancy wings, and they try to pretend that they're better than the other bugs. But if you look under the butterfly wings, you can see that they're just bugs like everybody else. Dragonflies are more straight to the point.
> And suppose you go out shooting right after lunch? If you run out of toothpicks, you can just grab a dragonfly. In that stiuation, a butterfly would not help at all.


Nice shot. But, we don't like insect prejudice in CR.


----------



## Click (Jul 15, 2019)

Nice shot, kodakrome.


----------



## Click (Jul 15, 2019)

privatebydesign said:


> Well I don't want you guys to have all the fun! Here is my first attempt at free flying dragonflies, not as good as most here but it was fun to play with the AF settings to see how it would work under a very different to my normal shooting style. He/she was going around and around above my swimming pool in a fairly regular pattern though it didn't have any features it was using, so no plant head or twig to prefocus on. The black is just shade of a bush way in the distance.
> 
> If it helps anybody here is where I set everything, 1DX MkII, 300mm f2.8 IS. 1/3200 sec, f2.8, iso 800, manual exposure mode as the differing background kept leading to bad dragonfly exposures, lens set to 2.5-6 meter focusing limits to speed up mis-steps, all three AF variables set to max plus value, I used single point center as acquisition spot then let the AF try to keep up with it. It was an ambient around 90ºF so it had a ton of energy and was very fast and erratic. It is a good sized crop unfortunately.
> 
> I believe it is a Golden Winged Skimmer (Libellula auripennis) but am happy to stand corrected.




First attempt? That's a very nice shot. Well done, PBD.


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## Erik X (Jul 15, 2019)

The good thing with sitting ducks is that they allow focus stacking 





But it is definitely more fun to catch dragonflies in flight


----------



## Erik X (Jul 15, 2019)

kodakrome said:


> ... But if you look under the butterfly wings, you can see that they're just bugs like everybody else...


Get closer, you need to make eye contact  But I admit, it is hard to see if butterflies are smiling or not.. And it is even more difficult to catch them in flight compared to dragonflies..


----------



## Jack Douglas (Jul 15, 2019)

Erik X said:


> The good thing with sitting ducks is that they allow focus stacking
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow, on the last one! And no visible damage either.

Jack


----------



## AlanF (Jul 15, 2019)

Erik X said:


> The good thing with sitting ducks is that they allow focus stacking
> 
> But it is definitely more fun to catch dragonflies in flight



Agreed that flying is more fun. But, you can use f/16 at 4m to get quite a lot in focus (on the 5DIV here, and you can't get much closer with the 400mm DO II, which isn't the best lens for dragonflies).


----------



## Pape (Jul 15, 2019)

i wouldnt mess with them like using as toothpick ,they bite hard


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## Valvebounce (Jul 15, 2019)

Hi Folks.
So, I took my van in for a pair of tyres and then went for a stroll along the disused railway line, took my 7DII and 100-400 II with me.
I got these!
He landed on my stomach, plenty of real estate there to land  but well inside the mfd of a 100-400! 



He allowed me to lift him off, I gently put my little finger behind him and he obliged by stepping on, then he flat refused to step on to the railing, still well within mfd!


When he finally left it was on the wing and he was gone as fast as he had arrived!
Camera, iPhone 8, settings, who knows! 
I was very pleased he stopped by for a visit. 

Cheers, Graham.


----------



## Jack Douglas (Jul 15, 2019)

Valvebounce said:


> Hi Folks.
> So, I took my van in for a pair of tyres and then went for a stroll along the disused railway line, took my 7DII and 100-400 II with me.
> I got these!
> He landed on my stomach, plenty of real estate there to land  but well inside the mfd of a 100-400!
> ...


Cool story!

Jack


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## Erik X (Jul 15, 2019)

Valvebounce said:


> ..but well inside the mfd of a 100-400!


He likes you, bring your extension tube next time!


----------



## AlanF (Jul 15, 2019)

Valvebounce said:


> Hi Folks.
> So, I took my van in for a pair of tyres and then went for a stroll along the disused railway line, took my 7DII and 100-400 II with me.
> I got these!
> He landed on my stomach, plenty of real estate there to land  but well inside the mfd of a 100-400!
> ...


Nice one! More spare tyres for your tum?


----------



## Jack Douglas (Jul 15, 2019)

Alan, that was just a little lame.

Jack


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## Valvebounce (Jul 15, 2019)

Hi Folks. 
Thanks for the feedback. 
Eric, I think with the extension tube the lens, tube and camera would not have physically fitted the available space between eye and stomach, and I will struggle to hold and drive the camera one handed, I will have to get him on my left hand too! 
Alan, I’m trying to stick to one spare tyre on the tum! It used to be a 185/60 R16,  now it has grown in to a 285/65 R20! 

Cheers, Graham.


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## Erik X (Jul 15, 2019)

A close-up of an yellow-winged darter taken with the 150mm sigma macro and 2x teleconverter, focus stack of 14 pictures. I like the way evolution has solved the border line in the eyes, between the upper brown low-resolution facets and the small green high-resolution facets below (click twice for full picture size.)
Why do I get a creepy feeling that some aliens in a galaxy far far away are discussing the pictures of humans they took at their last holiday trip to earth.. Luckily, we have no idea what is happening on the galactic web right now  And mayby I shouldn't listen to hypnotic music while editing pictures


----------



## Click (Jul 15, 2019)

Awesome! Well done, Erik.


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## Jack Douglas (Jul 16, 2019)

Click said:


> Awesome! Well done, Erik.


+1 How quickly did you have to work?

Jack


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## kodakrome (Jul 16, 2019)

Erik X said:


> A close-up of an yellow-winged darter taken with the 150mm sigma macro and 2x teleconverter, focus stack of 14 pictures. I like the way evolution has solved the border line in the eyes, between the upper brown low-resolution facets and the small green high-resolution facets below (click twice for full picture size.)
> Why do I get a creepy feeling that some aliens in a galaxy far far away are discussing the pictures of humans they took at their last holiday trip to earth.. Luckily, we have no idea what is happening on the galactic web right now  And mayby I shouldn't listen to hypnotic music while editing pictures



Wow, that's really great shooting!
When looking at insects, I've often thought that most of them look like something from outer space. I'm sure those bugs are all aliens.


----------



## Nat_WA (Jul 16, 2019)

kodakrome said:


> Wow, that's really great shooting!
> When looking at insects, I've often thought that most of them look like something from outer space. I'm sure those bugs are all aliens.


+1000 on the shot 
... and indeed, those bugs just may be the drones of aliens, checking us out (they have plenty eyes and all kinds of antennas on their bodies )
W.


----------



## Erik X (Jul 16, 2019)

Jack Douglas said:


> +1 How quickly did you have to work?
> 
> Jack


It takes about 4 seconds to shoot a stack (using 5D3 continuous shooting while advancing focus manually), lets say that 50% of the attempts are successful. The dragonflies turn their head to the side occasionally, probably to check for possible threats in the sky. Also they lower their wings gradually as they relax, it causes trouble..  But the main problem is to hold the camera steady, free-hand macro is not easy


----------



## Jack Douglas (Jul 16, 2019)

Erik X said:


> It takes about 4 seconds to shoot a stack (using 5D3 continuous shooting while advancing focus manually), lets say that 50% of the attempts are successful. The dragonflies turn their head to the side occasionally, probably to check for possible threats in the sky. Also they lower their wings gradually as they relax, it causes trouble..  But the main problem is to hold the camera steady, free-hand macro is not easy



Would it be fair to say that Canon could incorporate a focus stack into their cameras quite easily? With high FPS the job should be a lot easier but not if you have to manually focus.

Jack


----------



## Erik X (Jul 16, 2019)

Jack Douglas said:


> ...Would it be fair to say that Canon could incorporate a focus stack into their cameras quite easily?..



Definitely! I think Magic Lantern adds some kind of stacking feature but only from live view. But I couldn't stand the increased start-up time ML caused so I had to throw it out.. This was years ago, maybe it is better now?


----------



## Erik X (Jul 17, 2019)

A busy couple..  
Focus stack of 7 pictures


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## Click (Jul 17, 2019)

Nice picture. Well done, Erik.


----------



## Pape (Jul 19, 2019)

RP 70-300mm f13 3picture stack ,bit boring pic after eriks topshoots . but trying keep convo going


----------



## Click (Jul 19, 2019)

Well done, Pape.


----------



## Pape (Jul 25, 2019)

Nice hot weathers to shoot hawkers  25c and rubberboots on sun ! RP 70-300 nano usm


----------



## AlanF (Jul 25, 2019)

Pape said:


> Nice hot weathers to shoot hawkers  25c and rubberboots on sun ! RP 70-300 nano usm
> View attachment 185794


You are getting good at these! It's pretty amazing that you can get these in flight shots on the RP and 70-300, Well done!
We have just hit 38.1 c in my town, only the second time this temperature has been recorded in the UK. So, I haven't wandered out.


----------



## Pape (Jul 25, 2019)

AlanF said:


> You are getting good at these! It's pretty amazing that you can get these in flight shots on the RP and 70-300, Well done!
> We have just hit 38.1 c in my town, only the second time this temperature has been recorded in the UK. So, I haven't wandered out.


Lot of chanses to shoot ,i think there must be least 10 big hawker on ours back yard patrolling around. but yeah temperatures are lot higher i am used too


----------



## Click (Jul 25, 2019)

Nice. Well done, Pape.


----------



## Erik X (Jul 25, 2019)

Emerald damselfly

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/48374117872/in/datetaken-public/" title="F36A6836_DxO_4000">


----------



## Click (Jul 25, 2019)

Very nice shot, Erik.


----------



## Pape (Jul 25, 2019)

Very pretty one erik ! never seen one like that


----------



## kodakrome (Jul 28, 2019)

My weekend bugs. I was trying to shoot scenery, but the bugs kept posing.
All with the 100L


----------



## Click (Jul 28, 2019)

Beautiful series, kodakrome.


----------



## kodakrome (Jul 28, 2019)

Click said:


> Beautiful series, kodakrome.


Thanks, Click!


----------



## Pape (Aug 1, 2019)

RP ,ef 70-300 300mm
Bee going under hood


----------



## Click (Aug 1, 2019)

Impressive details. Very nice shots, Pape.


----------



## AlanF (Aug 1, 2019)

Pape said:


> RP ,ef 70-300 300mm
> Bee going under hood


Great shots!


----------



## Jack Douglas (Aug 1, 2019)

Click said:


> Impressive details. Very nice shots, Pape.


+1 It seems the stinger is not doing much good!

Jack


----------



## Pape (Aug 5, 2019)

couple shot RP 70-300 5,6 . I wish i could made some focus stack for first but its hard to keep camera steady when shooting straight down.


----------



## Click (Aug 5, 2019)

Nicely done, Pape.


----------



## Pape (Aug 5, 2019)

RP 70-300 mm 300mm 3pic focus stack. And one weird flyer


----------



## Click (Aug 7, 2019)

I really like the first picture. Well done, Pape.


----------



## Erik X (Aug 9, 2019)

A busy couple.. Actually I have no clue what they are doing, maybe egg-laying in tandem position?


----------



## Click (Aug 9, 2019)

Great shots, Erik.


----------



## Jack Douglas (Aug 10, 2019)

Maybe it's time that someone in the know informs us of these things. On the other hand in spite of my curiosity so far I haven't gone to the trouble of Googling exactly how their reproductive cycle and activities work. I do know they originally come out of the water and that's about it.

One day at the pond my friend noticed this critter on his camera bag and I shot it.









Dragonfly Life Cycle - Learn About Nature


There are three stages of the dragonfly life cycle, the egg, the nymph, and the adult dragonfly.



www.dragonfly-site.com





Jack


----------



## Valvebounce (Aug 10, 2019)

Hi Jack. 
In my opinion, this is one of the coolest shots of what appears to be almost the instant this critter changed state! Very nice. 

Cheers, Graham.


----------



## Jack Douglas (Aug 10, 2019)

Valvebounce said:


> Hi Jack.
> In my opinion, this is one of the coolest shots of what appears to be almost the instant this critter changed state! Very nice.
> 
> Cheers, Graham.


Thanks Graham, it was indeed happening right then but for some reason I can't recall I missed the critical shots. Isn't it often that way! We weren't really taking it too seriously.  Sadly Wayne left this world not too long afterwards and I miss his comradeship as shooting buddies.


----------



## Click (Aug 10, 2019)

Very nice series, Jack.


----------



## Erik X (Aug 10, 2019)

Somewhat boring Ruddy darters..



F36A7717_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr



F36A7838_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


----------



## Click (Aug 10, 2019)

Very nice, Erik, especially the first one.


----------



## Erik X (Aug 24, 2019)

Ah, got a winged ant for dinner! Delicious! 




Crap, I lost it!




Actually, I'm just practising before the airshow tomorrow.. 
Jets are soo slow compared to dragonflies, what could possibly go wrong


----------



## Click (Aug 24, 2019)

Very nice series, Erik. The last picture is beautiful.


----------



## ISv (Sep 6, 2019)

I have to work to ID these


----------



## Click (Sep 7, 2019)

Beautiful shots, ISv.


----------



## ISv (Sep 7, 2019)

Click said:


> Beautiful shots, ISv.


Thanks Click!


----------



## AlanF (Sep 7, 2019)

Very nice ISv!


----------



## AlanF (Sep 7, 2019)

These are some dragonflies on a creek off the Amazon. Taken from a canoe so couldn't get close. Haven't a clue what they are.


----------



## Click (Sep 7, 2019)

Nice series, Alan.


----------



## ISv (Sep 8, 2019)

AlanF said:


> These are some dragonflies on a creek off the Amazon. Taken from a canoe so couldn't get close. Haven't a clue what they are.
> View attachment 186441
> View attachment 186442
> View attachment 186443
> View attachment 186444


Ha, ha... Amazon... Even the entomologist that are working with dragonflies could be in trouble in that area! 
Whatever, I mean I have troubles to ID European species, no way to be useful with the Amazonian!


----------



## Jack Douglas (Sep 8, 2019)

That's my take on trying to ID my Costa Rica birds. The processing was easier than the ID. Of course if it's a toucan ... I don't recall one dragonfly.

Jack


----------



## ISv (Sep 8, 2019)

Jack Douglas said:


> That's my take on trying to ID my Costa Rica birds. The processing was easier than the ID. Of course if it's a toucan ... I don't recall one dragonfly.
> 
> Jack


We all have our limits Jack! 
Well, concerning the processing - it's about the same here! ID is in many cases almost impossible from single shot... With your photos in the pass it was easier only because they (the birds) where expected for that areas!


----------



## AlanF (Sep 8, 2019)

Jack Douglas said:


> That's my take on trying to ID my Costa Rica birds. The processing was easier than the ID. Of course if it's a toucan ... I don't recall one dragonfly.
> 
> Jack


I am still trying to distinguish a Chestnut mandibled Toucan from a Choco Toucan in some of my photos!


----------



## Jack Douglas (Sep 8, 2019)

AlanF said:


> I am still trying to distinguish a Chestnut mandibled Toucan from a Choco Toucan in some of my photos!



It's easier in Costa Rica, at least for Toucans. I was getting so desparate with the hummers that I started a text document where I listed each and then pasted in many varied photos taken off the internet since my book just didn't have enough angles etc.!


----------



## Erik X (Sep 8, 2019)

Got this one today, just another ruddy darter 



F36A1460_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr

And also a Migrant Hawker, what a variation! 



F36A1557_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr



F36A1511_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr



F36A1598_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr

Just when I had this pair of dragonflies in focus, some kind of crow disturbed the scene...  Maybe they were chasing the bird, I don't know..



F36A1396_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


----------



## kodakrome (Sep 9, 2019)

Come a little closer bug...I'm gonna make you a star.


----------



## Click (Sep 9, 2019)

Beautiful shot, kodakrome.


----------



## Click (Sep 9, 2019)

Very nice series, Erik.


----------



## ISv (Sep 9, 2019)

Erik X said:


> Got this one today, just another ruddy darter
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice shots Erik! Only with the Crow there is something wrong - it has a bill of Eagle. It makes the insect in the frame even bigger hero!


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## ISv (Sep 9, 2019)

kodakrome said:


> Come a little closer bug...I'm gonna make you a star.
> View attachment 186500


Nice shot Kodakrome!


----------



## kodakrome (Sep 9, 2019)

Click said:


> Beautiful shot, kodakrome.


Thanks, Click!


----------



## kodakrome (Sep 9, 2019)

ISv said:


> Nice shot Kodakrome!


Thanks ISv!


----------



## Erik X (Sep 14, 2019)

This is how a migrant hawker looks.. if you happen to be a midge 
Sitting on thorne doesn't seem to bother this one..
Click twice (slowly) for full resolution. The Sigma 150mm macro (with 2x TC) isn't that bad after all  Somewhat difficult to hold steady by freehand..



F36A2269_ZS_DMap_10p_ret_DxO_4000 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


----------



## Click (Sep 14, 2019)

Awesome. Great details. Beautiful shot, Erik.


----------



## AlanF (Sep 14, 2019)

Erik X said:


> This is how a migrant hawker looks.. if you happen to be a midge
> Sitting on thorne doesn't seem to bother this one..
> Click twice (slowly) for full resolution. The Sigma 150mm macro (with 2x TC) isn't that bad after all  Somewhat difficult to hold steady by freehand..
> 
> ...


What detail!!


----------



## Valvebounce (Sep 17, 2019)

Hi Erik. 
Wow, absolutely fantastic, it looks like you nailed the hand holding bit! Stunning detail, and boy I’m glad I’m not a midge! 

Cheers, Graham.


----------



## ISv (Sep 18, 2019)

Erik X said:


> This is how a migrant hawker looks.. if you happen to be a midge
> Sitting on thorne doesn't seem to bother this one..
> Click twice (slowly) for full resolution. The Sigma 150mm macro (with 2x TC) isn't that bad after all  Somewhat difficult to hold steady by freehand..
> 
> ...


Extraordinary photo Erik!


----------



## AlanF (Sep 19, 2019)

Got my first two shots using a 90D today. By coincidence, it was a Migrant Hawker in flight - identified from Erik's! The 1st shot is the 90D thread. Here is the second.


----------



## Click (Sep 19, 2019)

Nice. Well done, Alan.


----------



## Erik X (Sep 21, 2019)

Nice shot Alan.
I found this happy cutie today, say cheese 



F36A3468_ZS_DMap_16p_ret_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


----------



## Click (Sep 21, 2019)

WOW Great shot, Erik!


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## AlanF (Sep 21, 2019)

Erik X said:


> Nice shot Alan.
> I found this happy cutie today, say cheese
> 
> 
> ...


I love to see the individual eye lenses!


----------



## Erik X (Sep 22, 2019)

AlanF said:


> I love to see the individual eye lenses!


I think I can spot a few defective pixels.. I mean facets. Or maybe it is just sensor dust?


----------



## Erik X (Sep 23, 2019)

Do dragonflies carry mites or ticks? Or what are those small objects on the body of this ruddy darter.. ?
Whatever they are, they look perfectly organized 



F36A4480_DxO_full by Erik Astrom, on Flickr


----------



## Click (Sep 23, 2019)

Very nice picture, Erik.


----------



## AlanF (Sep 23, 2019)

Erik X said:


> Do dragonflies carry mites or ticks? Or what are those small objects on the body of this ruddy darter.. ?
> Whatever they are, they look perfectly organized
> 
> 
> ...


That is very interesting.


----------



## Maximilian (Oct 21, 2019)

This year I didn't find enough passion to go hunting dragonflies 

But yesterdays walk brought me accross this couple of darters. I suppose, those are _Sympetrum vulgatum_.
I was quite surprised to see them mate in late October - though we have a really unusual warm autum this year.
_



_


----------



## AlanF (Oct 21, 2019)

Maximilian said:


> This year I didn't find enough passion to go hunting dragonflies
> 
> But yesterdays walk brought me accross this couple of darters. I suppose, those are _Sympetrum vulgatum_.
> I was quite surprised to see them mate in late October - though we have a really unusual warm autum this year.
> ...


_Sympetrum vulgatum_ -they are certainly vulgar doing that in public.


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## Click (Oct 21, 2019)

I really like your picture, Maximilian.


----------



## ISv (Oct 28, 2019)

Erik X said:


> Nice shot Alan.
> I found this happy cutie today, say cheese
> 
> 
> ...


One more of this kind and I will cry! Great!!!


----------



## ISv (Oct 28, 2019)

Erik X said:


> Do dragonflies carry mites or ticks? Or what are those small objects on the body of this ruddy darter.. ?
> Whatever they are, they look perfectly organized
> 
> 
> ...


Looks more like kind of eggs (and I don't think these are Dragonfly eggs). Very interesting!


----------



## ISv (Oct 28, 2019)

I finally got the ID's of the two I posted on page 27: Cordulegaster heros and Sympetrum fonscolembei (help from entomologist - not my work).


----------



## Maximilian (Oct 28, 2019)

Hi Erik and ISv!


Erik X said:


> Do dragonflies carry mites or ticks? Or what are those small objects on the body of this ruddy darter.. ?
> Whatever they are, they look perfectly organized
> 
> 
> ...


Very strange what you found there, Erik! 

For sure those little round balls are no dragonfly eggs. This Darter is a male and female Darters only lay their eggs into the water but nor onto their partner.
For mites or ticks I would expect some legs or limbs visible, but maybe I am wrong here. And IMO those are too many and too well arranged. 
I am thinking about some tumor, skin or fungal disease. But I am absolutely no specialist here. 
If anyone knows, please tell us…


----------



## ISv (Mar 31, 2020)

Few from the last two weekends.


----------



## Jack Douglas (Mar 31, 2020)

Very nice ISV. It's prompting me to post a couple


from long ago that I've just processed a little better I think.

Jack


----------



## Jack Douglas (Mar 31, 2020)

And here is one for the squeamish. A cannibal!


----------



## Click (Mar 31, 2020)

ISv and Jack,

Beautiful series, guys.


----------



## ISv (Apr 5, 2020)

And some from today: when there are no interesting BIF... Hey, these are flying too!


----------



## Jack Douglas (Apr 5, 2020)

ISv said:


> And some from today: when there are no interesting BIF... Hey, these are flying too!
> 
> 
> View attachment 189600
> ...


Excellent! Goes to show you are skilled and your AF is capable! Not that easy. The question is, how big is it in the frame, i.e. how far away?

Jack


----------



## Click (Apr 5, 2020)

Very nice series, ISv.


----------



## ISv (Apr 5, 2020)

Jack Douglas said:


> Excellent! Goes to show you are skilled and your AF is capable! Not that easy. The question is, how big is it in the frame, i.e. how far away?
> 
> Jack


Thanks for the "excellent"!
Opanda IExif says 3.55 meters. The closes focus distance of the lens is 2.20 meters.


----------



## ISv (Apr 6, 2020)

And from today - unfortunately for the flying Dragons I didn't have a chance to get closer than 5+ meters...


----------



## Jack Douglas (Apr 6, 2020)

I don't have many flight shots but this old one is different in that it's shot at 1/320 with 600mm.

Jack


----------



## Click (Apr 6, 2020)

Very nice shot, Jack. Well done.


----------



## Click (Apr 6, 2020)

ISv said:


> And from today - unfortunately for the flying Dragons I didn't have a chance to get closer than 5+ meters...



Another beautiful series.


----------



## ISv (Apr 8, 2020)

Jack Douglas said:


> I don't have many flight shots but this old one is different in that it's shot at 1/320 with 600mm.
> 
> Jack
> View attachment 189628


Nice! What lens/edition? Or may be (hmm - I'm almost sure that's the case) the Dragon is just hovering at that one point (if panning at 1/320 the background should be pretty blurred...)


----------



## Valvebounce (Apr 8, 2020)

Hi ISv. 
My guess would be that it is from his 300 f/2.8 + 2x converter days. 

Cheers, Graham. 



ISv said:


> Nice! What lens/edition? Or may be (hmm - I'm almost sure that's the case) the Dragon is just hovering at that one point (if panning at 1/320 the background should be pretty blurred...)


----------



## ISv (Apr 8, 2020)

Valvebounce said:


> Hi ISv.
> My guess would be that it is from his 300 f/2.8 + 2x converter days.
> 
> Cheers, Graham.


Actually it doesn't mater - 600mm (effective - I should better ask "what camera") and speed 1/320 are what they are! My first series (the orange-yellow dragons) are at effective 750mm (crop camera, the actual focal length is 500mm) at speed 1/8000. You can't make the clear blue sky blurred but in two of the photos you see greenish background low in that photos - it's not a grass, it is small trees. Blur is coming from the panning and distance. In the second series it's again effective 750mm at speed 1/2000 (catching them at relatively slow motion) - so high to get the wings at least slightly blurred (at these photos the Dragons look like motionless and I don't like it). Panning on very unstable tripod because of the ground, VR on, Markins Q20 ball-head (I don't use a gumball: heavy for hiking).


----------



## AlanF (Apr 8, 2020)

Jack Douglas said:


> I don't have many flight shots but this old one is different in that it's shot at 1/320 with 600mm.
> 
> Jack
> View attachment 189628


A wingless dragonfly. That is a real scientific discovery.


----------



## Jack Douglas (Apr 8, 2020)

Valvebounce said:


> Hi ISv.
> My guess would be that it is from his 300 f/2.8 + 2x converter days.
> 
> Cheers, Graham.


Easy guess. And no panning, probably IS was playing its part too since I'm not the steadiest person!


----------



## ISv (Apr 13, 2020)

From today. On the last photo one of the guys still looks like Dragonfly!


----------



## Click (Apr 13, 2020)

Very nice shots, ISv.

I really like the 3rd one. Excellent timing.


----------



## ISv (Apr 19, 2020)

Click said:


> Very nice shots, ISv.
> I really like the 3rd one. Excellent timing.



Thanks Click! Here are few more from today.


----------



## ISv (Jun 1, 2020)

Few from today


----------



## Click (Jun 1, 2020)

Beautiful shots.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 1, 2020)

My first dragonfly of the season, a Four-spotted Chaser belting across the pond yesterday

.


----------



## Click (Jun 2, 2020)

Nice shot, Alan.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 2, 2020)

The first skimmer I could "catch" here at my location.
I suppose it is a male black-tailed skimmer (_orthetrum cancellatum_) but it could also be a white-tailed skimmer (_orthetrum albistylum_).
Couldn't tell them apart.
Funny that the "white-tailed" also has a blue tail and a black tail tip. AFAIK the "white" comes from the female abdomen.

_Edit: I now think that it is a scarce chaser (libellula fulva). If soemeone knows for sure, please let me know 

Edit:
It is a black-tailed skimmer (orthetrum cancellatum)_


----------



## AlanF (Jun 2, 2020)

Second day of dragonfly shooting. Started with a Common Blue Damselfly, perched and flying.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 2, 2020)

Then on to an Emperor Dragonfly flying.


----------



## Click (Jun 2, 2020)

Beautiful pictures. well done, Alan.


----------



## ISv (Jun 3, 2020)

AlanF said:


> My first dragonfly of the season, a Four-spotted Chaser belting across the pond yesterday
> View attachment 190686
> .


Great shot Alan!


----------



## ISv (Jun 3, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> The first skimmer I could "catch" here at my location.
> I suppose it is a male black-tailed skimmer (_orthetrum cancellatum_) but it could also be a white-tailed skimmer (_orthetrum albistylum_).
> Couldn't tell them apart.
> Funny that the "white-tailed" also has a blue tail and a black tail tip. AFAIK the "white" comes from the female abdomen.
> ...


Very good!


----------



## ISv (Jun 3, 2020)

AlanF said:


> Second day of dragonfly shooting. Started with a Common Blue Damselfly, perched and flying.
> View attachment 190696
> View attachment 190697


Great again - the second shot I mean. The first one is easy (like the shots I posted recently )!


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 3, 2020)

ISv said:


> Very good!


Thanks ISv


----------



## Click (Jun 3, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> The first skimmer I could "catch" here at my location.
> I suppose it is a male black-tailed skimmer (_orthetrum cancellatum_) but it could also be a white-tailed skimmer (_orthetrum albistylum_).
> Couldn't tell them apart.
> Funny that the "white-tailed" also has a blue tail and a black tail tip. AFAIK the "white" comes from the female abdomen.




Nice picture.


----------



## Erik X (Jun 5, 2020)

Yeah.. They are back! 
But I had forgot how difficult it was to catch them in flight.

https://flic.kr/p/2j7z9qo]

F36A1659_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/2j7AB4T]

F36A1657_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


----------



## AlanF (Jun 5, 2020)

Erik X said:


> Yeah.. They are back!
> But I had forgot how difficult it was to catch them in flight.
> 
> F36A1659_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


Welcome back Erik!


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## Click (Jun 5, 2020)

Nice shots, Erik.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 6, 2020)

Here's one of a pair of Common Darters I had forgotten to post. The 5DSR + 100-400mm II is a killer for these shots.


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## Click (Jun 6, 2020)

Cool. I really like this shot.


----------



## Erik X (Jun 6, 2020)

Sitting ducks are much easier to catch. I just wish they could sit still so I can shoot better focus stacks.. 

https://flic.kr/p/2j9o1pA]

F36A1923_ZS_DMap_3p_ret_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


----------



## Click (Jun 7, 2020)

Very nice shot, Erik.


----------



## Erik X (Jun 9, 2020)

Four-spotted chasers. Those are a pain to catch flying.. 
But after all, I tried to google pictures of four-spotted chasers, about 500 pictures found but only two of those were in flight!
This must be a quite odd hobby 

https://flic.kr/p/2j7AB1M]

F36A2650_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/2j9qF2j]

F36A2943_ZS_DMap_3p_ret_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


----------



## Click (Jun 9, 2020)

Nice!




Well done, Erik.


----------



## Erik X (Jun 13, 2020)

I found this one in my backyard. Not a chance to catch it in flight.. Too fast 
I think it is a Broad-bodied chaser, Libellula Depressa. Click the "F26.."-link under the picture for full resolution.
The white neck fur on the right side is not very sharp, I must have messed up in Zerene stacker..  

https://flic.kr/p/2jbskSi]

F26A3522_ZS_DMap_20p_ret_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 13, 2020)

YES!!! I finally made it: My first DIF pictures in a at least decent quality.
A green-eyed hawker. Not perfect, but I still need space to improve 
Sequence of three out of ten. But tomorrow the weather will change


----------



## AlanF (Jun 13, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> YES!!! I finally made it: My first DOF pictures in a at least decent quality.
> A green-eyed hawker. Not perfect, but I still need space to improve
> Sequence of three out of ten. But tomorrow the weather will change
> 
> ...


Well done! Very satisfying when it works.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 13, 2020)

Erik X said:


> Four-spotted chasers. Those are a pain to catch flying..
> But after all, I tried to google pictures of four-spotted chasers, about 500 pictures found but only two of those were in flight!
> This must be a quite odd hobby


Great job, Erik. I have them here, too. Maybe I'have some luck to get them DIF, too.



Erik X said:


> I found this one in my backyard. Not a chance to catch it in flight.. Too fast
> I think it is a Broad-bodied chaser, Libellula Depressa. Click the "F26.."-link under the picture for full resolution.
> The white neck fur on the right side is not very sharp, I must have messed up in Zerene stacker..


Great work again, Erik. How many pics did you stack for that kind of sharpness and resolution?


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 13, 2020)

AlanF said:


> Well done! Very satisfying when it works.


Thanks Alan! You were so fast that I didn't even had the time to correct my typo (DOF => DIF)


----------



## AlanF (Jun 13, 2020)

This afternoon: Red-eyed Damselfy, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Common Blue Damselflies, Four-spotted Chaser and Black-tailed Skimmer.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 13, 2020)

Erik X said:


> Four-spotted chasers. Those are a pain to catch flying..
> But after all, I tried to google pictures of four-spotted chasers, about 500 pictures found but only two of those were in flight!
> This must be a quite odd hobby
> 
> ...


I posted one on 1 Jun https://www.canonrumors.com/forum/i...ies.35543/page-30#lg=attachment190686&slide=0


----------



## dcm (Jun 13, 2020)

Twelve spotted skimmer hanging around my pond in Colorado.
M6m2, 100-400LII, 1.4xIII, handheld from ground and 2nd floor office. 
50% crop, exposure adjustment, and slight NR in DXO PhotoLab 3.3.

Likes to perch on this post adjacent to the pond.





from my second floor office window


----------



## Erik X (Jun 13, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> Great work again, Erik. How many pics did you stack for that kind of sharpness and resolution?


I imported 20 pictures into Zerene but only used maybe 10 of them... It's not as easy as it may seem, dragonflies tend to move their wings even when they sit down and any microscopic movement will cause a visible mismatch in the rib structure in the wings.. And also the abdomen expands and shrinks when the dragonfly breathes. 

Regarding in flight pictures, some species have a habit to hover now and then while other maintain full speed whenever they are airborn. I've seen migrant hawkers hover for 5 seconds right in front of my camera but have never been able to shoot a black-tailed skimmer, they never seem to slow down.


----------



## Click (Jun 14, 2020)

Erik, Maximilian, Alan and dcm,

Beautiful shots, guys! Well done.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 14, 2020)

Two pics of a green-eyed hawker. slightly different, slightly different focus point (no stack, single pic).
I have my favorite. Which is yours? Thanks in advance for your comments.

#1:



#2:


----------



## Jack Douglas (Jun 14, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> Two pics of a green-eyed hawker. slightly different, slightly different focus point (no stack, single pic).
> I have my favorite. Which is yours? Thanks in advance for your comments.
> 
> #1:
> ...


Prefer sharper focus on the nearer wing, so second.

Jack


----------



## AlanF (Jun 14, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> Two pics of a green-eyed hawker. slightly different, slightly different focus point (no stack, single pic).
> I have my favorite. Which is yours? Thanks in advance for your comments.
> 
> #1:
> ...


For shots like those, I look for the head and tail being in sharp focus. So, the 2nd one for me as well as the focus on the tail and body is more obvious.


----------



## Click (Jun 14, 2020)

Very nice pictures, Maximilian. I prefer the first one. The focus on the eyes.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 15, 2020)

Jack Douglas said:


> Prefer sharper focus on the nearer wing, so second.





AlanF said:


> ... the 2nd one for me ...





Click said:


> I prefer the first one. The focus on the eyes.


Thanks to the three of you for the replies and comments.
Like Clicks choice my fav is the first one, for the same reason. I like seeing such detail of the compound eye and the hairs at the neck.
But as for the other reasons it was really hard for me to chose. 
Thanks again.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 15, 2020)

A series of a large red damselfly (_pyrrhosoma nymphula_):


----------



## AlanF (Jun 15, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> Thanks to the three of you for the replies and comments.
> Like Clicks choice my fav is the first one, for the same reason. I like seeing such detail of the compound eye and the hairs at the neck.
> But as for the other reasons it was really hard for me to chose.
> Thanks again.


For me, if the head is facing towards you, then that clearly has to be the focal point, and the focus behind that isn't crucial, and the gradual loss of focus can be effective in emphasizing the head. But when the head is facing away, a misfocussed tail looks messy to me. Your Red Damselflies are really good in that respect.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 15, 2020)

AlanF said:


> For me, if the head is facing towards you, then that clearly has to be the focal point, and the focus behind that isn't crucial, and the gradual loss of focus can be effective in emphasizing the head. But when the head is facing away, a misfocussed tail looks messy to me.


Fully got it - already at the first time. And I was really on the fence. And in a lot of cases Iwould have been with you.
But to me a sharp thorax is also important. As well as the roots of the wings, if they are so prominent as shown here.
I did a lot of overall comparison as well as pixel peeping, which I normally don't like. And still I am so-so.
But thanks for giving me ideas to think about


----------



## AlanF (Jun 15, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> Fully got it - already at the first time. And I was really on the fence. And in a lot of cases Iwould have been with you.
> But to me a sharp thorax is also important. As well as the roots of the wings, if they are so prominent as shown here.
> I did a lot of overall comparison as well as pixel peeping, which I normally don't like. And still I am so-so.
> But thanks for giving me ideas to think about


I added an extra sentence to my previous post as you were replying. Erik uses focus stacking to get everything in sharp focus. I just try hard to get as much as possible in focus in one shot and bin loads of shots.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 15, 2020)

AlanF said:


> ... I just try hard to get as much as possible in focus in one shot and bin loads of shots.


Same approach here. And your comments and all the other great pictures help me to improve. 



AlanF said:


> ... Your Red Damselflies are really good in that respect.


Thanks for that, too.
The vertical one is so-so IMO. I would have preferred focus closer to the head.
If it just sopped raining... more than 70 l/m² since Saturday  Maybe some sun on Wednesday...

_Edit: 
I very much appreciate the rain, as it was much too dry this spring and as it is good for the habitat of this threads protagonists  
But I also want to go out again to practice..._


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 15, 2020)

By the way. One of my all time favs I posted already some years ago, but not in this thread:


----------



## HenryL (Jun 15, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> Two pics of a green-eyed hawker. slightly different, slightly different focus point (no stack, single pic).
> I have my favorite. Which is yours? Thanks in advance for your comments.
> 
> #1:
> ...


Much prefer the second image with both wings in focus. Nice pic btw.


----------



## Click (Jun 15, 2020)

Another beautiful series. Well done, Maximilian.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 15, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> By the way. One of my all time favs I posted already some years ago, but not in this thread:
> 
> View attachment 190823


I really like views of heads like that


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 15, 2020)

HenryL said:


> Much prefer the second image with both wings in focus. Nice pic btw.





Click said:


> Another beautiful series. Well done, Maximilian.





AlanF said:


> I really like views of heads like that


Thanks, guys.


----------



## Erik X (Jun 15, 2020)

I spent a couple of hours standing in the water today trying to catch a sharp four-spotted chaser in flight. Almost did it 
I got some sitting ducks and a swimming dragonfly also, will post more tomorrow

https://flic.kr/p/2jccBQj]

F36A4442_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


----------



## AlanF (Jun 15, 2020)

Erik X said:


> I spent a couple of hours standing in the water today trying to catch a four-spotted chaser in flight. Almost did it
> 
> https://flic.kr/p/2jccBQj]
> 
> F36A4442_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


Spot on: head in great focus and body focus tails off giving a 3D effect.


----------



## Ozarker (Jun 15, 2020)

Dragonfly. It never fails that when I label a photo that I misspell the name. EOS R and Tamron SP 45mm f/1.8 Di VC.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 15, 2020)

Nice one CFB!


----------



## Ozarker (Jun 15, 2020)

AlanF said:


> Nice one CFB!


Thanks Alan.


----------



## Click (Jun 15, 2020)

WOW! Great shot CFB.


----------



## Click (Jun 15, 2020)

Erik X said:


> I spent a couple of hours standing in the water today trying to catch a sharp four-spotted chaser in flight. Almost did it
> I got some sitting ducks and a swimming dragonfly also, will post more tomorrow




Very nice shot.Well done, Erik.


----------



## Ozarker (Jun 16, 2020)

Click said:


> WOW! Great shot CFB.


Thank you, Click.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 16, 2020)

Erik X said:


> I spent a couple of hours standing in the water today trying to catch a sharp four-spotted chaser in flight. Almost did it
> I got some sitting ducks and a swimming dragonfly also, will post more tomorrow


Great work, Erik. Love it. Hopeful to come close to that one day.



CanonFanBoy said:


> Dragonfly. It never fails that when I label a photo that I misspell the name. EOS R and Tamron SP 45mm f/1.8 Di VC.


Really nice, CFB. And looking at the portait thread, this must have been a female - of course 
How close could you get with that 45 mm Tammy? (By the way: it's sad that you had to part with your RFs )


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## Erik X (Jun 16, 2020)

Okay, so you believe you have seen everything? What about a swimming dragonfly? 
I have absolutely no clue why it ended up in the water, maybe a mishap when it was going to catch an insect?
Anyway, it kind of paddled with the wings to a reed where it climbed up and was airborn again within seconds..
Unidentified species, possibly downy emerald?

https://flic.kr/p/2jczrBZ]

F36A5194_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/2jczrAX]

F36A5195_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/2jczrFr]

F36A5197_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


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## Ozarker (Jun 16, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> Great work, Erik. Love it. Hopeful to come close to that one day.
> 
> 
> Really nice, CFB. And looking at the portait thread, this must have been a female - of course
> How close could you get with that 45 mm Tammy? (By the way: it's sad that you had to part with your RFs )


I was probably 18” away. Huge crop.

Well, still have my RF 85 for now. I am very impressed with the Tamron and it’s close focus distance. A real bargain.  Lemonade out of lemons.


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## Maximilian (Jun 17, 2020)

Erik X said:


> Okay, so you believe you have seen everything? What about a swimming dragonfly?
> ...
> Unidentified species, possibly *downy emerald*?


Great catch, Erik.
Looking at thorax, abdomen and wings I would give you a  on your guess of a downy emerald (_Cordulia aenea_).
The only thing that gets me puzzled are the dark eyes that are supposed to be greenish.
But maybe this is because of the light situation and backlight.

Here is one I caught a few days ago:


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## AlanF (Jun 17, 2020)

A Four-spotted Chaser being buzzed by a Common Blue Damselfly. Taken at a distance (6m) with a Sigma 150-600mm C on a 5DSR. The Siggie is an under-rated lens. My copy with a demanding sensor holds up well against 400mm DO II + 1.4xTC for sharpness but does lose out for speed of AF.


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## Maximilian (Jun 17, 2020)

AlanF said:


> ... Sigma 150-600mm C on a 5DSR. The Siggie is an under-rated lens. My copy with a demanding sensor holds up well against 400mm DO II + 1.4xTC for sharpness but does lose out for speed of AF.


Congrats to your great copy. Of course it also takes some skills behind the VF - but only some


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## Click (Jun 17, 2020)

Erik, Maximilian and Alan,

Very nice shots, guys. Keep posting.


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## Erik X (Jun 17, 2020)

This one is easier to identify, ought to be a large red damselfly, Pyrrhosoma nymphula? 
Stack of 8 pictures

https://flic.kr/p/2jczp7n]

F36A4096_ZS_DMap_8p_ret_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


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## Maximilian (Jun 17, 2020)

Erik X said:


> This one is easier to identify, ought to be a large red damselfly, Pyrrhosoma nymphula?


I did this for you already on the last page 

I am always facinated by the rally striped compound eyes.


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## Erik X (Jun 17, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> I am always facinated by the rally striped compound eyes.


I agree, I think Charles Darwin got it slightly wrong:
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that has the most spectacular color scheme... 

A blue metallic finish, for example, doesn't seem very functional..? But it definitely looks great! 

https://flic.kr/p/2jcQwXx]

F36A4039_ZS_DMap_7p_ret_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


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## Click (Jun 17, 2020)

Another beautiful shot. Well done, Erik.


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## Maximilian (Jun 18, 2020)

Erik X said:


> I agree, I think Charles Darwin got it slightly wrong:
> It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives.


I am sure  you know the original phrase "_Survival of the fittest_" doesn't have its origin in Charles Darwin but in Herbert Spencer whilst discussing Charles Darwin's "_On the Origin of Species_". 
And once again it is about being precise in phrasing when it comes to science - which I quite often miss  - because the phrase "_the fittest_" fits the best 

But you are totally right


> It is the one that has the most spectacular color scheme...
> A blue metallic finish, for example, doesn't seem very functional..? But it definitely looks great!


The beautiful demoiselle is one of the most beautiful and fascinating damselflies. 
Every time I see one - luckily there is a huge population nearby - I think "_This can't be evolution! This must be some paint shop pimp up!_"


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## Maximilian (Jun 18, 2020)

Here are some I saw lately. They took care about evolution, too 

P.S. to *AlanF*: here I definetly needed focus to the front.  Women OOF are never accepted.


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## Erik X (Jun 18, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> ..Looking at thorax, abdomen and wings I would give you a  on your guess of a downy emerald (_Cordulia aenea_).
> The only thing that gets me puzzled are the dark eyes that are supposed to be greenish.--


You mean like this?  I have to bring the macro next time, EF100-400 can't resolve the facet eyes..

https://flic.kr/p/2jdav6u]

F36A3830_ZS_DMap_20p_ret_DxO_2880[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


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## Click (Jun 18, 2020)

WOW! Beautiful shot, Erik.


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## Erik X (Jun 18, 2020)

Thanks Click! Much appreciated


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## Erik X (Jun 18, 2020)

And regarding evolution and survival of the fittest, why on earth has the four-spotted chaser got a transparent body? Most species (except very small insects and microorganisms) don't..
I am an engineer and I know that you make transparent designs only to prove that you actually can  Otherwise it is simply not effective, it implies so much restrictions about which materials, internal components and chemistry you can use..

https://flic.kr/p/2jdb7kN]

F36A4615_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


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## Ozarker (Jun 19, 2020)

You guys put me to shame.
$5 Hanimex Tele-Lens 200mm f/4.5 Preset (H mount to M42 mount to EF mount to RF mount) @ f/8 ISO 400 1/640sec No AF


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## Click (Jun 19, 2020)

Beautiful series, CFB.


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## Maximilian (Jun 19, 2020)

I can add a few more (four) spots (_libellula quadrimaculata_):


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## Ozarker (Jun 19, 2020)

Click said:


> Beautiful series, CFB.


Thanks, Click!


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## AlanF (Jun 19, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> I can add a few more (four) spots (_libellula quadrimaculata_):
> 
> View attachment 190900
> 
> ...


You got those sharp all over!


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## Maximilian (Jun 19, 2020)

AlanF said:


> You got those sharp all over!


Thanks Alan! It's because they're from a little distance and maybe 50 to 60% crops. So more DOF.


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## AlanF (Jun 19, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> Thanks Alan! It's because they're from a little distance and maybe 50 to 60% crops. So more DOF.


My current set up has a mfd of 3m, and that really helps. Misses out on detail a bit but gets much more dof.


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## Maximilian (Jun 19, 2020)

AlanF said:


> My current set up has a mfd of 3m, and that really helps. Misses out on detail a bit but gets much more dof.


My guess is that the four-spotted was about 5 m away (I don't see the distance in DPP exifs). All with 5D3+100-400L2 and 1.4x TC.


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## Click (Jun 19, 2020)

I really like the fist picture. Nicely done, Maximilian.


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## Erik X (Jun 19, 2020)

Actually, four-spotted chasers are quite easy to catch in flight using the "pre-focus on the presumed landing spot"-trick.
They have a tendency to come back to exactly the same spot as they sat on before they left for catching food..
But only on condition the photographer practices social distancing (minimum 2 meter) 

https://flic.kr/p/2jdqYgW]

F36A6074_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr

This one is also shot using the same strategy.. After an infinite number of attempts, focus will hit the eyes simply by coincidence..  

https://flic.kr/p/2jdrdPD]

F36A6383_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


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## Erik X (Jun 21, 2020)

More four-spotted chasers, the pre-focusing trick works like a charm 



F36A6685_DxO_4000 by Erik Astrom, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/2jdGXCb]

F36A6669_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


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## Click (Jun 21, 2020)

Nice pictures, Erik.


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## Maximilian (Jun 21, 2020)

After a lot of rain I had some good weather today, so I could practice. And it seems I'm getting better in DIF .
But only the green eyed hawkers got close enough for me.
First sequence:


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## Maximilian (Jun 21, 2020)

Second part of that sequence:


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## Click (Jun 21, 2020)

Excellent pictures!


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## Maximilian (Jun 21, 2020)

Click said:


> Excellent pictures!


Thanks, Click.


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## Ozarker (Jun 21, 2020)

Erik X said:


> Actually, four-spotted chasers are quite easy to catch in flight using the "pre-focus on the presumed landing spot"-trick.
> They have a tendency to come back to exactly the same spot as they sat on before they left for catching food..
> But only on condition the photographer practices social distancing (minimum 2 meter)
> 
> ...


Amazing skill!


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## Ozarker (Jun 22, 2020)

Here's one I got when I had the 5D mark III and EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II


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## Maximilian (Jun 22, 2020)

CanonFanBoy said:


> Here's one I got when I had the 5D mark III and EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II


Great catch. Beautiful bokeh highlights.


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## Click (Jun 22, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> Great catch. Beautiful bokeh highlights.




+1 Well done, CFB.


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## Ozarker (Jun 22, 2020)

Click said:


> +1 Well done, CFB.


Thanks so much.


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## AlanF (Jun 22, 2020)

Emperor Dragonfly this afternoon. I set up the camera at f/11 and 1/800s to get some wing blur to get some motion and better dof. The head in the second was unusually turning towards me, which I liked.


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## Maximilian (Jun 22, 2020)

AlanF said:


> Emperor Dragonfly this afternoon. I set up the camera at f/11 and 1/800s to get some wing blur to get some motion and better dof.


Brilliant work, Alan. Wonderful combination of sharpness and blurr. 
Thanks for the data. what ISO did you get then? ISO1000/1600?
I found that f/11 and about 1/1250 to 1/1600 work for me. Maybe I'll try a slower shutter next time.
How many attemps did you need?



> The head in the second was unusually turning towards me, which I liked.


Me, too Alan. It's like a "_Oh! Yet another paparazzo! Meh!_"


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## Maximilian (Jun 22, 2020)

Some blue-tailed damselfly (ischnura elegans) unless I am mistaken. 
Quite nice bokeh onions for a 100-400L2 (@400mm, f/11, 1/1000, ISO1600).


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## Erik X (Jun 22, 2020)

I just did sitting ducks yesterday.  The flying ones were way too fast..
I'm trying to identify these, could it be _Coenagrion hastulatum_, the northern damselfly?

https://flic.kr/p/2jein5d]

F36A8285_ZS_DMap_3p_ret_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


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## AlanF (Jun 22, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> Brilliant work, Alan. Wonderful combination of sharpness and blurr.
> Thanks for the data. what ISO did you get then? ISO1000/1600?
> I found that f/11 and about 1/1250 to 1/1600 work for me. Maybe I'll try a slower shutter next time.
> How many attemps did you need?
> ...


Thanks Max. Isos were 900-1400, well within my comfort range. DxO PL3 eats noise at these levels, but it does vary with camera. 5DSR and other 5Ds are fine, the 90D is not dealt with as well, Nikon D500/800 files are processed very well. I have been using too high shutter speeds. Ari Hazeghi uses very high speeds and I have been following him. But, I watched a live viewing via my local dealer where Danny Green, who seems a really nice guy, was using lower speeds. He goes around with a 100-400mm II and a 500mm.


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## Maximilian (Jun 22, 2020)

Erik X said:


> I'm trying to identify these, could it be _Coenagrion hastulatum_, the northern damselfly?


I suppose you're wrong.
My classification book tells me that the male northern damselfly has a blue and black striped abdomen.

I would identify this as a scarce blue-tailed damselfly or small bluetail (_Ischnura pumilio_).
The female should be more into orange and the male schould be mostly black with a blue taillight.
To me this female looks more greenisch with some brown or yellow.
It could be a blue-tailed damselfly (_ischnura elegans_) like mine above, too.
Again the male should have a blue taillight. Colors of the female can differ from pink over violet to brown.
The one in the link to wiki looks almost like yours.


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## Click (Jun 22, 2020)

WOW I really like the second one. Well done, Alan.


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## Erik X (Jun 22, 2020)

Here is one with super green eyes.. Supposed downy emerald

https://flic.kr/p/2jenxfL]

F36A7124_ZS_DMap_8p_ret_DxO_4000[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


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## Click (Jun 23, 2020)

WOW Cool shot. Amazing eyes.


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## ISv (Jun 23, 2020)

Erik X said:


> I imported 20 pictures into Zerene but only used maybe 10 of them... It's not as easy as it may seem, dragonflies tend to move their wings even when they sit down and any microscopic movement will cause a visible mismatch in the rib structure in the wings.. And also the abdomen expands and shrinks when the dragonfly breathes.
> 
> Regarding in flight pictures, some species have a habit to hover now and then while other maintain full speed whenever they are airborn. I've seen migrant hawkers hover for 5 seconds right in front of my camera but have never been able to shoot a black-tailed skimmer, they never seem to slow down.



You can't do this in the field where I am - too windy! Even if they don't move their wings you hardly can get two frames in the same position! There are very rare days when it will depend just on the Dragonfly movement!


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## ISv (Jun 23, 2020)

Here are mine from the weekend... I have also some in fly but after such a perfect photos posted from others I'm ashamed to post them here...
Erik - you are not the single perpetrator but probably the main ! BTW - you are talented photog (and probably talented engineer) but your ideas about the evolution and how it works are more appropriate for the human society, not for the nature:

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that has the most spectacular color scheme... " 

Samples against that: cockroaches, scorpions are not between the more colorful, spiders have some exempts - but all of these are thriving and are able to survive a lot of challenging conditions. It is question not of color but of more (and fast!) reacting genome! 
And for Maximilian: if you are already fit for some conditions does not improve your chances for surviving the change of the conditions. You must be *adaptable *in order to have an advantage/get fit in constantly (despite slowly) changing conditions! In fast changing conditions - good luck (especially for highly complicated organisms/societies)!
People are not between the most colorful species on our planet but they are occupying/and dictating plenty of space on this planet... because they are suppose to be smart ! In fast changing conditions we recently demonstrated that we (or some of us!) are not able to get "fit" fast enough!
On the other hand in the human society the most colorful celebrities and politicians () usually have - but not necessarily, more chances than the others but they still need to have and demonstrate some brain! Otherwise they become celebrities for one occasion or politicians for one term...

Sorry for the long and definitely not complete and very deep philosophizing about something out of photography but it's part of the live - even for photogs (just see the reaction of different companies that produce photo equipment to the changing conditions of the market)!


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## ISv (Jun 23, 2020)

And one more (bad one!): please notice how the head is keeping the horizon! I wouldn't notice this if I didn't got an occasional photo (very blurred) from the previous day, of one doing one of that fast/unpredictable turns that they use to do - same trend of keeping the horizon with the head/eyes!!!


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## ISv (Jun 23, 2020)

OK - here is that "photo" of the Dragon keeping the horizon... Stop laughing!!! I see you !!!


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## Click (Jun 23, 2020)

LOL 

Beautiful pictures, ISv.


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## Erik X (Jun 23, 2020)

ISv said:


> OK - here is that "photo" of the Dragon keeping the horizon...


Interesting, an 80 degree bank should generate a load factor of 5.7g


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## privatebydesign (Jun 23, 2020)

Erik X said:


> Interesting, an 80 degree bank should generate a load factor of 5.7g


If you are in a hover at an 80° bank it could be no more than 1.0g.


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## Erik X (Jun 23, 2020)

privatebydesign said:


> If you are in a hover at an 80° bank it could be no more than 1.0g.


A hover at 80° bank would lead to an astounding acceleration. 
But it is possible that the dragonfly was doing a "hammerhead" in more or less 0g. They seem to be pretty skilled in aerobatics..
So much easier to shoot when they are grounded.. Or maybe not 

https://flic.kr/p/2jeGRwf]

F36A8241_ZS_DMap_2p_ret_DxO_full[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


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## AlanF (Jun 23, 2020)

Mutant Common Blue damselfy with two bodies?


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## Click (Jun 23, 2020)

WOW Cool shot!


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## Click (Jun 23, 2020)

Erik X said:


> A hover at 80° bank would lead to an astounding acceleration.
> But it is possible that the dragonfly was doing a "hammerhead" in more or less 0g. They seem to be pretty skilled in aerobatics..
> So much easier to shoot when they are grounded.. Or maybe not



I really like this picture. Well done, Erik.


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## Maximilian (Jun 24, 2020)

Another two from my Sunday's DIF session. The face-to-face has a little bit BF but still okay IMO.
Same species (green eyed hawker), different individual, different location.


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## Click (Jun 24, 2020)

Very nice shots, Maximilian.


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## AlanF (Jun 24, 2020)

I took the trusty old 5DSR and 100-400mm II out today to try for some close ups. Instead got some DIFs, an Emperor flying straight at me, a pair of Common Blue Damselflies (with the dimmest of reflections), and a Blacktailed Skimmer that was so far away it was only 290 px long so I enlarged it 2x.


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## AlanF (Jun 24, 2020)

The closest I got to a close up was an Emperor 5m away. They rarely land so I was quite pleased. I couldn't use point focus as it was quite windy and the reeds moved too much and fast. The centre 9 points worked,


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## Click (Jun 25, 2020)

Beautiful shots. Well done, Alan.


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## ISv (Jun 25, 2020)

AlanF said:


> The closest I got to a close up was an Emperor 5m away. They rarely land so I was quite pleased. I couldn't use point focus as it was quite windy and the reeds moved too much and fast. The centre 9 points worked,
> 
> View attachment 190994



Yeah, I know that feeling when some of this kind of flyers sit down! The guy bellow (Cordulegaster heros, as it came later, not my ID - I'm not that good with the Dragons) was flying along the trail (Europe) and I didn't have time to stop and try photo in fly - there were thunders coming closer and closer and we were rushing to get to the car ASAP. And at once it landed just in front of me!!! 4.47 meters (and they are 1-1.5cm bigger than the Emperor!) also windy (but it was going to almost slow time to time) because of the nearing storm. Very lucky shot!


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## ISv (Jun 25, 2020)

Erik X said:


> A hover at 80° bank would lead to an astounding acceleration.
> But it is possible that the dragonfly was doing a "hammerhead" in more or less 0g. They seem to be pretty skilled in aerobatics..
> So much easier to shoot when they are grounded.. Or maybe not
> 
> ...


Very nice photo Erik! BTW I don't understand how you and Privatebydesign are calculating the g-force without knowing the speed of the dragon and the radius of the turn?! 
No, it wasn't hovering - it was flying strait (and I was expecting to get it closer for meaningful photo) when it made one of these nearly 90° turns (I don't know the radius of the turn either but with these guys I have seen very sharp turns!).


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## privatebydesign (Jun 25, 2020)

ISv said:


> Very nice photo Erik! BTW I don't understand how you and Privatebydesign are calculating the g-force without knowing the speed of the dragon and the radius of the turn?!
> No, it wasn't hovering - it was flying strait (and I was expecting to get it closer for meaningful photo) when it made one of these nearly 90° turns (I don't know the radius of the turn either but with these guys I have seen very sharp turns!).


I was saying the same thing, you can’t calculate the g force from bank angle alone.

Taking it to an extreme, if it was dead or unconscious so in free fall it could be at any angle and be at zero g.


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## Maximilian (Jun 25, 2020)

ISv said:


> ... calculating the g-force without knowing the speed of the dragon and the radius of the turn?! ...


I was just about to post the same 

Of course, if the flying characteristics (uplift, etc.) of that dragon was known in detail, one (an avionic enigneer) could calculate needed speed and radius for it to acheive the requred minimum g-force for that maneuver. But as this order has four flexible and adaptable wings, so getting the characteristics might be a little bit difficult


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## Click (Jun 25, 2020)

Excellent shot, ISv.


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## Erik X (Jun 25, 2020)

ISv said:


> BTW I don't understand how you and Privatebydesign are calculating the g-force without knowing the speed of the dragon and the radius of the turn?!


In a stationary turn (without any sideslip or change of altitude), the load factor is solely dependent of the bank angle. Speed is not involved at all. Turn rate and turn radius depend on both speed _and _load factor


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## AlanF (Jun 26, 2020)

A male and female Common Blue Damselfly in nuptials. However, next, two males came along.


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## Maximilian (Jun 26, 2020)

Erik X said:


> In a stationary turn (without any sideslip or change of altitude), the load factor is solely dependent of the bank angle. Speed is not involved at all. Turn rate and turn radius depend on both speed _and _load factor
> View attachment 191006
> 
> View attachment 191007


So a bank angle of 90° wouldn't be possible as the load factor would be infinite?


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## Maximilian (Jun 26, 2020)

Pretty difficult to catch but I managed to get this white-tailed skimmer (_orthetrum albistylum_, still I'm not sure if I determite this one right) in 2 out of 20:
_Edit:
It is a black-tailed skimmer (orthetrum cancellatum)_


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## AlanF (Jun 26, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> Pretty difficult to catch but I managed to get this white-tailed skimmer (_orthetrum albistylum_, still I'm not sure if I determite this one right) in 2 out of 20:
> 
> View attachment 191011
> 
> ...


I don't really know how to distinguish between a white and black tailed skimmer. Difficult shots, well done.


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## AlanF (Jun 26, 2020)

A female Emperor Dragonfly oviposting. It's quite blue for a female, but as it's laying eggs I would hope it's female.


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## Click (Jun 26, 2020)

Great shots, Alan.


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## Click (Jun 26, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> Pretty difficult to catch but I managed to get this white-tailed skimmer (_orthetrum albistylum_, still I'm not sure if I determite this one right) in 2 out of 20



Sharp pictures. Well done, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Jun 26, 2020)

AlanF said:


> I don't really know how to distinguish between a white and black tailed skimmer. Difficult shots, well done.





Click said:


> Sharp pictures. Well done, Maximilian.


Thanks to the both of you for the comments and "likes".

*AlanF: *
I followed your example and recommendation and reduced the shutter speed to 1/800 for wing motion blur.
1/640 was to slow and caused motion blur of the body, because of its movement and my mediocre tracking skills.


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## ISv (Jun 27, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> Pretty difficult to catch but I managed to get this white-tailed skimmer (_orthetrum albistylum_, still I'm not sure if I determite this one right) in 2 out of 20:
> 
> View attachment 191011
> 
> ...


Sorry Maximilian but I think it's the Black-tailed Skimmer! Great shots anyway!


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## ISv (Jun 27, 2020)

AlanF said:


> I don't really know how to distinguish between a white and black tailed skimmer. Difficult shots, well done.


See the locally highlighted spot: in the Black-tailed it is black (like in the Maximilian's photo). In the White-tailed it should be white!


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## ISv (Jun 27, 2020)

After little bit more digging: http://www.dragonflypix.com/speciespages/orthetrum_albistylum_en.html
I'm pretty sure there are more differences but this was what first got my eyes looking in the photos in Wikipedia. With the link above one can look for more.
I love this forum by many reasons but may be the learning photography and in the same time expanding my knowledge of the living around* stuff is the most important for me.
* - unfortunately I don't have any of these two species of dragons on the Island!


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## Maximilian (Jun 27, 2020)

ISv said:


> Sorry Maximilian but I think it's the Black-tailed Skimmer! Great shots anyway!





ISv said:


> See the locally highlighted spot: in the Black-tailed it is black (like in the Maximilian's photo). In the White-tailed it should be white!


Hi ISv!
You are right. I am always thankful if someone can teach me something I didn't know. Since this post I was and still am wondering what species this is.
Seeing this pic in the english wiki I am absolutely with you and I now see this as settled. YES!

My classification book shows a individual with a different black tail. Maxbe they got fooled by an old black tailed female that could look like this.
And after reading the description of the white tailed again I realise that I got fooled by not reading properly. Not only the female, but also the male have these white tail. The female in addition also has a white 10th abdomen segment.


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## Maximilian (Jun 27, 2020)

ISv said:


> ...
> I love this forum by many reasons but may be the learning photography and in the same time expanding my knowledge of the living around* stuff is the most important for me. ...


Same here 

Thanks to all of you.


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## AlanF (Jun 27, 2020)

ISv said:


> See the locally highlighted spot: in the Black-tailed it is black (like in the Maximilian's photo). In the White-tailed it should be white!
> View attachment 191021


Thanks!


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## AlanF (Jun 27, 2020)

ISv said:


> See the locally highlighted spot: in the Black-tailed it is black (like in the Maximilian's photo). In the White-tailed it should be white!
> View attachment 191021


The Whitetailed Skimmer is so very similar to the Blacktailed apart from that white spot. Here is another Blacktailed taken with the 5DIV at 560mm with the DO.


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## Erik X (Jun 28, 2020)

This should be a Lilypad whiteface, Leucorrhinia caudalis? (since it has white wing spots)

https://flic.kr/p/2jgeye3]

F36A9133_ZS_DMap_18p_ret_DxO_4000[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr


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## Click (Jun 29, 2020)

AlanF said:


> The Whitetailed Skimmer is so very similar to the Blacktailed apart from that white spot. Here is another Blacktailed taken with the 5DIV at 560mm with the DO.




Very nice shot, Alan.


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## Click (Jun 29, 2020)

Erik X said:


> This should be a Lilypad whiteface, Leucorrhinia caudalis? (since it has white wing spots)
> 
> F36A9133_ZS_DMap_18p_ret_DxO_4000[/url] by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/]Erik Astrom[/url], on Flickr



Beautiful shot. Well done, Eik.


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## SteveC (Jun 29, 2020)

Erik X said:


> In a stationary turn (without any sideslip or change of altitude), the load factor is solely dependent of the bank angle. Speed is not involved at all. Turn rate and turn radius depend on both speed _and _load factor
> View attachment 191006
> 
> View attachment 191007



Yep, absolutely correct.

But do note the assumptions--the lack of sideslip and no change in altitude.

If there is no change of altitude, then the plane's vertical force is one G. The G force felt by the plane (and pilot) is along the diagonal line. The horizontal component actually causes the turn. But you don't need to know the horizontal component if you know the vertical component (1 G) and the angle; from that it's easy to get the length of the diagonal line in relation to the vertical one.

If you're doing a 60 degree bank, you will experience 2G in the plane, because at that angle the diagonal line is twice as long as the vertical line.

And yes, a 90 degree bank is impossible because the vertical component will be zero (and if you push on that you end up with a divide-by-zero, which ONLY Chuck Norris can do).


----------



## privatebydesign (Jun 29, 2020)

SteveC said:


> But do note the assumptions--the lack of sideslip and no change in altitude.
> 
> And yes, a 90 degree bank is impossible because the vertical component will be zero (and if you push on that you end up with a divide-by-zero, which ONLY Chuck Norris can do).


Another huge assumption in the calculation by Erik X is the fact that dragonfly wings are not fixed so assuming a bank angle from a still image is extremely problematic. Plus, of course, the fact that dragonflies can hover so changes in pitch angle and g force can be as low as that change in angle.

As for the 90º bank, that is not limited to Chuck Norris as anything in free fall can attain a 90º (or any other angle) of bank which just illustrates the impracticality of deriving a G force loading from a single still image without any other data.

Example real world image of high bank angle and zero G.


----------



## Erik X (Jun 29, 2020)

privatebydesign said:


> Another huge assumption in the calculation by Erik X is the fact that dragonfly wings are not fixed so assuming a bank angle from a still image is extremely problematic. Plus, of course, the fact that dragonflies can hover so changes in pitch angle and g force can be as low as that change in angle.


My conviction, not only assumption, is that dragonflies can't produce (any significant) horisontal thrust sideways. I would be delighted to see some evidence that I am wrong.  Consequently, dragonflies must have the wings horisontally in a stationary hover.
A 90 degree bank is fully possible if vertical acceleration or sideslip is allowed, just look at the "hammerhead" or "knife edge" aerobatic manouvers.. But I'm quite sure a dragonfly can handle 80 degree / 5.7g without any problems judging from their incredibly fast turns..


----------



## privatebydesign (Jun 29, 2020)

Erik X said:


> My conviction, not only assumption, is that dragonflies can't produce (any significant) horisontal thrust sideways. I would be delighted to see some evidence that I am wrong.  Consequently, dragonflies must have the wings horisontally in a stationary hover.
> A 90 degree bank is fully possible if vertical acceleration or sideslip is allowed, just look at the "hammerhead" or "knife edge" aerobatic manouvers.. But I'm quite sure a dragonfly can handle 80 degree / 5.7g without any problems judging from their incredibly fast turns..


I am quite sure they can handle that kind of loading, that wasn't my point, my point was from a single still image with no other data it is unwise and almost certainly inaccurate to put a figure on.

As for side loading, well they can flap their wings independently so if they stopped one side pair of wings and used the other side pair they could generate (for a dragonfly) a significant amount of non horizontal thrust, in a still image this would look like an extreme bank but wouldn't involve much in the way of g force.


----------



## SteveC (Jun 29, 2020)

privatebydesign said:


> Another huge assumption in the calculation by Erik X is the fact that dragonfly wings are not fixed so assuming a bank angle from a still image is extremely problematic. Plus, of course, the fact that dragonflies can hover so changes in pitch angle and g force can be as low as that change in angle.
> 
> As for the 90º bank, that is not limited to Chuck Norris as anything in free fall can attain a 90º (or any other angle) of bank which just illustrates the impracticality of deriving a G force loading from a single still image without any other data.
> 
> ...



But that involves a change in altitude.

(And furthermore, an accelerating change in altitude...what I said earlier could also apply to a turn with a change in altitude, provided the rate of change of altitude is constant--which for a falling diver, it isn't until they reach terminal velocity.)


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## Maximilian (Jun 30, 2020)

Now I'll have to be careful after our discussion about black-tailed versus white-tailed skimmer.

Because I also have scarce chasers (libellula fulva) in my territory:
(look at the blue eyes and at the wing tips, far away, heavy cropping, so some loss in detail)


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## Maximilian (Jun 30, 2020)

To all of you beeing frustrated trying to get some dragonflies in flight (DIF) here's a sequence how the majority (> 90%) my attemps look like. 
These are mating black-tailed skimmers. They seem to be even faster in flight than the individual and I am 100% sure they were in focus when I started firing and I was so satisfied to get those shots until I looked at the results  
Some 4 out of 25

So don't get frustrated, keep on trying and have fun just watching those artists of flight


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## AlanF (Jun 30, 2020)

They clearly don't like voyeurs.


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## Maximilian (Jun 30, 2020)

AlanF said:


> They clearly don't like voyeurs.


Better say the AF does not support voyeurs mode


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## dcm (Jul 1, 2020)

Another backyard pond visitor in Colorado. Appears to be a Pacific Forktail damselfly (Ischnura cervula).


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## Click (Jul 1, 2020)

I really like your picture. Well done, dpc.


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## Maximilian (Jul 2, 2020)

Yesterday I could get this one. I suppose it is a male brilliant emerald (_somatochlora metallica_):


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## SteveC (Jul 2, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> Better say the AF does not support voyeurs mode



There's the Canon cripple hammer at work, _again_.


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## Click (Jul 3, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> Yesterday I could get this one. I suppose it is a male brilliant emerald (_somatochlora metallica_):




Nice shot, Maximilian.


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## AlanF (Jul 5, 2020)

I guessed this was a female Blacktailed Skimmer as she was hanging around with the men and would land on the ground. Fortunately, with a telephoto I could get a reasonable angle.


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## Maximilian (Jul 5, 2020)

AlanF said:


> I guessed this was a female Blacktailed Skimmer ...


From the color you could be right. But the abdomen looks too round in profile. It should be flattened for a skimmer. 
If it is indeed round I would guess this to be a young female darter, e.g. compare to this.
They turn more brownish when they get older.


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## AlanF (Jul 5, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> From the color you could be right. But the abdomen looks too round in profile. It should be flattened for a skimmer.
> If it is indeed round I would guess this to be a young female darter, e.g. compare to this.
> They turn more brownish when they get older.


You are probably right. The two females are quite similar but it does look like a young darter flirting with the skimmers.


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## Click (Jul 5, 2020)

AlanF said:


> I guessed this was a female Blacktailed Skimmer as she was hanging around with the men and would land on the ground. Fortunately, with a telephoto I could get a reasonable angle.



Very nice shot, Alan.


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## AlanF (Jul 14, 2020)

Thanks to Maximilian, I know that this is a female Common Darter. A much better shot than the last one.


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## Click (Jul 14, 2020)

Great shot, Alan.


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## AlanF (Jul 17, 2020)

I have never got this close to an Emperor Dragonfly before, it was just a few cm beyond the 3m mfd of the lens. You can see the wrinkles on its face!


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## Maximilian (Jul 17, 2020)

AlanF said:


> I have never got this close to an Emperor Dragonfly before, it was just a few cm beyond the 3m mfd of the lens.


Looks like it has had some adventures... 

Last time the weather was good enough I had the first time one of these sitting. Normally I only see them in flight and too far away for a shot. 
The one sitting was closer than 2 m. When I recognized it and raised my cam it flew away. At least I could see one that close for a few seconds.
Maybe tomorrow...


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## Click (Jul 17, 2020)

WOW! Great shot!


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## AlanF (Jul 30, 2020)

Feeling a second class citizen because I haven't an R5, went to a lake with the old DSLR to see if I can still do BIF. My cameras all have a flaw that makes BIF difficult - no flying birds. Instead, got a DIF of an Emperor coming straight at me. It was 10m away.


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## Click (Jul 30, 2020)

Excellent shot. Well done, Alan.


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## Bert63 (Jul 30, 2020)

Alan - fantastic images and holy smokes - which body and lens were you shooting on these DIFs?


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## BeenThere (Jul 30, 2020)

AlanF said:


> Feeling a second class citizen because I haven't an R5, went to a lake with the old DSLR to see if I can still do BIF. My cameras all have a flaw that makes BIF difficult - no flying birds. Instead, got a DIF of an Emperor coming straight at me. It was 10m away.
> 
> View attachment 191661


What shutter speed are you using to freeze wing motion?


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## AlanF (Jul 30, 2020)

BeenThere said:


> What shutter speed are you using to freeze wing motion?


1/4000s


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## AlanF (Jul 30, 2020)

Bert63 said:


> Alan - fantastic images and holy smokes - which body and lens were you shooting on these DIFs?


I use either the 5DSR +100-400mm II or the D850+500PF for dragonflies. This was with the latter.


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## AlanF (Jul 31, 2020)

I saw a dragonfly clearly carrying something, and followed it until it perched. It was an Emperor with, on examining the piccies a female Banded Demoiselle. The dragon rapidly munched through the lady.


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## Click (Jul 31, 2020)

Beautiful pictures, Alan.


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## HenryL (Aug 3, 2020)

You all have inspired me, I don't know how you get such fantastic images but I've been giving it a go and finally have a decent shot. In the shade so higher ISO and it's kind of eating some of the detail, but it's a start. The raw file shows the eyes very well, but sized for the web it's not coming through at all. This is at f11...and the entire head isn't even in focus. jeez haha.


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## Click (Aug 3, 2020)

Beautiful shot. Well done, HenryL.


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## AlanF (Aug 3, 2020)

Ruddy darter


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## Maximilian (Aug 4, 2020)

Took me some time to take shots again. And then too much to do to PP the pics. These are some from two weeks ago.
This was a very, very cooperative individual of a brilliant emerald (_somatochlora metallica_), as I suppose.

Came back several times, hovering long enough to get focus.  And sometimes too close for the MFD (1m) of the 100-400 II 
Even with f/11 and f/16 I had problems to achieve enough DOF. But it was a great experience for my two friends that were with me, too.
And I have one for those discussing about banking, too.  (Although a bit OOF respectively shallow DOF)
Some more to come later.


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## Click (Aug 4, 2020)

Nice. Well done, Maximilian.


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## AlanF (Aug 5, 2020)

Southern Hawker. It's huge and the only shot I could get was against a complex background

.


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## Click (Aug 5, 2020)

Very n ice shot, Alan.


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## AlanF (Aug 5, 2020)

Bert63 said:


> View attachment 191885
> 
> 
> View attachment 191886
> ...


Wrong thread Bert!


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## Click (Aug 5, 2020)

Beautiful series. Nicely done, Bert.


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## Bert63 (Aug 5, 2020)

AlanF said:


> Wrong thread Bert!



YiKES! So sorry.


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## Bert63 (Aug 7, 2020)

Flame Skimmers.


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## Bert63 (Aug 7, 2020)

AlanF said:


> Southern Hawker. It's huge and the only shot I could get was against a complex background
> View attachment 191884
> .



Nice job Alan.


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## Click (Aug 7, 2020)

Very nice shots, Bert.


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## AlanF (Aug 9, 2020)

Bert63 said:


> Flame Skimmers.
> 
> 
> View attachment 191938
> ...


Lovely colours and head nicely focussed. Did you use the R5 and did it pick out the head?


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## AlanF (Aug 9, 2020)

Ruddy Darter.


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## Click (Aug 9, 2020)

Beautiful shot, Alan.


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## Bert63 (Aug 9, 2020)

AlanF said:


> Lovely colours and head nicely focussed. Did you use the R5 and did it pick out the head?





Don't have my R5 yet my friend. Still in the queue. This is an older shot that I took with my 40D and the non-L version of the Canon100mm f/2.8 macro.

I was out chasing bees and Cabbage Whites this morning and wondered this exact thing - I'm hoping it will and will let you know as soon as I know.


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## Bert63 (Aug 9, 2020)

Eight Spotted Skimmers (or are they Twelve?)


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## Click (Aug 9, 2020)

Lovely shots. I really like the first picture. Nicely done, Bert.


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## dcm (Aug 10, 2020)

Bert63 said:


> Eight Spotted Skimmers (or are they Twelve?)
> 
> View attachment 192052
> 
> ...



Here's a twelve for reference https://www.canonrumors.com/forum/threads/dragonflies-and-damselflies.35543/post-836525


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## Bert63 (Aug 10, 2020)

dcm said:


> Here's a twelve for reference https://www.canonrumors.com/forum/threads/dragonflies-and-damselflies.35543/post-836525




Thank you sir - I thought it was a matter of the tips - a little line versus the full coverage. Appreciate it! Nice pics BTW!


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## kodakrome (Aug 15, 2020)

These two were both taken with the 100L at f/13.


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## Click (Aug 15, 2020)

Great shots. Well done., kodakrome.


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## kodakrome (Aug 15, 2020)

Click said:


> Great shots. Well done., kodakrome.


Thanks, Click


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## Maximilian (Aug 18, 2020)

Two sitting darters. I suppose they are vagrant darters (_sympetrum vulgatum_).


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## Click (Aug 18, 2020)

Very nice pictures, Maximilian. Well done.


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## AlanF (Aug 24, 2020)

Migrant Hawker


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## AlanF (Aug 24, 2020)

Common Blue Damselfly


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## Click (Aug 24, 2020)

Great shots, Alan.


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## Maximilian (Aug 27, 2020)

Click said:


> Great shots, Alan.


I can only concur with that.


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## AlanF (Sep 6, 2020)

A Ruddy Darter flying towards me.


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## Click (Sep 6, 2020)

Excellent shot, Alan.


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## ISv (Sep 7, 2020)

AlanF said:


> Feeling a second class citizen because I haven't an R5, went to a lake with the old DSLR to see if I can still do BIF. My cameras all have a flaw that makes BIF difficult - no flying birds. Instead, got a DIF of an Emperor coming straight at me. It was 10m away.
> 
> View attachment 191661


You may feel like you have second class equipment but why do you have to fell like second class citizen/photographer?! I look at photos taken many years ago and can't stop admiring the skills and the knowledge of the guys that made it with their "crappy equipment"! It is one thing what the nowadays engineers can offer and very different thing what you and your skills can offer. Better instruments can make the final results better/or just easier, crappy masters can ruin the work of any instrument!


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## AlanF (Sep 7, 2020)

ISv said:


> You may feel like you have second class equipment but why do you have to fell like second class citizen/photographer?! I look at photos taken many years ago and can't stop admiring the skills and the knowledge of the guys that made it with their "crappy equipment"! It is one thing what the nowadays engineers can offer and very different thing what you and your skills can offer. Better instruments can make the final results better/or just easier, crappy masters can ruin the work of any instrument!


It's another of my little ironic, self-deprecatory, jokes that members of CR who use the spelling Rumour will realise immediately but not all of those who spell it Rumor. I don't use a  to denote a joke unless doing otherwise might offend someone who got the wrong end of the stick.


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## privatebydesign (Sep 7, 2020)

I generally type the word rumour with a ’u’ through force of habit, but spellcheck removes it automatically. I suppose it’s because I am English but live and work mostly in the USA and my devices assume I want the US spelling.


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## AlanF (Sep 9, 2020)

The Common Blue Damselfly male looks fairly innocuous but he is not very nice with females.


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## Click (Sep 9, 2020)

Beautiful shots, Alan.


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## koenkooi (Sep 10, 2020)

Something a bit different, video instead of photos  A few weeks ago I rented an R5, which the rental agency lost a few days before the date and suggested a complementary upgrade to the 1DX3. Armed with the 1DX3 and 180L I took a lot of pictures that morning, but also recorded short video clips using the 4K and 4K crop mode.











And one from earlier with the RP in my back yard. It was very windy and I tried to stabilize it in post. Pay attention to the background, it's a fence which doesn't move, but after stabilizing on the dragonfly it suddenly becomes mobile  Even with the terrible rolling shutter it shows how much of the face is used for chewing.






My 4yo likes these short clips a lot more than regular pictures, which makes getting eaten by mosquitos in a peat bog at dawn even more worth it


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## Click (Sep 10, 2020)

Well done, koenkool.


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## AlanF (Sep 11, 2020)

What do you do when your R5 overheats when making a video of dragonflies? Simple, make an animated gif. Yesterday, was a good day for photographing a Migrant Hawker - the first time in flight for me.


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## AlanF (Sep 11, 2020)

And a couple of straight shots of in flight and mating.


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## Click (Sep 11, 2020)

WOW! Awesome! I really like the first one (animated gif). Beautiful shots, Alan.


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## HenryL (Sep 12, 2020)

Crazy good, AlanF, love it!


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## ISv (Sep 13, 2020)

AlanF said:


> It's another of my little ironic, self-deprecatory, jokes that members of CR who use the spelling Rumour will realise immediately but not all of those who spell it Rumor. I don't use a  to denote a joke unless doing otherwise might offend someone who got the wrong end of the stick.


! In my family we daily mix 3 languages, despite we all have just the same one primary... Especially difficult is my daughter who when irritated is switching to crescendo of American English and when she finish her tirade I use to ask "and what did you just told me?!" She came here with just few English words but graduated High School as a Summa Cum Laude and also the college with the same success...
I'm pretty aware of your "little" irony and I like it (but time to time I have a problem to make the difference with a sarcasm...) but in the recent times the discussions about the abilities of different brands/models cameras are making me kind of nervous: it sounds in general like the cameras are doing the jobs by themselves, not the people behind of the cameras. If we all were shooting cellphones in this forum I would +/-agree with such an agenda but... well, you know the rest!
Nice shots BTW and I really don't care what instrument you had in your hands!


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## AlanF (Sep 13, 2020)

A new one for me today on my daily hike, a Willow Emerald Damselfly.


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## Click (Sep 13, 2020)

Very nice shots, Sir!


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## SteveC (Sep 13, 2020)

AlanF said:


> It's another of my little ironic, self-deprecatory, jokes that members of CR who use the spelling Rumour will realise immediately but not all of those who spell it Rumor. I don't use a  to denote a joke unless doing otherwise might offend someone who got the wrong end of the stick.



If you thought I was doing anything other than delivering a good natured raspberry to our spelling-challenged speakers of a different dialect of American, I apologize. Hell, I will even apologise if that's what it takes.


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## AlanF (Sep 13, 2020)

SteveC said:


> If you thought I was doing anything other than delivering a good natured raspberry to our spelling-challenged speakers of a different dialect of American, I apologize. Hell, I will even apologise if that's what it takes.


It wasn't aimed at you. Anyone who knows "s" and "z" usage has a big plus.


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## AlanF (Sep 15, 2020)

Common Darter.


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## AlanF (Sep 15, 2020)

Common Darter in flight - animated gif


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## Click (Sep 15, 2020)

Cool gif. Well done, Alan.


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## tron (Sep 16, 2020)

Alan they are fantastic! Congratulations!


----------



## mpeeps (Sep 16, 2020)




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## Click (Sep 16, 2020)

I really like the first one. Well done, mpeeps.


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## Maximilian (Sep 16, 2020)

Click said:


> I really like the first one. Well done, mpeeps.


Same here, *mpeeps *

Just one remark and hint if wanted: 
The background on pic one is quite nervous and noisy, either from high ISO or too much sharpening. 
First one cannot be avoided if light is too bad, but try to avoid oversharpening.


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## mpeeps (Sep 16, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> Same here, *mpeeps *
> 
> Just one remark and hint if wanted:
> The background on pic one is quite nervous and noisy, either from high ISO or too much sharpening.
> First one cannot be avoided if light is too bad, but try to avoid oversharpening.


Thanks. But, I didn't sharpen anything other than what I already have set up in camera; usually +1 or +2. I probably uped the clarity, so that could be it. I used the 100 macro and 5dsr. The dragonfly wasn't spooked by my presence for some reason, but was not in a good position for me.


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## BeenThere (Sep 16, 2020)

AlanF said:


> Common Darter in flight - animated gif
> 
> View attachment 192849


Pretty interesting how they seem to alternate the front and rear wing beats. Is that actually happening, or is it an optical illusion?


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## Maximilian (Sep 16, 2020)

mpeeps said:


> ... I didn't sharpen anything other than what I already have set up in camera; usually +1 or +2. I probably uped the clarity, so that could be it. I used the 100 macro and 5dsr. The dragonfly wasn't spooked by my presence for some reason, but was not in a good position for me.


I am sure you didn't if you say so. Maybe just share the EXIF data.
When I look at the pic and the BG I would suppose that this pic was taken at ISO 3200 (at least > ISO 2000). If so then it was reason #1 (too high ISO) and not PP.
And I surely didn't want to offend you but just help you to improve an already very good pic.


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## Maximilian (Sep 16, 2020)

BeenThere said:


> ... alternate the front and rear wing beats. Is that actually happening, or is it an optical illusion?


They do! But not always!
It is depending on what maneuver they are doing. Hovering, accelerating, banking, etc.
They are very capable of control wings independantly. By which degree I am not sure anymore.
Do I remember right that they can also fly backwards?


----------



## AlanF (Sep 16, 2020)

BeenThere said:


> Pretty interesting how they seem to alternate the front and rear wing beats. Is that actually happening, or is it an optical illusion?


There are several posts on the previous page or so that clearly show the front and rear wings beat out of phase. The nicest example is a head-on animated gif of a Hawker dragonfly, and also a head-on single shot of a Common Blue Damselfly.


----------



## mpeeps (Sep 17, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> I am sure you didn't if you say so. Maybe just share the EXIF data.
> When I look at the pic and the BG I would suppose that this pic was taken at ISO 3200 (at least > ISO 2000). If so then it was reason #1 (too high ISO) and not PP.
> And I surely didn't want to offend you but just help you to improve an already very good pic.


You haven't offended me. It was high ISO, 4000 with light fading fast. The 5DSR is not the greatest with high ISO's. I still only managed 1/100, which in my old hands is approaching my limit! I could have opened it up more as I used f5.6 for better dof. That was where I could have improved it and auto ISO with it.


----------



## Maximilian (Sep 17, 2020)

mpeeps said:


> ... I still only managed 1/100, which in my old hands is approaching my limit! I could have opened it up more as I used f5.6 for better dof. ...


I would have done it exactly the same way in that situation. Thinking about having ISO4000 today and only complaining about some nise is fantastic.
1/100 is already challanging for the fine details of dragonflies. Khudos for a steady hand and HIS of the macro.
f/5.6 with macro closeup delivers such a shallow DOF that I would have thought more about going Av with f/8, fixing ISO at 2000 to 2500 and firing some bursts of pics hoping that the HIS would get at least one sharp 

That's one of the advantages of digital photography over film that I must get more used to: 10 pics more are only more time in post to decide and delete


----------



## koenkooi (Sep 17, 2020)

During a school run I noticed a few dragonflies flying over the pond next to the bike lane, so I returned with the RP and RF100-500. The single dragonfly I was trying to photograph flew away and was grabbed by a male and they set down right in front of me. Less than 1.2m away, since I had to back up to get the lens to focus 





Getting both dragons in the plane of focus was a bit challenging, the slope was about 45 degrees and the reeds are in the water. In post I had the choice of 'ugly noise everywhere' and 'Topaz oversharpens, even with sharpening set to zero'. I picked the denoised version to get the background nice and smooth.

This one was shot with 1/200s, but 1/100s also gave excellent results at 500mm and MFD.


----------



## AlanF (Sep 17, 2020)

koenkooi said:


> During a school run I noticed a few dragonflies flying over the pond next to the bike lane, so I returned with the RP and RF100-500. The single dragonfly I was trying to photograph flew away and was grabbed by a male and they set down right in front of me. Less than 1.2m away, since I had to back up to get the lens to focus
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They are Common Hawker dragonflies. I have an almost identical shot posted a week ago. You got them very nicely in the same plane as they are both very sharp. Very nice shot.


----------



## koenkooi (Sep 17, 2020)

AlanF said:


> They are Common Hawker dragonflies. I have an almost identical shot posted a week ago. You got them very nicely in the same plane as they are both very sharp. Very nice shot.



It was the first time I have encountered these, which is strange since it turns out to be the most common variety of dragonflies here in the Netherlands. I do have trouble telling the females apart, waaaaay too many dragonflies have yellow/black females.


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## Click (Sep 17, 2020)

Very nice shot, koenkool.


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## koenkooi (Sep 17, 2020)

AlanF said:


> They are Common Hawker dragonflies. I have an almost identical shot posted a week ago. You got them very nicely in the same plane as they are both very sharp. Very nice shot.



Someone on flickr pointed out that the male has the yellow 'T' at the start of the tail, which makes it a Migrant Hawker or 'horse biter' in Dutch since people think they bite horses when they are actually hunting horse-flies.


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## AlanF (Sep 17, 2020)

koenkooi said:


> Someone on flickr pointed out that the male has the yellow 'T' at the start of the tail, which makes it a Migrant Hawker or 'horse biter' in Dutch since people think they bite horses when they are actually hunting horse-flies.


Migrant Hawkers have paired blue and brown spots along the abdomen https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/species/migrant-hawker/ and I didn't see the brown spots. But, the short yellow marks on the back of the thorax do look like those from the Migrant Hawker so it most probably is one. I have learned something.


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## Maximilian (Sep 17, 2020)

koenkooi said:


> During a school run I noticed a few dragonflies flying over the pond ...





AlanF said:


> They are Common Hawker dragonflies. ...


My guess is that those are migrant hawker dragonflies, esp. when you look at the more blue eyes of the male.
Common Hawker males have more green in the eyes. But I am an not expert, so if I am wrong, please let me know.

Esp. compare to this picture (migrant hawker).



AlanF said:


> ... and I didn't see the brown spots. ...


I agree that those brown spots seem to be missing.
Sometimes there are slight changes in color depending on the age of the imago. Maybe this is the reason, maybe because the male abdomen is fully in the shadow


----------



## AlanF (Sep 17, 2020)

Maximilian said:


> My guess is that those are migrant hawker dragonflies, esp. when you look at the more blue eyes of the male.
> Common Hawker males have more green in the eyes. But I am an not expert, so if I am wrong, please let me know.
> 
> Esp. compare to this picture (migrant hawker).
> ...



 https://www.wildlifetrusts.org
Quote
_The Migrant hawker is mostly dark brown and black in colour. The male has pale blue spots and yellow flecks all along the body, dark blue eyes, and pale yellow-and-blue patches on the thorax. The female has yellowish spots and brownish eyes. The black-and-blue hawkers are a tricky group of dragonflies to identify. The Migrant hawker is smaller and has more brown on it than the other three large species (Common, Azure and Southern Hawkers) and is not on the wing at the same time as the Hairy Dragonfly.


Mostly black in colour, the male Common Hawker has pale blue spots and yellow flecks all along the body, dark blue eyes, and pale yellow-and-blue patches on the thorax. The female has yellowish spots and brownish eyes. The black-and-blue hawkers are a tricky group of dragonflies to identify. The Common Hawker is larger and darker than the Migrant Hawker, lacks the lime green spots of the Southern Hawker, and has more black and less blue than the rare Azure Hawker of North Scotland._

I have spent ages on these in the past trying to decide - the statement _The black-and-blue hawkers are a tricky group of dragonflies to identify. _is certainly true! The difference in stripes on the back of the shoulders seems the clearest to me.


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## AlanF (Sep 17, 2020)

Here is a flying Migrant Hawker that I identified correctly in Sept 2019, taken on the 90D + 100-400mm II + 1.4xTCIII. I couldn't process it properly then as DxO PL hadn't updated its RAW converter for the .CR3 files. Here, I converted with DxO but sharpened with Topaz AI as I find that combination deals very well with the noise for the 90D.


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## Click (Sep 17, 2020)

Beautiful shot. Well done, Alan.


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## AlanF (Sep 19, 2020)

The R5 arrived just after lunch, ordered on Thursday. First Migrant Hawker on it with 100-400mm II +1.4xTC. As good as anything I've ever shot. And it was taken against a busy background


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## Click (Sep 19, 2020)

Excellent shot, Alan. Nicely done.


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## Bert63 (Oct 21, 2020)

First attempts at DIF photos. Bland background - he was over a pond and wouldn't cooperate. I think he is a Blue-Eyed Darner maybe?


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## Ozarker (Oct 21, 2020)

Bert63 said:


> First attempts at DIF photos. Bland background - he was over a pond and wouldn't cooperate. I think he is a Blue-Eyed Darner maybe?
> 
> View attachment 193478
> 
> ...


Did you use your R5 or are you still awaiting delivery? Great photos!


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## Bert63 (Oct 21, 2020)

CanonFanBoy said:


> Did you use your R5 or are you still awaiting delivery? Great photos!



Got the R5 but these were during the waiting period while I was going through the nostalgia period - I used my 7D2.


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## Click (Oct 21, 2020)

Beautiful shots. Well done, Bert.


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## Ozarker (Oct 21, 2020)

CanonFanBoy said:


> Did you use your R5 or are you still awaiting delivery? Great photos!


I don't see how you guys catch them in flight. Amazing. Is there less shutter lag with the R5 vs the R? If I remember correctly my 5D Mark III seemed to be veryu quick when I pressed the shutter button. The R seems a little slow.


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## AlanF (Oct 21, 2020)

Bert63 said:


> First attempts at DIF photos. Bland background - he was over a pond and wouldn't cooperate. I think he is a Blue-Eyed Darner maybe?
> 
> View attachment 193478
> 
> ...


Great shots! Dragonfly shots are addictive, and I love them.


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## AlanF (Oct 21, 2020)

CanonFanBoy said:


> I don't see how you guys catch them in flight. Amazing. Is there less shutter lag with the R5 vs the R? If I remember correctly my 5D Mark III seemed to be veryu quick when I pressed the shutter button. The R seems a little slow.


It was on my first day’s testing with the R5 that I got a DIF and it clinched it for me that the R5 was a keeper. It locked on so quickly without any discernible lag. You just need patience and wait until they slow down.


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## Ozarker (Oct 21, 2020)

AlanF said:


> It was on my first day’s testing with the R5 that I got a DIF and it clinched it for me that the R5 was a keeper. It locked on so quickly without any discernible lag. You just need patience and wait until they slow down.


Thanks Alan!


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## AlanF (Oct 21, 2020)

I can't resist posting another Migrant Hawker DIF, shot 191, on my R5, the first day out with it for testing, following shot number 188 posted 19 Sept. I literally shouted with glee when I chimped this as it was the best DIF I had ever got. This was using the 100-400mm II + 1.4xTC. There are some snarky comments on FM about the 1.4x on the 100-400, but I have found it excellent, and on the R5 it focusses really fast. This one is closely cropped to show the detail you can capture. These shots sold the R5 to me as I could have returned it. You have to see this at large size to see the detail.


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## Bert63 (Oct 21, 2020)

AlanF said:


> Great shots! Dragonfly shots are addictive, and I love them.




You are the master. <bowing deeply> and were my inspiration to try this in the first place.


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## Click (Oct 21, 2020)

WOW Great Shot, Alan!


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## Nemorino (Oct 21, 2020)

Bert63 said:


> Got the R5 but these were during the waiting period while I was going through the nostalgia period - I used my 7D2.


Great shots!
What shutter speed did You use?


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## Nemorino (Oct 21, 2020)

AlanF said:


> You have to see this at large size to see the detail.


Fantastic! He should shave his three-day beard!


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## Bert63 (Oct 21, 2020)

Nemorino said:


> Great shots!
> What shutter speed did You use?



Burst mode 1/800 @ 400mm f6.3.

Thanks man!


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## Nemorino (Oct 24, 2020)

Bert63 said:


> 1/800


To be honest I am a little surprise this "slow" speed works so well.
If I try DIf I normally choose 1/1600 or better 1/2000. And I have the EOS R which is not the perfect camera for this challenge. Espacially if you want to catch a pair laying eggs in the water.


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## ISv (Oct 26, 2020)

Except of 2 Long-billed Dowitchers from long distance nothing from the birds today. Tried some dragons in fly...


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## Click (Oct 26, 2020)

Beautiful series, ISv.


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## Maximilian (Oct 27, 2020)

ISv said:


> Except of 2 Long-billed Dowitchers from long distance nothing from the birds today. Tried some dragons in fly...


Great series ISv. Congrats.


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## Nemorino (Dec 11, 2020)

After all the great DIF shots here is a DOF!
Dragonfly on finger
I wanted to shot this dragonfly from a small distance but it flew up an landed back on my hand holding the camera. And of cause this is my right index finger. It is not easy to use a camera with the left hand for a right-handed person. Espacially if a manual Laowa 60mm is fixed to a EOS R and you don't want to scare the insect.


Uncropped at MFD, ISO 1250 1/60s f/8
2x magnification and about 50mm between lens and dragonfly


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## Click (Dec 12, 2020)

Very nice. Well done, Nemorino.


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## Helmi2010 (Feb 6, 2021)

Dear all

A few dragonflies, Southern and migrant hawkers.

[/url]

__
https://flic.kr/p/2kz7yEf

[/url]

__
https://flic.kr/p/2jEwJ1a

[/url]

__
https://flic.kr/p/2kxBpG3
[/url]

__
https://flic.kr/p/2ke1NbV

Best regards Helmut


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## Click (Feb 6, 2021)

Beautiful series. Well done, Helmi2010.


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## Ozarker (Feb 6, 2021)

Helmi2010 said:


> Dear all
> 
> A few dragonflies, Southern and migrant hawkers.
> 
> ...


WOW!


----------



## Helmi2010 (Feb 6, 2021)

Dear all

Normally I photograph flying dragonflies with Canon, last year most of the flight pictures were taken with an Olympus. I have been doing normal macros with Olympus for about 5 years, but sometimes I also have a Canon with me. 

Calopteryx virgo, male
[/url]

__
https://flic.kr/p/W1jpWE

Calopteryx splendens, female

[/url]

__
https://flic.kr/p/JHcit7

Anax imperator, male

[/url]

__
https://flic.kr/p/nWtQP5


Crocothemis erythraea, male

[/url]

__
https://flic.kr/p/upPerC


Best regards Helmut


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## Click (Feb 6, 2021)

Another beautiful series. I really like your pictures. Nicely done, Helmut.


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## ISv (Feb 7, 2021)

Helmi2010 said:


> Dear all
> 
> Normally I photograph flying dragonflies with Canon, last year most of the flight pictures were taken with an Olympus. I have been doing normal macros with Olympus for about 5 years, but sometimes I also have a Canon with me.
> 
> ...


Great photos Helmi!


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## Maximilian (Apr 25, 2021)

First sighting of this year. Twas gone so fast that I didn't have the time to get a pic with more DOF (_edit: f/16 was not enough, position was the key_).
I also didn't have the time to determine the exact species. If one can tell me straightaway, thanks in advance.


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## AlanF (Apr 25, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> First sighting of this year. Twas gone so fast that I didn't have the time to get a pic with more DOF.
> I also didn't have the time to determine the exact species. If one can tell me straightaway, thanks in advance.
> 
> View attachment 197195


It's an Oof-Damselfy


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## Maximilian (Apr 25, 2021)

AlanF said:


> It's an Oof-Damselfy


 Head and eyes are in focus - for sure.


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## Maximilian (May 15, 2021)

First blue-tailed damselfly of the year. 
Yet again I was out for birding so aperture and other settings weren't well for those insects and these were shot with only f/8.


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## Click (May 15, 2021)

Very nice shots, Maximilian. I especially like the second one.


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## AlanF (May 31, 2021)

I have been waiting for dragonflies to emerge as the cold weather has delayed them. After a decent warm day, I saw my first - a Teneral (newly emerged) Common Blue Damselfly (R5/500mm). It was well-camouflaged but fortunately I had seen it land.


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## Jack Douglas (May 31, 2021)

Alan, you think you have it cool. We had frost that seems to have delayed/killed the batch of mosquitoes, so no dragons in sight here either. Seems you're managing well with the R5!  I'm still fumbling with scenarios and settings.

Jack


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## AlanF (May 31, 2021)

Jack Douglas said:


> Alan, you think you have it cool. We had frost that seems to have delayed/killed the batch of mosquitoes, so no dragons in sight here either. Seems you're managing well with the R5!  I'm still fumbling with scenarios and settings.
> 
> Jack


KISS, Jack - keep it simple stupid is my MO. I am using basic settings, nearly always in Fv in full manual and I change the iso to get the exposure in the full knowledge you can under-expose and correct in RAW.


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## Raptors (Jun 1, 2021)

I’ve had my R5,for a few months now, but due to the stay-at-home order, I haven’t been able to really test it. I took this in my backyard, is this a Broad-Bordered Bee Hawk-Moth?​I should have posted this in 
Butterflies, Moths and Assorted Insects...​


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## AlanF (Jun 3, 2021)

The Dragonfly season has really started. A 4-spotted chaser taken at 1000mm with the R5 and 100-500mm + 2xTC.


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## Maximilian (Jun 4, 2021)

AlanF said:


> The Dragonfly season has really started. A 4-spotted chaser taken at 1000mm with the R5 and 100-500mm + 2xTC.


Great shots Alan. 
I can report, here on the continent, too. Yesterday I got my first dragonfly for this year.
Must be a very young female darter. They change from yellow to brown within a few days.


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## Click (Jun 4, 2021)

Beautiful pictures. Well done, Maximilian.


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## AlanF (Jun 4, 2021)

It's being able to go out with a single lens that can be used to photo birds 30-50m away at one minute and then dragonflies and butterflies at 2-5 m the next that has swung me over to having the 100-500mm (without or with TCs) rather than the RF 800mm with its 6m mfd for my particular needs though I still have GAS for that lens. At 1000mm and 3.3m away, you can see how this one needs a shave - any closer you tend to scare them off.


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## Click (Jun 4, 2021)

Excellent macro. Well done, Alan.


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## Maximilian (Jun 5, 2021)

Something you don't catch sight of too often:
A just molted female darter with the shell of the nymph just beside it. 
Twas quite difficult to get both on one pic. So some kind of compromise in resolution.
The forewings seemed to be glued together and I didn't have the time to wait, if they could separate. I hope they could.


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## Click (Jun 5, 2021)

Very nice shots, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Jun 5, 2021)

Another two from today:
The first is clearly a large red damselfly. 
The second should be a white-legged damselfly. 
Please correct me if I am mistaken.


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## Click (Jun 5, 2021)

Beautiful shots. Nicely done, Maximilian.


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## AlanF (Jun 5, 2021)

A rare dragonfly - a female Scarce Chaser. Taken at only 2.8m with 1000mm on the R5. It even shows the individual lenses in the compound eye (at 2.4m).


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## Click (Jun 5, 2021)

Excellent shot. Well done, Alan.


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## AlanF (Jun 6, 2021)

The Banded Demoiselles have emerged. The second one is having lunch.


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## AlanF (Jun 6, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Something you don't catch sight of too often:
> A just molted female darter with the shell of the nymph just beside it.
> Twas quite difficult to get both on one pic. So some kind of compromise in resolution.
> The forewings seemed to be glued together and I didn't have the time to wait, if they could separate. I hope they could.


When I downloaded shots of a Four-spotted Chaser this afternoon, I saw that it had just emerged from its nymph, which is nicely seem below it. Thanks for alerting me to this event!


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## Maximilian (Jun 6, 2021)

Another


AlanF said:


> When I downloaded shots of a Four-spotted Chaser this afternoon, I saw that it had just emerged from its nymph, which is nicely seem below it. Thanks for alerting me to this event!



Great shot.

But are you sure that his is the nymph shell of a chaser?
It looks too small to me.
To me this looks more like the nymph of a damselfly.
Especially when you look at the abdomen I think I can see some gills/ branchiae leafs which would be typical for damselflies.
But still a great combination.

_Edit_: 
In the German article about the four-spotted chaser I found this drawing of the nymph, which looks totally different to the one in your picture.
So it seems that my guess was right.
And I must admit, that I eagerly await the time they will appear here, too. 
It seems that we here in Franconia are one or two weeks behind you in the UK as for the cold April and May.


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## Jack Douglas (Jun 6, 2021)

I may have posted this long ago but I've worked on it a bit so hopefully a little more acceptable.



Jack


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## Raptors (Jun 6, 2021)

AlanF said:


> The Banded Demoiselles have emerged. The second one is having lunch.
> 
> View attachment 198132
> View attachment 198133


Awesome pictures! Were these taken with the R5 and RF 100-500mm?


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## AlanF (Jun 6, 2021)

Raptors said:


> Awesome pictures! Were these taken with the R5 and RF 100-500mm?


Yes indeed! This lens is great for me: with one lens I can shoot insects and birds, and it is fantastic close up with the 2x TC on it as well as for long distances.


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## Raptors (Jun 6, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Yes indeed! This lens is great for me: with one lens I can shoot insects and birds, and it is fantastic close up with the 2x TC on it as well as for long distances.


Thanks Alan. I have been using my EF 100-400mm II (which is still a great lens), but as you stated, you can shoot insects and birds with the 100-500mm with excellent results. I will have to wait as they are out of stock in Canada.


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## AlanF (Jun 6, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Another
> 
> 
> Great shot.
> ...


It would appear to be a damselfly exuvia.


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## AlanF (Jun 6, 2021)

Raptors said:


> Thanks Alan. I have been using my EF 100-400mm II (which is still a great lens), but as you stated, you can shoot insects and birds with the 100-500mm with excellent results. I will have to wait as they are out of stock in Canada.


The 100-400 is still a great lens, and the 100-500 is even better close up. With the RF 2xTC, it gives sharper images than my 400mm DO II + 2xTCIII did.


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## Raptors (Jun 6, 2021)

Alan, I may have to bite the bullet and buy the RF 2X as well. 
Would this be a female Fawn Darner?


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## AlanF (Jun 6, 2021)

Raptors said:


> Alan, I may have to bite the bullet and buy the RF 2X as well.
> Would this be a female Fawn Darner?


Lovely shot, it's not a local dragonfly so I can't say. I haven't used the RF 1.4x since getting the RF 2x. It's either the bare lens or using the full 2x to get the most resolution.


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## Raptors (Jun 6, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Lovely shot, it's not a local dragonfly so I can't say. I haven't used the RF 1.4x since getting the RF 2x. It's either the bare lens or using the full 2x to get the most resolution.


Good to know, thanks


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## Maximilian (Jun 7, 2021)

Raptors said:


> Would this be a female Fawn Darner?


Hi Raptors. First of all a beautiful shot.

I too am not familiar with Canadian dragonflies. But when I looked for a fawn darner (_boyeria vinosa_) being a member of the family _aeshnidae _I would say "Definitively no!".
They seem to be much bigger and don't have those prominent black/brown spots on the wings.
Your dragonfly comes from the family _libellulidae_.
I did some search and came across the female twelve-spotted skimmer (_libellula pulchella_).
I believe that's it spot on. Try to find a male. They also look beautiful.


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## Maximilian (Jun 7, 2021)

As long as I am waiting for dragonflies to appear, here's another blue tail.


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## Click (Jun 7, 2021)

I really like this picture.




Well done, Maximilian.


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## Raptors (Jun 8, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Hi Raptors. First of all a beautiful shot.
> 
> I too am not familiar with Canadian dragonflies. But when I looked for a fawn darner (_boyeria vinosa_) being a member of the family _aeshnidae _I would say "Definitively no!".
> They seem to be much bigger and don't have those prominent black/brown spots on the wings.
> ...


Hi Maximilian, thank you and thank you for the link.

I have seen this Dragon Fly twice now as it keeps coming back to the same spot. I thought 
they prefer still water (ponds) or rivers? Both shots taken in my backyard, no water just bush.


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## Click (Jun 8, 2021)

Beautiful shot. Well done, Raptors.


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## HenryL (Jun 9, 2021)

Soooo...I'm just the new guy with the damselflies and dragonflies. I have no idea about the ID's for them, heck I still struggle with birds but the Merlin app helps me out there. Anyway, saw these guys while out over the weekend. R5 + 100-500 + 1.4x





The bright coloring of this specimen caught my eye. I had to chase it for about 100 yards as it flew off every time I raised the camera.


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## Maximilian (Jun 9, 2021)

HenryL said:


> Soooo...I'm just the new guy with the damselflies and dragonflies. I have no idea about the ID's for them...


Great pics, Henry. A good start for "the new guy"  
If you can tell me a little bit more about the shooting location, maybe I get some time and eager to find out who they are


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## Maximilian (Jun 9, 2021)

Raptors said:


> I have seen this Dragon Fly twice now as it keeps coming back to the same spot. I thought
> they prefer still water (ponds) or rivers? Both shots taken in my backyard, no water just bush.


Good observation, Raptors. And if you already know some of the below I hope that I still can tell you something new.

Of course dragonflies and damselflies are attracted to water. They lay their eggs into the water or water plants. 
They can be found at ponds and lakes as well as slow-flowing rivers and streams. 
They spend a long time underwater as nymph. And as other insects are attracted to water as well, they stay close to the water for hunting them. 
But they also stray quite far away from the water in search of prey or maybe even new ponds and lakes.
I sometimes see them deep inside the forest as well. 
Once I crashed into one really big hawker while I was cycling through the forest. I was about 30+ km/h fast.
That was shocking. In first I thought I hit a small bird. But then I saw it flying away. And I was lucky wearing sunglasses 

And you can now use that knowledge to anticipate their behavior.
That they tend to come back to same spot for collecting sunlight (they need external energy) or as raised hide for prey.
And when they patrol they often take the same route and come back and you can try to catch them in flight. 
But to learn the latter at least I needed really a lot of patience 

Most important to me: 
Enjoy the moment, look at their aerobatic manoeuvres and keep in mind that their ancestors already did this since the Carboniferous age and almost unchanged for more than 150 mio years.


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## HenryL (Jun 9, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Great pics, Henry. A good start for "the new guy"
> If you can tell me a little bit more about the shooting location, maybe I get some time and eager to find out who they are


Thanks for your kind words. The park is in southeastern Virginia (First Landing State Park). I was on a trail through the marshy area of the park (GPS coordinates 36°53'15.6005" N 76°0'19.6468" W). Lots of tall grass, just a few trees - it's between the forest and the bay. And thanks for your reply to Raptors - the information you just shared on the behaviors and habits of these subjects will be useful!


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 9, 2021)

HenryL said:


> Thanks for your kind words. The park is in southeastern Virginia (First Landing State Park). I was on a trail through the marshy area of the park (GPS coordinates 36°53'15.6005" N 76°0'19.6468" W). Lots of tall grass, just a few trees - it's between the forest and the bay. And thanks for your reply to Raptors - the information you just shared on the behaviors and habits of these subjects will be useful!


The green and blue one was easy to find: it's a male eastern pondhawk _(erythemis simplicicollis)_
The other one is more tricky, esp. because they are difficult to compare at this angle from below, which i normally really like. 
My guess is that it could be a female blue dasher (_pachydiplax longipennis_) 
By the way: Did you use some fill flash or macro light on those two?


----------



## HenryL (Jun 9, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> The green and blue one was easy to find: it's a male eastern pondhawk _(erythemis simplicicollis)_
> The other one is more tricky, esp. because they are difficult to compare at this angle from below, which i normally really like.
> My guess is that it could be a female blue dasher (_pachydiplax longipennis_)
> By the way: Did you use some fill flash or macro light on those two?


Wow, that was fast - thank you, Maximillian! No flash or fill or any kind other than what Mother Nature provided. It was a bright day but lots of hazy cloud cover and shade. Is there a real good online resource for identification that you can recommend, thinking along the lines of allboutbirds.org or the Merlin app for phones?


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 9, 2021)

HenryL said:


> Wow, that was fast - thank you, Maximillian!


Maybe pure luck 
I just searched for the colors and location Virginia and then scanned through pics displayed.



> No flash or fill or any kind other than what Mother Nature provided.


Thanks for the reply. The reflection on the compound eye looked a little bit artificial, like flash. But it could also be from the bright sun.
I sometimes also use flash or ring light on insects, although I try to avoid this with any other animals.



> Is there a real good online resource for identification that you can recommend, thinking along the lines of allboutbirds.org or the Merlin app for phones?


Sorry, but I haven't found anything like a good app yet.
For Germany/Europe I have a good classification book in my shelf and I know a German website (libellen.tv) where you can search e.g. for colors. 
But that is in German only and most dragonflies/damselflies displayed are from Europe.
A quick search brought me here (dragonfly-site.com) from where you are linked to pages by region. Maybe that helps to continue.

If you find something better, share that info here


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 9, 2021)

HenryL said:


> Is there a real good online resource for identification that you can recommend, thinking along the lines of allboutbirds.org or the Merlin app for phones?


took a look into the app store and found this, for US and Canada:








‎Dragonfly and Damselfly Field Guide and ID App


‎The Dragonfly ID app is a comprehensive and easy-to-use resource to find and identify dragonflies and damselflies across the US and Canada. Geared towards both the avid dragonfly-watcher, and beginners, Dragonfly ID will help you find spots to look for dragonflies near you, help you identify...



apps.apple.com




I have no experience with it. Maybe someone else can give feedback.


----------



## Jack Douglas (Jun 9, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> took a look into the app store and found this, for US and Canada:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have the, Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West, by Dennis Paulson, which is excellent but North America. It's very comprehensive and the photos, a bit on the small side, are numerous.

Jack


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## AlanF (Jun 9, 2021)

Common Blue Damselflies and a Red-Eyed Damselfly taken with the RF 800mm + 1.4xTC.


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## tron (Jun 9, 2021)

Raptors said:


> Thanks Alan. I have been using my EF 100-400mm II (which is still a great lens), but as you stated, you can shoot insects and birds with the 100-500mm with excellent results. I will have to wait as they are out of stock in Canada.


I assume you mean the 100-500  Because the use of plural made me wonder momentarily about the availability of insects    Sorry I could not resist


----------



## Raptors (Jun 10, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Good observation, Raptors. And if you already know some of the below I hope that I still can tell you something new.
> 
> Of course dragonflies and damselflies are attracted to water. They lay their eggs into the water or water plants.
> They can be found at ponds and lakes as well as slow-flowing rivers and streams.
> ...


Hi Maximilian, you learn something new everyday. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge. 

I am a sports photographer so getting “the shot” is more than just luck, or being in the right place at the right time, it’s knowing the sport and being able to anticipate the shot before it happens. 

I was always told, one of the most important tools in wildlife photography is fieldcraft. Again, knowing the subject, spending time watching and learning its behaviour, habits etc. I can’t count how many days I have come home without any images, but just being out with nature is amazing. 

Thanks again,
Raptors

Knowledge is power!


----------



## JBSF (Jun 10, 2021)

HenryL said:


> Soooo...I'm just the new guy with the damselflies and dragonflies. I have no idea about the ID's for them, heck I still struggle with birds but the Merlin app helps me out there. Anyway, saw these guys while out over the weekend. R5 + 100-500 + 1.4x
> View attachment 198170
> 
> View attachment 198171
> ...


Henry,

Your dragonfly with the beautifully marked thorax is a female Bar-winged Skimmer (Libellula axilena). An R5 and 100-500 are not in my budget, but these photos make me envious.


----------



## bhf3737 (Jun 10, 2021)

I just wanted to check how a dragonfly at 1000mm will look like.
Common Darter (I guess)
RF 100-500 +2.X extender from about 3m away.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 10, 2021)

bhf3737 said:


> I just wanted to check how a dragonfly at 1000mm will look like.
> Common Darter (I guess)
> RF 100-500 +2.X extender from about 3m away.
> View attachment 198206


Lovely shot of a Four-Spotted Chaser. You have got the angle perfect.


----------



## Click (Jun 10, 2021)

I really like this picture. Very nice shot, bhf3737.


----------



## bhf3737 (Jun 10, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Lovely shot of a Four-Spotted Chaser. You have got the angle perfect.





Click said:


> I really like this picture. Very nice shot, bhf3737.



Thanks a lot and I appreciate correct identification.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 11, 2021)

Buy one get one free. A flying Banded Demoiselle and a resting one in the same shot (R5/100-500).


----------



## Click (Jun 11, 2021)

Great shot! Well done, Alan.


----------



## Nemorino (Jun 11, 2021)

Eos R, Sigma 105mm Macro @Iso1000, 1/1250s and f/6.3.
Croped to 3134px


----------



## Click (Jun 11, 2021)

Beautiful picture, Nemorino!


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 11, 2021)

Today I went out at the ponds again. It was a warm week and I was finally awaiting the dragonflies but didn't see any of them. 
Not over the water not in the reed. 
But then I saw those and knew they were there:


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 11, 2021)

A green-eyed hawker:


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 11, 2021)

And a four-spotted chaser (more to come) - this one lookes like it flew through a spider web:


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 11, 2021)

Nemorino said:


> Eos R, Sigma 105mm Macro @Iso1000, 1/1250s and f/6.3.
> Croped to 3134px


Wonderful. Great you could get that close.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 11, 2021)

First downy emerald DIF this year. 
Last year they were really nasty and I didn't get much chances. 
This year they were really nice but my skills had to wake up again. 
Still pretty difficult light: ISO3200, 1/1250, f/8, I would have preferred to stay below ISO2000


----------



## AlanF (Jun 11, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Today I went out at the ponds again. It was a warm week and I was finally awaiting the dragonflies but didn't see any of them.
> Not over the water not in the reed.
> But then I saw those and knew they were there:
> 
> ...


These move slowly enough for you!


----------



## AlanF (Jun 11, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> First downy emerald DIF this year.
> Last year they were really nasty and I didn't get much chances.
> This year they were really nice but my skills had to wake up again.
> Still pretty difficult light: ISO3200, 1/1250, f/8, I would have preferred to stay below ISO2000
> ...


The Green Eyed and the Downy Emerald are new ones for me. Well done!


----------



## Click (Jun 12, 2021)

Beautiful shot, Maximilian. Well done!


----------



## ISv (Jun 12, 2021)

bhf3737 said:


> I just wanted to check how a dragonfly at 1000mm will look like.
> Common Darter (I guess)
> RF 100-500 +2.X extender from about 3m away.
> View attachment 198206


 looks pretty good to me, just don't push the colors to much (on other hand it's your choice: if you like it that way - go on!).


----------



## ISv (Jun 12, 2021)

Click said:


> Great shot! Well done, Alan.


Absolutely (his comment is just bonus I wish it was the same way with the cameras/lenses - I mean buy one get two)!


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 12, 2021)

AlanF said:


> The Green Eyed and the Downy Emerald are new ones for me. Well done!


I'm sure I posted some of them last year. But I am slow as you know/said


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 12, 2021)

Here's the prove that we also have banded demoiselles at out lokal ponds. Haven't seen them here in the past. 
It was sitting in the shadow and far away. This is full size, no downsampling. I had a lot to crop. ISO3200, 1/1000, f/8. 
Not good but a prove.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 12, 2021)

And can anybody tell me what species this is? I could't find this color combination for European damselfies.
I don't know if this is an imago or subimago (my guess). And sorry for the oof tail making the classification more difficult.


----------



## Nemorino (Jun 12, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Great you could get that close


Sometimes they are very relaxed. 

I even got closer last year 
Eos R and Laowa 60mm Macro @mfd, MT24, uncroped
Iso 800, 1/500s, f/?


----------



## Click (Jun 12, 2021)

Great close-up. Well done!


----------



## bhf3737 (Jun 12, 2021)

ISv said:


> looks pretty good to me, just don't push the colors to much (on other hand it's your choice: if you like it that way - go on!).


Thanks a lot. I'll try to go close to what I see. I was told that looking through eye glasses that change the shade with light is no good for photography because the perceived color is not what it actually is. Perhaps that is the reason. I'll try to remember your advice. Thanks.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 12, 2021)

I went out today to catch some Banded Demoiselles in flight, and decided to dig out a DSLR for the job as it needs an AF that can pick out a very erratic and fast moving subject against a background and I wasn't sure mirrorless woud be up to it. Here are a couple of shots of one in full flight at just the right angle to have the tail and head in perfect focus. I am going to keep a DSLR for difficult dragonfly shots.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 13, 2021)

AlanF said:


> I went out today to catch some Banded Demoiselles in flight,


Great shots again, Alan 



> ... decided to dig out a DSLR for the job as it needs an AF that can pick out a very erratic and fast moving subject against a background and I wasn't sure mirrorless woud be up to it. ...


But that was the question "we all" were waiting for.   So please, next time take your R5 with you, too.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 13, 2021)

Black-tailed skimmers (_orthetrum cancellatum_) are also back this year:


----------



## AlanF (Jun 13, 2021)

Using comments from Maximilian in the Bird Portraits thread and knowing the dragonfly species in the pond, I guess this nymph is that of an Emperor dragonfly (taken with the 500 Prime and x2 in post - I'll try the R5 for DIF soon, it didn't work last time for Banded Demoiselles but I got a great shot with the 100-400mm II of a flying Emperor last year. The R5 has definitely a better rate for swimming birds).


----------



## AlanF (Jun 13, 2021)

R5 + 100-500mm for DIF. Well, I didn't get any Banded Demoiselles and will try again - they are very, very difficult. I did get Emperor Dragonflies. There were some hovering ones I didn't get where the R5 got stuck on the background and I think my 5DSR or Nikon D850 would have got. But, I got ones in real flight and the AF locked on against a cleaner background and didn't let go. Here's a selection, and I wasn't focussing on where I knew they were going to return etc, but these were real in flight pics




.


----------



## Click (Jun 13, 2021)

Beautiful series, Alan.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 13, 2021)

The Emperor was photobombed by a 4-Spotted Chaser and the AF switched to it, which was a nice bonus.


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## Maximilian (Jun 13, 2021)

The demoiselles have arrived, too.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 13, 2021)

And this is something I'd call mass (re-) production


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 13, 2021)

AlanF said:


> R5 + 100-500mm for DIF. ...
> I got ones in real flight and the AF locked on against a cleaner background and didn't let go. Here's a selection, and I wasn't focussing on where I knew they were going to return etc, but these were real in flight pics.


Great samples. Thanks for the info. 
Maybe after a few more tries please tell me which body AF feels more comfortable to you. Thanks in advance.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 13, 2021)

The Demoiselles are showing off everywhere


Maximilian said:


> Great samples. Thanks for the info.
> Maybe after a few more tries please tell me which body AF feels more comfortable to you. Thanks in advance.


Guess which one was taken with the R5/100-500mm and D850/500mmPF.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 13, 2021)

AlanF said:


> The Demoiselles are showing off everywhere
> 
> Guess which one was taken with the R5/100-500mm and D850/500mmPF.
> 
> ...


No idea. Both look great.


----------



## Click (Jun 13, 2021)

Lovely. Nicely done, Alan.


----------



## ISv (Jun 14, 2021)

tron said:


> I assume you mean the 100-500  Because the use of plural made me wonder momentarily about the availability of insects    Sorry I could not resist


Damn it : my English is really poor!!! I didn't get it...


AlanF said:


> The Demoiselles are showing off everywhere
> 
> Guess which one was taken with the R5/100-500mm and D850/500mmPF.
> 
> ...


At close look the first one seems better to me. On other hand I'm sure you know it's hardly "scientific" comparison... Second one is shallow in DOF.


----------



## ISv (Jun 14, 2021)

Nemorino said:


> Sometimes they are very relaxed.
> 
> I even got closer last year
> Eos R and Laowa 60mm Macro @mfd, MT24, uncroped
> ...


This is from not less than 2.2 meters (the MFD of 200-500). Cropped. Can't beat your photo by any means but to snap occasional photo of a Dragonfly when hunting birds is kind of advantage for me... Off course to see some detail you have to zoom into the photo (or I have to crop even more). The things are changing when you try DIF!


----------



## AlanF (Jun 14, 2021)

ISv said:


> This is from not less than 2.2 meters (the MFD of 200-500). Cropped. Can't beat your photo by any means but to snap occasional photo of a Dragonfly when hunting birds is kind of advantage for me... Off course to see some detail you have to zoom into the photo (or I have to crop even more). The things are changing when you try DIF!
> 
> View attachment 198291


It’s not a case of “beat”, though I know you don’t really mean that. It‘s nice occasionally to see a macro of an eye but I like in general a whole insect in less detail but mainly in focus and beautifully posed. 

The one of mine you pointed out that has less dof was taken with the zoom closer up and the other with the prime at its mfd of 3m. 3m is quite a good distance for these shots because it‘s easier to get the whole insect in focus, apart from wings poking out etc.


----------



## tron (Jun 14, 2021)

Alan, they are both great


----------



## koenkooi (Jun 14, 2021)

I was lucky to come across an emerging damselfly on my first trip to the pond last week:





After looking at the pictures on the computer I noticed that I completely forgot to take proper pictures of the wings expanding, drying and going translucent 





Both with an R5 + 180L


----------



## koenkooi (Jun 14, 2021)

And my first try at filming it:






The camera was on a tripod, I held the tip of the plant in my hand but the wind was still too strong. And the critters prefer to be on the wrong side of the stepping stones in the pond, making everything backlit as well.

Also R5 + 180L


----------



## Nemorino (Jun 14, 2021)

ISv said:


> This is from not less than 2.2 meters


I forgot to mention mfd is about 0.05m frontelement to subject.

Of cause differnt kind of shooting and less convenient.


----------



## Click (Jun 14, 2021)

ISv said:


> This is from not less than 2.2 meters (the MFD of 200-500). Cropped. Can't beat your photo by any means but to snap occasional photo of a Dragonfly when hunting birds is kind of advantage for me... Off course to see some detail you have to zoom into the photo (or I have to crop even more). The things are changing when you try DIF!


 Beautiful picture. Lovely background.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 14, 2021)

koenkooi said:


> I was lucky to come across an emerging damselfly on my first trip to the pond last week:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Really nice! As Louis Pasteur said, luck favours the person with a prepared camera.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 14, 2021)

A four-spotted chaser in flight


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## Click (Jun 14, 2021)

Very nice shot!




Well done, Maximilian.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 14, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> A four-spotted chaser in flight
> 
> View attachment 198300


Nice shot! How did you track it?


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 14, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Nice shot! How did you track it?


Thank you.
It was returning to its raised hide. I did focus on that branch, aiming over and through the OVF and when it approached I did fire away.
I have another sequence with a story behind it, but I'll have to pp the pics first.


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## AlanF (Jun 14, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Thank you.
> It was returning to its raised hide. I did focus on that branch, aiming over and through the OVF and when it approached I did fire away.
> I have another sequence with a story behind it, but I'll have to pp the pics first.


I guessed so as it's so damned difficult to focus on them in random mid-flight. I was lucky that I was tracking the Emperor and the Chaser took over.


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## AlanF (Jun 14, 2021)

Here's a 1 second burst from the R5+100-500mm of an Emperor Dragonfly flying (21 frames).


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## HenryL (Jun 15, 2021)

A few from this weekend. Turns out an app I've been trying out for identifying birds (Seek) also works for dragonflies. 

Bar-winged skimmer



Needham's Skimmer


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## Click (Jun 15, 2021)

Nice pictures, HenryL.


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## Click (Jun 15, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Here's a 1 second burst from the R5+100-500mm of an Emperor Dragonfly flying (21 frames).



Pretty cool. Well done, Alan.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 15, 2021)

HenryL said:


> A few from this weekend. Turns out an app I've been trying out for identifying birds (Seek) also works for dragonflies.
> 
> Bar-winged skimmer
> View attachment 198329
> ...


Lovely shots! I must try the app.
Edit - downloaded it, seems very good.


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## Maximilian (Jun 15, 2021)

For those who always thought about what a dragonfly does with its landing gear at cruising level here is something for you.
Hint 1: the forelegs are behind the eyes 
Hint 2: Their legs are specialized for catching prey. They can form a catching cage. They are not really made for walking.
A green-eyed hawker, by the way.


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## AlanF (Jun 15, 2021)

In answer to the question can the R5 do Banded Demoiselles in flight (slowed down about 10x). The limiting factor is me, not the AF.


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## AlanF (Jun 15, 2021)

A few stills of Banded Demoiselles (R5/100-500mm). The R5 seems to AF well for these.


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## AlanF (Jun 16, 2021)

Female Common Blue Damselfly at 2.4m. Top = R5 + 100-500mm @ 500mm, magnified 2x in Topaz Gigapixel. Bottom + RF 2x @ 1000mm.


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## AlanF (Jun 16, 2021)

Male Common Blue Damselfly @3.3m and R5 with 1000mm. He seems to be looking at me, and it's the first time I think I have seem the hairs resolved using my gear.


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## Click (Jun 16, 2021)

Very nice shots, Alan. I especially like the last one.


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## Maximilian (Jun 16, 2021)

A pair of azure damselflies in a mating flight. Pretty close so more DOF was not possible.


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## Maximilian (Jun 16, 2021)

Mating wheel of blue-tailed damselflies


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## Click (Jun 16, 2021)

Nice series, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Jun 17, 2021)

Click said:


> Nice series, Maximilian.


Thanks, Click


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## koenkooi (Jun 17, 2021)

A mating wheel from yesterday:




It took a few tries to get the angle right without spooking the damselflies, the first scare made them fly to a better spot, so that actually worked out


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## koenkooi (Jun 17, 2021)

This isn't the best shot from the sequence, but this one has the reflection of the dragonfly in the canal!





A more in-focus shot from that sequence:


----------



## AlanF (Jun 17, 2021)

koenkooi said:


> This isn't the best shot from the sequence, but this one has the reflection of the dragonfly in the canal!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice shots! Was it ovipositing? The pose and height look like it.


----------



## koenkooi (Jun 17, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Nice shots! Was it ovipositing? The pose and height look like it.


It was doing this in between flights:




During shooting I was thinking "I need to look up how they lay their eggs, this sure looks like it!"


----------



## AlanF (Jun 17, 2021)

koenkooi said:


> It was doing this in between flights:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That certainly is ovipositing!


----------



## Click (Jun 17, 2021)

Beautiful series, koenkool.






​


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 17, 2021)

Green eyed hawker in flight closeups


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## Click (Jun 17, 2021)

Excellent shots, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Jun 18, 2021)

A sitting male azure damselfly that I could manage to get overall in focus quite well (no oof damselfly  )


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## Click (Jun 18, 2021)

Very nice shot. Well done, Maximilian.


----------



## koenkooi (Jun 18, 2021)

Another mating wheel, this time with raindrops and mites:





And a single damselfly that was kind enough to sit perpendicular to my camera 





Both shot with R5+100-500L, the rain clouds made a very nice softbox this morning.


----------



## Click (Jun 18, 2021)

Great shots, koenkooi.





​


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 19, 2021)

My first decent DIF shots of a beautiful demoiselle. They are so damn erratic and fast in flight.
Both 1/1250, f/8, ISO 3200 and +2/3 push in pp


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## Click (Jun 19, 2021)

Nice shots, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Jun 19, 2021)

First prove pics that we also have _anax imperator _at our ponds. 
I saw them several times, but always too far away in flight over the water.
My first tries of them in flight were all oof 
I never saw them sitting until this female was obviously ovipositing


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 20, 2021)

It seems I've found a new resident at our local ponds. I've never seen those before here or anywhere else. 
It took me some time to determine the species and I am still not 100% sure. 
I suppose it is a male western clubtail (_gomphus pulchellus_) but it could be also some other member of the genus _gomphus_.
If someone can confirm this or help me please let me know. Thanks in advance.


----------



## Click (Jun 20, 2021)

Very nice pictures!


----------



## dcm (Jun 22, 2021)

Twelve spotted skimmers are back.

R6, RF800, RF1.4x, tripod, DxO PL4. 1120mm near MFD, ISO 1600, f/16, 1/250s.


----------



## Click (Jun 22, 2021)

Beautiful pictures, dcm.


----------



## HenryL (Jun 22, 2021)

Not much going on this weekend. Put the kayak in the water for the first time this year, and first time at the park with the 100-500 + 2xTC. A very low tide on a windy day was not ideal for photography. Practically impossible to shoot without getting out of the kayak or letting the wind push me to the bank and bracing with one leg for something loosely resembling stability.

Got this the first time I pulled up on a small sand bar...a very cooperative Blue Dasher. 1000mm, f/14 @ ISO 6400


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## Click (Jun 22, 2021)

Very nice shot, HenryL.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 22, 2021)

Yet another prove that there will be another generation of _anax_ in our ponds and that I will have a chance to do better on _anax _DIFs


----------



## Click (Jun 22, 2021)

Nice shots, Maximilian. I especially like the first one.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 23, 2021)

Click said:


> Nice shots, Maximilian. I especially like the first one.


Same here. But the water reflection was better in the second and I am always fascinated to "look behind the scenes" - no - the eyes of dragonflies.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 23, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> I have another sequence with a story behind it, but I'll have to pp the pics first.


I promised you a story and here it is. Sorry for the delay but it took me some time to decide for the right pics and pp them.
I'd call the story:

*The quarrel over the spooky honeymoon suite*

Pic: A four-spot was residing well at a good perch.
Pic: When it went for hunting a couple of red-eyed damselflies (_erythromma najas_) decided to make it their honeymoon suite.
But they had another guest: a white exuvia!  how spooky, isn't it? 
Pic: When four-spot came back it was really angry.
Pic: First it was wheeling over the honeymoon suite.
Pic: Then it decided to land - threatening the red-eyes.
Pic: But in the end they decided, that the honeymoon suite was overcrowded and left.
And four-spot was alone again with its exuvia "friend".
Enjoy 

1
1

2

3



4

5

6


----------



## HenryL (Jun 23, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> I promised you a story and here it is. Sorry for the delay but it took me some time to decide for the right pics and pp them.
> I'd call the story:
> 
> *The quarrel over the spooky honeymoon suite*
> ...


Love it, Maximilian. Thank you for sharing one of Mother Natures stories!


----------



## Click (Jun 23, 2021)

+1

Excellent series


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 23, 2021)

HenryL said:


> Love it, Maximilian. Thank you for sharing one of Mother Natures stories!


You're welcome.


Click said:


> +1
> 
> Excellent series


Thanks, guys.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 23, 2021)

Male and female Scarce Chaser, and a male eye all at R5/1000mm.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 23, 2021)

AlanF said:


> ... and a male eye ...


Great detail on that eye 
I know this from my macro but not from a tele with converter - great


----------



## AlanF (Jun 23, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Great detail on that eye
> I know this from my macro but not from a tele with converter - great


Thanks Maximilian. By the way, your great series of posts have really got this thread into top gear.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 23, 2021)

A female Emperor that was flying over 10m away. I was surprised and pleased that the 100-500mm @ 1000mm focussed on it.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 23, 2021)

AlanF said:


> By the way, your great series of posts have really got this thread into top gear.


Thank you very much, Alan.
I really would like to give back this compliment to you, Alan, and all others here, doing a great job, living and loving this hobby and topic and sharing all your pics, experiences and advices to all willing to follow and read. 



To all of you: please keep posting and answering!



That's a real community.


----------



## Click (Jun 23, 2021)

AlanF said:


> A female Emperor that was flying over 10m away. I was surprised and pleased that the 100-500mm @ 1000mm focussed on it.



WOW! Excellent result.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 24, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> My first decent DIF shots of a beautiful demoiselle. They are so damn erratic and fast in flight.
> Both 1/1250, f/8, ISO 3200 and +2/3 push in pp
> 
> View attachment 198436
> ...


Here's one for you. I used a higher shutter speed of 1/3200 and similar iso to yours. The light wasn't good, overcast and no sun, but it must have been even worse for you.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 24, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Here's one for you. I used a higher shutter speed of 1/3200 and similar iso to yours. The light wasn't good, overcast and no sun, but it must have been even worse for you.


I had bright sun and almost the best conditions I could imagine. You can see it at the highlights of the leaves.
I tried all kinds of metering including spot. But still I had those high ISO and the damoiselle still too dark. I suppose because of the dark bg.
But the sharpness and detail was okay for me. Maybe next time I can do better.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 24, 2021)

Here's my first sitting green-eyed hawker of this year.
It was so cooperative that I could get to MFD of my 100-400LII + 1.4xTC.
Still I could do some 15% cropping what would lead to about 0.5 mag.
The second pic is a closeup crop of the first and shows more detail, still not 1:1. But I would say great tools 
Data: 1/500, f/11, ISO 1250


----------



## Click (Jun 24, 2021)

Great shots!


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 24, 2021)

Click said:


> Great shots!


I added to the post that the second is a closeup crop of the first - so just one "great shot!"


----------



## AlanF (Jun 24, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Here's my first sitting green-eyed hawker of this year.
> It was so cooperative that I could get to MFD of my 100-400LII + 1.4xTC.
> Still I could do some 15% cropping what would lead to about 0.5 mag.
> The second pic is a closeup crop of the first and shows more detail, still not 1:1. But I would say great tools
> ...


Wow, it's scary that close up!


----------



## AlanF (Jun 24, 2021)

A Black-tailed Skimmer ovipositing. This is a case where a gif shows what happens. She hovers above the surface, then quickly dips in her rear end and deposits eggs. A burst with electronic shutter of about half a second, slowed down.


----------



## Click (Jun 24, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> I added to the post that the second is a closeup crop of the first - so just one "great shot!"



Corrected.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 24, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Wow, it's scary that close up!


I must admit that I am just fascinated but not scared.
I also see some kind of beauty or perfection there that we mammals find too strange at first.
And I really prefer to live today instead of that time 300 mio years ago when the _meganeura_ lived.
Just imagine that dragonfly not 7 cm small but 10 times that large. That would be scary - really


----------



## koenkooi (Jun 25, 2021)

Speaking of close-ups, I have some pictures from 4 years ago:











All from my back yard, it took a few days to stalk the dragonfly that kept visiting to get close enough with the EOS-M+MP-E65+MT24ex. The damselflies are a lot less skittish.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 25, 2021)

koenkooi said:


> Speaking of close-ups... with the EOS-M+MP-E65+MT24ex.


Especially the first of the compound eye is fantastic. 
No stacking, one shot, I suppose. Correct?
Does the EXIF show the magnification level of the MP-E65?
Thanks for the reply in advance.


----------



## koenkooi (Jun 25, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Especially the first of the compound eye is fantastic.
> No stacking, one shot, I suppose. Correct?
> Does the EXIF show the magnification level of the MP-E65?
> Thanks for the reply in advance.


Yes, a single shot at F/13 on a crop sensor. It took a lot of experimenting with clarity and sharpening to get it to look OK. Running it trough DPP4+DLO and then dragging the texture slider to the max in Lightroom seems to give a better result. The CR2 is the original LR edit, the TIF the new one. And this also shows how different Adobe colour is from Canon colour.




The magnification was 2.7x, on APS-C. I'll leave it to other sections of this forum to debate whether APS-C impacts magnification or not 

`$ exiftool 2017/07/IMG_2741.CR2 -MacroMagnification -Dof -focusDistancelower
Macro Magnification : 2.7x
Depth Of Field : 0.005 m (0.247 - 0.253 m)
Focus Distance Lower : 0.25 m`


----------



## AlanF (Jun 25, 2021)

koenkooi said:


> Yes, a single shot at F/13 on a crop sensor. It took a lot of experimenting with clarity and sharpening to get it to look OK. Running it trough DPP4+DLO and then dragging the texture slider to the max in Lightroom seems to give a better result. The CR2 is the original LR edit, the TIF the new one. And this also shows how different Adobe colour is from Canon colour.
> 
> View attachment 198569
> 
> ...


Wow!


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 25, 2021)

This took me back to some older pics where I was working with the 100L macro and the 5D3 and very cooperative darters. 
Here my best two closeups of compound eyes, one from a young female, one from a male. I'm sure, I've posted the full pics somewhere else here.
1:1 crop from the 5D3, little sharpening and exposure compensation in DPP, nothing more done.

Female, close to MFD 30 cm, 1/250, f/14, ISO2500, bright natural sun light




Male, a little bit further away. 1/200, f/16, ISO 400. fill flash with 430EX II


----------



## Click (Jun 25, 2021)

koenkooi said:


> Speaking of close-ups, I have some pictures from 4 years ago:
> 
> 
> All from my back yard, it took a few days to stalk the dragonfly that kept visiting to get close enough with the EOS-M+MP-E65+MT24ex. The damselflies are a lot less skittish.



WOW Stunning shots. Beautiful close-ups.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 25, 2021)

Female Emperor Dragonfly


----------



## Click (Jun 26, 2021)

Beautiful shot, Alan.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 26, 2021)

I was worried that the R5 would not be good for DIF because of the reports of its focussing on the background and not birds in the foregound (which hasn’t bothered me much). However, so far it has done well, so I am happy.


----------



## Jack Douglas (Jun 26, 2021)

AlanF said:


> I was worried that the R5 would not be good for DIF because of the reports of its focussing on the background and not birds in the foregound (which hasn’t bothered me much). However, so far it has done well, so I am happy.


Alan I've had some weird fails. One was a Pileated WP that was darting his head in and out behind a stump (peak-a-boo). It refused to focus unless I used spot and then back button animal eye but as soon as the head disappeared and reappeared it was lost again and this head was filling maybe 40% of the viewfinder. It was strangely pathetic compared to my typical acquisitions where I'm generally pleased.

Jack.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 26, 2021)

Jack Douglas said:


> Alan I've had some weird fails. One was a Pileated WP that was darting his head in and out behind a stump (peak-a-boo). It refused to focus unless I used spot and then back button animal eye but as soon as the head disappeared and reappeared it was lost again and this head was filling maybe 40% of the viewfinder. It was strangely pathetic compared to my typical acquisitions where I'm generally pleased.
> 
> Jack.


Did it work just using spot? If so, use that and it will be as good as a DSLR. eyeAF doesn't always work, and when it fails I use centre spot.

I used centre spot for this Emperor Dragonfly ovipositing yesterday but the eyeAF tracking for it in flight.


----------



## koenkooi (Jun 26, 2021)

AlanF said:


> I was worried that the R5 would not be good for DIF because of the reports of its focussing on the background and not birds in the foregound (which hasn’t bothered me much). However, so far it has done well, so I am happy.


Most shots it this sequence had the reeds much better in focus than the eye or beak. This shot is OK. During shooting the R5 detected the eye and the focus box never strayed from it. A quick check on the back LCD made it look the birds was in focus, only after putting it on the computer screen the backfocus became clear.

Exiftool reports:

Camera Model NameCanon EOS R5Lens ModelRF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USMFocus Distance Lower33.49 mFocal Length500.0 mmAperture7.1Focus Distance Lower33.49 m


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## AlanF (Jun 26, 2021)

koenkooi said:


> Most shots it this sequence had the reeds much better in focus than the eye or beak. This shot is OK. During shooting the R5 detected the eye and the focus box never strayed from it. A quick check on the back LCD made it look the birds was in focus, only after putting it on the computer screen the backfocus became clear.
> 
> Exiftool reports:
> 
> ...


That's off-topic, Jack - Herons and Egrets are allowed here only if they have Dragonflies, like this Little Egret plus Red Darter. I don't know what's going wrong with your gear. I review, by the way, through the viewfinder.


----------



## koenkooi (Jun 26, 2021)

Sometimes the dragons are helpful enough to hover, but don't want to face you:


----------



## koenkooi (Jun 26, 2021)

A horizontal mating wheel for a change:




The forum does some really soft downsampling when using links to images, click to go to flickr for a sharper version.


----------



## Click (Jun 26, 2021)

Very nice picture, koenkooi.


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## Maximilian (Jun 27, 2021)

First time ever that I saw and caught and _anax _sitting. I had no choice to avoid the branch/reed in front of it. 
Only by jumping in the pond. And that is not allowed and not healthy because those belong to our local wastewater treatment


----------



## AlanF (Jun 27, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> First time ever that I saw and caught and _anax _sitting. I had no choice to avoid the branch/reed in front of it.
> Only by jumping in the pond. And that is not allowed and not healthy because those belong to our local wastewater treatment
> 
> View attachment 198613


I have very few shots of them perching and mine are nearly all in flight except for the females ovipositing.


----------



## Nemorino (Jun 27, 2021)

EOs R and Sigma 150 2.8 macro, MT24 @ Iso 400, f/9, 1/200s
1:1 crop


----------



## Click (Jun 28, 2021)

Great close-up. Well done, Nemorino.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 28, 2021)

Click said:


> Great close-up. Well done, Nemorino.


100% agree. great work!


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 28, 2021)

Today I was trying on _anax_ DIFs again. Maaaan, that was frustrating  
Never came closer than 6 m. Not even once hovering. I had to pan all the time and you can imagine how small they were in the VF at that distance. 
AF wasn't cooperative, too. But I managed to get those at least decent and well backlit. Those are 1:1 crops, so I would say 15 m away.
1/1600, f/8, ISO3200


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 28, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Today I was trying on _anax_ DIFs again. ...


Those were slightly closer, but aiming away from me
1/1000, f/8, ISO3200


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 28, 2021)

In the end, at about 15:45 CEST  all at once stopped flying, for whatever reason. Haven't seen this before.
But that gave me the chance to spot this one here, still quite far away. 
1/500, f/8, ISO1000


----------



## Click (Jun 28, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Today I was trying on _anax_ DIFs again. Maaaan, that was frustrating
> Never came closer than 6 m. Not even once hovering. I had to pan all the time and you can imagine how small they were in the VF at that distance.
> AF wasn't cooperative, too. But I managed to get those at least decent and well backlit. Those are 1:1 crops, so I would say 15 m away.
> 1/1600, f/8, ISO3200





I really like the first one, the wings position is perfect.


----------



## Click (Jun 28, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> In the end, at about 15:45 CEST  all at once stopped flying, for whatever reason. Haven't seen this before.
> But that gave me the chance to spot this one here, still quite far away.
> 1/500, f/8, ISO1000



Beautiful picture. Great shot!


----------



## AlanF (Jun 28, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> In the end, at about 15:45 CEST  all at once stopped flying, for whatever reason. Haven't seen this before.
> But that gave me the chance to spot this one here, still quite far away.
> 1/500, f/8, ISO1000
> 
> View attachment 198671


This one is spot on! A great shot needs the head and tail in focus and you have positioned perfectly.


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## Maximilian (Jun 28, 2021)

Click said:


> Beautiful picture. Great shot!





AlanF said:


> This one is spot on! A great shot needs the head and tail in focus and you have positioned perfectly.


Thanks, Click and Alan.
For this type of shot I 100% agree to you, Alan. Sometimes I also love a transition from soft to sharp to soft again. It always depends.
Most important: This shot saved my day after all the frustration of _anax _being so uncooperative


----------



## koenkooi (Jun 29, 2021)

Damselfly eating a regular fly:


----------



## Click (Jun 29, 2021)

Beautiful shot, koenkooi.


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## Maximilian (Jun 30, 2021)

I've posted pics of four-spotted chasers before but what I really like about this is that you can see all the different colors at the wings very well.
And - one thing I always like - the highlights on the wings.
Note the different colors at wing venation as well as the surfaces.


----------



## Click (Jun 30, 2021)

I really like this shot. Very nice picture, Maximilian.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 30, 2021)

Click said:


> I really like this shot. Very nice picture, Maximilian.


Thanks, Click.


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## Maximilian (Jun 30, 2021)

Apropos highlights on the wings, this green-eyed hawker gave me the opportunity to get this one


----------



## Cog (Jul 1, 2021)

Shot on m4/3 Olympus, but that's what I could have with me on a trip.


----------



## Click (Jul 1, 2021)

Beautiful shot, Cog.


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## Maximilian (Jul 1, 2021)

Cog said:


> Shot on m4/3 Olympus, but that's what I could have with me on a trip.


Great green-eyed, Cog.
Did you shoot it in Qatar? (Wouldn't expect it there )
Or at which location?

And about the Oly:
Best gear is the one with you! Still welcome


----------



## AlanF (Jul 1, 2021)

Black-tailed Skimmer flying. I zoomed out the 100-500mm to 400mm f/6.3 for DIF today to give extra angle. I'm tempted to use the 100-400mm II for these at f/5.6 as I think it has the edge at 400mm. It's damned difficult getting these in flight as they don't hover.


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## Click (Jul 1, 2021)

Perfect focus. Excellent shot, Alan.


----------



## Cog (Jul 2, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Great green-eyed, Cog.
> Did you shoot it in Qatar? (Wouldn't expect it there )
> Or at which location?
> 
> ...


Thank you, Maximilian! No, this one was shot during the trip to my home place in Russia. We have some dragonflies in Qatar, but the light is too harsh during daytime, when they are active.


----------



## YuengLinger (Jul 2, 2021)

Late afternoon, rare bit of sunshine, tiny drainage pond. On a walk with my son. 
Wow, what we can do handheld these days!
PS Thanks to all who've shared about DxO Photolab.


----------



## Click (Jul 2, 2021)

Beautiful picture, YuengLinger.


----------



## AlanF (Jul 2, 2021)

I took out the old 100-400mm II on the R5 to remind myself how well it performs for dragonflies in flight. Some Banded Demoiselles were flitting around and a Female Emperor Dragonfly gave a cameo performance, photobombed by a Common Blue Damselfly.


----------



## AlanF (Jul 2, 2021)

And the obligatory Banded Demoiselle perched.


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 4, 2021)

Talking about highlights and backlit ... how about backlit DIF?
Again a green-eyed hawker. Those seem to be the "easiest" to DIF for me.







This second set is not so sharp and less detail but more for our avionic experts:
Look at the hind wings and the work angle. Looks like flaps on a plane, doesn't it?


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 4, 2021)

AlanF said:


> ... and a Female Emperor Dragonfly gave a cameo performance, photobombed by a Common Blue Damselfly.


Just "photobombing" or attacking? (looking at the legs forming the trap cage)
Anyway great moment, Alan!


----------



## Click (Jul 4, 2021)

Nice!!!




Well done, Maximilian.


----------



## Raptors (Jul 4, 2021)

Widow Skimmer and American Rubyspot
R5 EF 100-400mm


----------



## AlanF (Jul 4, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Talking about highlights and backlit ... how about backlit DIF?
> Again a green-eyed hawker. Those seem to be the "easiest" to DIF for me.
> 
> View attachment 198783
> ...


Great shots - he likes you!


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## Maximilian (Jul 4, 2021)

Raptors said:


> Widow Skimmer and American Rubyspot


I really love those different colors and colorful wings compared to most old world dragonflies


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## Raptors (Jul 4, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> I really love those different colors and colorful wings compared to most old world dragonflies


Thanks Maximilian. I think I identified them correctly, with the help from the app seek. 

I’ve been trying to capture them in flight…easier said than done!


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## Maximilian (Jul 5, 2021)

Raptors said:


> I’ve been trying to capture them in flight…easier said than done!


If you want some advice, please let us know.
I cannot tell you about R5 AF settings but I am sure AlanF could do.
Most important is to observe their behavior and look for the spots where they hover for about 5 to 10 seconds.
But this can differ a lot between species. Good luck anyway.


----------



## Raptors (Jul 5, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> If you want some advice, please let us know.
> I cannot tell you about R5 AF settings but I am sure AlanF could do.
> Most important is to observe their behavior and look for the spots where they hover for about 5 to 10 seconds.
> But this can differ a lot between species. Good luck anyway.


I'd love your advice. You, Alan and several others have taken some really awesome shots!
I did observe them for about 2 hours (while waiting for the Osprey to arrive, what I learned is that this species 
hover for about 2 seconds and not in the same location! I did try to pre-focus at the approximate distance but the auto focus
(and myself) really struggled. 
I did manage to capture a few in flight but not the best shooting angle. 

Prince Baskettail
R5 EF 100-400mm


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 5, 2021)

Raptors said:


> Prince Baskettail
> R5 EF 100-400mm


I think that pic is quite a start, isn't it? 



Raptors said:


> I'd love your advice. You, Alan and several others have taken some really awesome shots!
> I did observe them for about 2 hours (while waiting for the Osprey to arrive, what I learned is that this species
> hover for about 2 seconds and not in the same location! I did try to pre-focus at the approximate distance but the auto focus
> (and myself) really struggled.


Yeah! Sometimes it's hard. See my post about my tries on _anax_.

When I go out with my 5D4+100-400LII+1.4xExt. for DIF I typically use the following settings:
Bright sunny day, you'll need light, more light.
5D4 in Servo AF, Mode 4, 9 center AF points, sometimes full AF area, if they don't hover well enough.
Metering mostly partial or sometimes spot metering, esp. with dark bg.
Manual mode with auto ISO. _Edit: with 5D4 I try to stay below ISO2000 to get more detail._
1/1000 - 1/1600, f/8 - f/10, for dragonflies, if they hover long I try 1/800 for wing blur effects
1/1600 at least, f/8 - f/10, for damselflies

I move around the pond or lake to see where they are and where they come back and hover.
And when I find a promising spot I do the same as you do: pre-focus and so on.
I've trained myself to look through the VF and at the same time past the camera with the other eye.
And then: patience, patience, patience! And retry. The AF and I, we both had some hard times, too.
For the _anax_ I've waited maybe 2 to 3 hours, had maybe 30 chances to focus, three times the AF worked and I got 20 pic with 3 mediocre keepers.
The green-eyed hawkers and the downy emeralds hovered so often for more than 5 sec, that I needed just 5 chances to get double the pics and really pleasing results.
And last year the downy emeralds never hovered. Last year the _anax_ never came closer than 30 m. No chance for anything.
So return as often as you can and like and stay patient.

For the demoiselles in flight it took me 5 years for decent results as they are always totally erratic in flight behavoir.

I hope, that helps a bit.


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## AlanF (Jul 5, 2021)

My technique is very different for dragonflies in flight. Wide open lens, no extender and preferably 400mm on full frame. Fully manual settings as I don't want auto iso changing exposure during a burst when I track against different backgrounds. With the 5DIV and 5DSR I used centre 9 points (or group with Nikon DSLR). With the R5 I use full tracking mode. I don't have Maximilian's patience, and neither does my wife when she is waiting for me, so I have to be quick.


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## Maximilian (Jul 5, 2021)

AlanF said:


> ... I don't have Maximilian's patience, and neither does my wife when she is waiting for me, so I have to be quick.


It would be great to get similar results with less effort. And for sure, if wife and/or children are with me I'll have to be quick, too 
And I gained the patience mostly because of the COVID lockdowns because I simply had more time to spend.


----------



## Raptors (Jul 6, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> I think that pic is quite a start, isn't it?
> 
> 
> Yeah! Sometimes it's hard. See my post about my tries on _anax_.
> ...



Wow, thanks Maximilian and Alan! I really appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge. 

The dragonflies that were on my property have now moved on, so my recent images were taken along the Grand River (largest river in Southwestern Ontario, 280km). Its been pretty humid here recently, sometimes reaching 35°C, but feeling like 40°C when you factor in the humidity…too hot for me lol

When it cools off, I will head out and try your suggestions.

Thanks again!


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 6, 2021)

Raptors said:


> When it cools off, I will head out and try your suggestions.


We here in Germany heard about the high temps and the burns in the news, esp. in BC. I hope it will get better soon.
Lower temps could mean that maybe the dragonflies could be a little bit slower/less active.
Maybe this helps to make DIF easier.


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## Maximilian (Jul 6, 2021)

Haven't done this perspective of mating skimmers before


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## AlanF (Jul 6, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Haven't done this perspective of mating skimmers before
> 
> View attachment 198818


This thread is suffering from over-copulation.


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## Click (Jul 6, 2021)

LOL  

Very nice shot, Maximilian.


----------



## Raptors (Jul 6, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> We here in Germany heard about the high temps and the burns in the news, esp. in BC. I hope it will get better soon.
> Lower temps could mean that maybe the dragonflies could be a little bit slower/less active.
> Maybe this helps to make DIF easier.


A few years ago (before covid) I had planed to move out west as their summers are warm, cool nights and fairly low humidity…at least they were. 
They say they can’t directly attribute this heatwave to climate change, but experts say the fingerprints of global heating are all over it.

Finally some relief by tomorrow, but they are calling for rain  I suppose dragonflies, like many insects, are known to be strongly affected by changes in the weather. Either way, being close to nature is what I live for.


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 11, 2021)

Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream...
Red-eyed damselflies (_erythromma najas_) seem to like children's songs, too.


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 11, 2021)

And one of my most beloved perspective of sitting dragonflies or damselflies: hide and seek!
TBH it works better with damselflies than with four-spotted chasers 
Interesting that that even in parking position the first pair of legs is behind the head here.


----------



## Click (Jul 11, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream...




Very nice shots. I really like your last picture.


----------



## Nemorino (Jul 14, 2021)

Eurasian Bluet ( _Coenagrion_*)*
R5 and Sigma 150mm Macro with a 1.4TC @ 1/3200, f/8, ISO1600


----------



## Click (Jul 14, 2021)

Nice shot, Nemorino.


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 16, 2021)

Still no luck on _anax_ DIFs. But these two I could get resting. Note the wings, how they can get damaged during air combat.


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 16, 2021)

And this four-spotted chaser is close to MFD of the 100 -400L II @ f/10, almost no cropping.
So just a really little area of focus. That one was from further away, cropped, a little bit less detail, but overall better, not only because of the highlights.


----------



## Click (Jul 16, 2021)

Very nice pictures, Maximilian. I especially like the fist one. Well done.


----------



## AlanF (Jul 18, 2021)

The Four-Spotted Chasers have been around for a while now, and it's beginning to show on their wings as @Maximilian has noted. I don't know whether they have been nibbled by the local Emperor Dragonflies or just escaped the birds.


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## AlanF (Jul 18, 2021)

My first Common Darter of the season.


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## AlanF (Jul 18, 2021)

The previous were all at 500mm on the R5. Here is a Black-tailed Skimmer taken at 500mm and then with the 2xTC at 1000mm.


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## Click (Jul 18, 2021)

Beautiful series, Alan.


----------



## koenkooi (Jul 18, 2021)

After a week of rain I finally managed to get out again and find some dragonflies. I think this is the first time with the 100-500 that I can see the facets in both eyes:




Click to get higher res options at flickr.


----------



## koenkooi (Jul 18, 2021)

And the damselfly that took up residence in my garden was approachable enough so I could test the RF100mm f/2.8:





This is a heavy crop, the body was too much out of focus to be included


----------



## koenkooi (Jul 18, 2021)

And here I forgot to move the focus point, so the magnified view was in the middle. It's hard to get close enough with the MP-E65mm and flash heads, so when I do get close I should really pay better attention to composition:


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 19, 2021)

koenkooi said:


> After a week of rain I finally managed to get out again ...


So true. What an awful weather. And all my thoughts are with the victims of the floodings here in Germany. 

I had the chance to get some distraction on Sunday and came across this very cooperative _anax_. 
All three pics without any cropping, only compressing for this page, close to MFD of the 100-400 II + 1.4x. 
The first was @560mm, for the others I had to zoom out @350mm to get the framing.


----------



## Click (Jul 19, 2021)

I really like the first picture. Great shot, Maximilian.


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 20, 2021)

Young female darter.


----------



## Click (Jul 20, 2021)

Very nice!




Well done, Maximilian.


----------



## AlanF (Jul 22, 2021)

Another Common Darter, similarly backlit.


----------



## Click (Jul 22, 2021)

Very nice shot, Alan.


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 2, 2021)

A female demoiselle.


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## Maximilian (Aug 2, 2021)

Do darters like blackberries? For mellow ones they will have to wait a little bit.


----------



## Click (Aug 2, 2021)

Beautiful series. I really like your shots. Well done, Maximilian.


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 3, 2021)

Yet another one I haven't seen at "my" ponds before (but somewhere else):
A male broad-bodied chaser (_libellula depressa_). I hope he isn't depressed when I see him again


----------



## AlanF (Aug 3, 2021)

Ruddy Darters have started to appear. I spent quite a time shooting these until I got a head and tail in focus (R5 at 500m). And a crop of it more looking at me.


----------



## Click (Aug 3, 2021)

Very nice shots, Alan. The first picture is just wow. Excellent!.


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 3, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Ruddy Darters have started to appear.


Really nice ones, Alan. Looking at the detail of the compound eye I think I know what I'll do if I have some 4.500 € to spend 

Here are my darters from the weekend. 
WARNING! Explicit content! WARNING!
Don't scroll down to the third picture if you don't want to see indecent behaviour 




1:1 crop of the head. I think the 5D4 AF didn't 100% nail it but im fine with it for a 100-400LII iwth TC.




Warning! This pic is sharp, too


----------



## AlanF (Aug 3, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Really nice ones, Alan. Looking at the detail of the compound eye I think I know what I'll do if I have some 4.500 € to spend
> 
> Here are my darters from the weekend.
> WARNING! Explicit content! WARNING!
> ...


You'll get just as sharp with a 5DSR as with an R5.


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 3, 2021)

AlanF said:


> You'll get just as sharp with a 5DSR as with an R5.


I think I am more keen on the AF system not so much on more MP


----------



## AlanF (Aug 3, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> I think I am more keen on the AF system not so much on more MP


I'm using centre point for these and the 5DSR is just as good once calibrated.


----------



## Click (Aug 3, 2021)

Beautiful shots, Maximilian.


----------



## AlanF (Aug 4, 2021)

Common Darter in Flight.


----------



## AlanF (Aug 4, 2021)

Emperors are easier. With these shots with the R5 and electronic shutter, it's shoot one, get 19 free.


----------



## Click (Aug 4, 2021)

I really like your gifs. I especially like the Emperor. Well done, Alan.


----------



## AlanF (Aug 7, 2021)

Some more gifs from today, Banded Demoiselles. You can't appreciate the beauty of these in flight as they are too small and fast, which applies in general to dragonflies.


----------



## Click (Aug 7, 2021)

Alan, you're the king of the gif. I really like the second one. Well done.


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 7, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Emperors are easier.


Still not for me  But I'm getting better - and this one was more cooperative flying a bit slower. Still I needed cropping.


----------



## AlanF (Aug 7, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Still not for me  But I'm getting better - and this one was more cooperative flying a bit slower. Still I needed cropping.
> 
> View attachment 199438
> 
> ...


Still shots are also much better than looking at them through binoculars or the naked eye as you don't see the wings or the details.


----------



## AlanF (Aug 7, 2021)

Click said:


> Alan, you're the king of the gif. I really like the second one. Well done.


Thanks Click. I guess you like the impression of flying across the water, which I also prefer.


----------



## Click (Aug 7, 2021)

Exactly Alan.


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 9, 2021)

These are surely not the best of my dragonfly pictures but maybe the most important and most difficult to shoot.
This is a golden-ringed dragonfly (_cordulegaster boltonii_). I've heard and read about these but never thought they would also live around the corner.
An endangered species in Germany (Red list V, IUCN NT*). As is the green-eyed hawker (Red list 3, IUCN VU*). (*If I transfer this right)
And maybe my pics can help to safe its habitat.
A friend of mine told me that he saw a dragonfly in the woods that he thought to be from the genus _cordulegaster _but he didn‘t know which. He asked me to take pictures to determine it.
So I went into the „dark“ forest and found those patrolling along a small stream.
Bad light, narrow angel of view and those never sitting or hovering.
Until I saw this female (?) resting and took my chance.

With fill flash:



Natural light (1/200, ISO1600):



And here the "best" tries on a male in flight (1/500, ISO1600+):


----------



## AlanF (Aug 9, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> These are surely not the best of my dragonfly pictures but maybe the most important and most difficult to shoot.
> This is a golden-ringed dragonfly (_cordulegaster boltonii_).
> An endangered species in Germany (Red list V, IUCN NT*). As is the green-eyed hawker (Red list 3, IUCN VU*). (*If I transfer this right)
> And maybe my pics can help to safe its habitat.
> ...


Well done!


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 9, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Well done!


Thanks Alan! Maybe I'll find the time to return tomorrow to do better.


----------



## Click (Aug 9, 2021)

The first picture is really nice. Well done, Maximilian.


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 10, 2021)

Click said:


> The first picture is really nice. Well done, Maximilian.


Same opinion here! 
I posted the other just to show how much a fill flash can do.
And when you look at the BG you can see the effect that slightly different angel can have. 
The "natural light" was the first and in a hurry just to get the determination pic. 
For the second one I had some more time to get closer and think of composition and flash etc.


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 10, 2021)

This is a female brown hawker (_aeshna grandis_). The males have blue spots and a narrow-waisted abdomen.
I came across her in 2013 in Northern Germany. Totally forgot about this great looking species.
I love the brown veins of the wings.


----------



## Click (Aug 10, 2021)

Very nice series, Maximilian. I really like the first and the last picture.


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 10, 2021)

Click said:


> Very nice series, Maximilian. I really like the first and the last picture.


I love all. The last was with fill flash. It was sitting there long enough for me to get inside, fetch the flash and come back again.


----------



## AlanF (Aug 11, 2021)

Mr and Mrs Common Darter today (R5 500mm) at 2m, 2.4m.


----------



## Click (Aug 11, 2021)

Very nice pictures. I especially like the second one.


----------



## AlanF (Aug 11, 2021)

Click said:


> Very nice pictures. I especially like the second one.


So does Mrs Darter, but Mr Darter fancies the first!


----------



## AlanF (Aug 14, 2021)

Common Darters procreation process (R5 + 100-500mm this morning).
1. Mating
2. Flying together.
3. View of eggs in female.
4. Gif of depositing eggs.


----------



## Click (Aug 14, 2021)

Very nice!  Well done, Alan.


----------



## AlanF (Aug 15, 2021)

My first sharp shots of a Brown Hawker this morning. I got one a week or so ago but at low detail. These guys are really quick, faster than me!


----------



## Click (Aug 15, 2021)

WOW Great shots! Well done, Sir!


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 22, 2021)

AlanF said:


> My first sharp shots of a Brown Hawker this morning.


Wonderful pics, Alan!


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 22, 2021)

A scarce chaser (_libellula fulva_).
I suppose in the past I posted some pics where I mistakenly thought they were skimmers.
For those looking for differences:
- of course the black spots on the wing tips - but those are not always there
That's where the German Name comes from: Spitzenfleck = tip spot
- The triangle spots at the inner hind wings (skimmers don't have them)
- blue compound eyes (skimmers have greenish)
- sometimes black spots at the third (and fourth) segment of the abdomen




Here is an older one I've posted before as skimmer with almost no black spots on the wing tips but therefore the black and blue abdomen


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## AlanF (Aug 22, 2021)

Click said:


> WOW Great shots! Well done, Sir!





Maximilian said:


> Wonderful pics, Alan!


Thanks Click and Maximilian. They were very difficult shots. He was darting very fast without any hovering against a background. I don't know how the R5 focussed on him as I was panning like mad just trying to get him in the frame.


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 23, 2021)

AlanF said:


> ... I don't know how the R5 focussed on him as I was panning like mad just trying to get him in the frame.


Okay, you got me. I'll start saving for one *sigh*


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 23, 2021)

Yet another well backlit anax:


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## Click (Aug 23, 2021)

Beautiful shot. I really like this one.


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 23, 2021)

Click said:


> Beautiful shot. I really like this one.


Thanks, Click.


----------



## koenkooi (Aug 25, 2021)

I went to a bog a few weeks ago, there were so many dragonflies around that they became hard to avoid. Here's one sitting on my hat while I'm trying to take a picture of another one.


----------



## koenkooi (Aug 25, 2021)

With that many around I could try to get some more artistic shots. My goal for this photo was to get the shadows projected on the grass to line up with the actual wings, but it didn't quite work out, the MFD of the RF100-500 combined with it being a bog didn't allow for getting into the right spot without much larger rubber boots


----------



## koenkooi (Aug 25, 2021)

One taken with the new RF100 f/2.8L lens. In the shade at 7AM, ISO 12800 + Topaz Denoise.


----------



## Click (Aug 25, 2021)

koenkooi said:


> One taken with the new RF100 f/2.8L lens. In the shade at 7AM, ISO 12800 + Topaz Denoise.




Great shot!


----------



## AlanF (Aug 25, 2021)

Another one in the shade. My wife saw through the kitchen window a dragonfly land in the deep shade of a bay tree in a slight drizzle. It was a Southern Hawker, a huge 70mm long dragonfly. Here is the full length beauty and homing in on its eye at 500mm. Iso 2500, pushed through 3 stops, equivalent to 20k.


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## Click (Aug 25, 2021)

WOW! Beautiful shots, Alan.


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## Maximilian (Aug 26, 2021)

Yet a better pic of a banded demoiselle (c_alopteryx splendens_) than the ones I could do before


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## Click (Aug 26, 2021)

I really like the "metallic effect" for this banded demoiselle.


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## EricN (Aug 26, 2021)

Click said:


> I really like the "metallic effect" for this banded demoiselle.


Me too!

cropped from 70mm f/2. I tried to get closer, but spooked them.


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## Maximilian (Aug 26, 2021)

Click said:


> I really like the "metallic effect" for this banded demoiselle.





EricN said:


> Me too!


Me too! Thanks guys.
The most difficult part is to get the right angle where they are really cyan blue and less greenish - especially when you try on them in flight


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 26, 2021)

EricN said:


> I tried to get closer, but spooked them.


That's a really difficult waiting game. To move really, - r-e-a-l-l-y - slow towards them 
I hope for more luck next time. Still a really nice picture, Eric.


----------



## EricN (Aug 26, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> That's a really difficult waiting game. To move really, - r-e-a-l-l-y - slow towards them
> I hope for more luck next time. Still a really nice picture, Eric.


Thanks. I think it would have been better if I'd stopped down, but I was excited to see the lens wide open.


----------



## Nemorino (Aug 26, 2021)

Sometimes you can get really close:
Eos R5 + Laowa 15mm Macro @ f/8, Iso1600



Eos R5 + Sigma 105mm @ f/5.6, Iso800



Eos R5 + Sigma 105mm + MT 24 @ f/9, Iso640


----------



## Click (Aug 26, 2021)

WOW Excellent shots. Well done, Nemorino.


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## Maximilian (Aug 27, 2021)

Nemorino said:


> Sometimes you can get really close:
> Eos R5 + Laowa 15mm Macro @ f/8, Iso1600


Great series, Nemorino.

Especially the first one is fascinating as one is not used to such UWA macros. Seeing the BG that sharp still having the damselfly so close is fantastic.
And the flare is some great artistic effect and not a flaw of the lens


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## Nemorino (Aug 27, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> And the flare is some great artistic effect and not a flaw of the lens


Thank you!
To be honest I had to remove a larger flair (bottom, left). It's a disadvantage of the WA macros: in one direction you get the shadow of the lens on the subject. In the other direction these flairs. :-(


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## koenkooi (Aug 28, 2021)

This one landed in my garden and remained long enough to swap the RF100-500 for the EF180 + flash. The A4 sized softbox turned out to be not soft enough, the highlight in the eye resisted to all local adjustments in Lightroom.


----------



## koenkooi (Aug 28, 2021)

The same one, different plant and now with the RF100 macro, the softbox worked a lot better here.


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## koenkooi (Aug 28, 2021)

Another shot from the bog excursion. R5 + EF180 on a tripod, ISO6400 + Topaz denoise. Slightly after 6AM, so it still had dewdrops on its eyes and thorax. 
The original image, without noise reduction was "OK", any attempt at moderate NR gave ugly splotchy results in both Lightroom and Topaz, so I went for the maximum setting in Topaz which fixed the background, but also smoothed out the lower parts of the eye.


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## Click (Aug 28, 2021)

Beautiful pictures. Nicely done, koenkooi.

​


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## Ray MacDonald (Aug 28, 2021)

Tripod mounted Canon EF 400mm f2.8 w 1.4 EX on 1DX. Halloween Pennant Dragonfly nibbling on corn tassel.


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## Maximilian (Aug 28, 2021)

Ray MacDonald said:


> Halloween Pennant Dragonfly nibbling on corn tassel.


Great, Ray


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## Click (Aug 28, 2021)

Great shot. Well done, Ray.


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## Ray MacDonald (Aug 28, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Great, Ray


thanks!..... curious side bar.... I was standing in this two acre cornfield...big tripod, gimbal, big lens, camera...watching and waiting for this guy to alight---getting into a decent position, dropped the height to frame him against the blue sky....and was approached by two police, right hand resting on their sidearm. "what are you doing?" [now there's an opening question] I was still excited about my prize shot...and pointed off to where the dragonfly was perched...."I'm shooting a photo of that dragonfly!" ...and showed them the image on the back of my camera..... "this is private property". "oh, I'm sorry, I'll leave..." [ I thought it was a public plot--as it is directly bordered by a public park. 

But I didn't wreck any of the plants...or take anything....other than the image.
I am more mindful now of being scrupulous to avoid other's property.


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## josephandrews222 (Aug 29, 2021)

Eastern Amberwing...or Biplane?





Eastern Amberwing (I think).





There are some really really good images posted here in this corner of CR...many of which show the strength of the R5 and its sensor, focus properties, and the native R glass...better than anything I can think of.

Great pics posted by all...today was my first real look at this category.


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## AlanF (Aug 29, 2021)

josephandrews222 said:


> Eastern Amberwing...or Biplane?
> 
> View attachment 199862
> View attachment 199863
> ...


Welcome to the Dragonfly thread! There are lots of great images here, and your kind words much appreciated. But most have not been taken with the R5. The shots taken here here with other bodies or with other than RF glass are at least as good, if not better, and I’ve taken by far the most of the R5 + RF glass shots. Where the RF is a winner is for DIF at 20 fps where the R5‘s ability to latch on and track long sequences is awesome, but for static or single DIF shots non R/RF is just as good, and sometimes better.


----------



## Nemorino (Aug 29, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Where the RF is a winner is for DIF at 20 fps where the R5‘s ability to latch on and track long sequences is awesome


I use "just" the 12 fps with mechanical shutter but got a sequence of 53 pictures of this dragonfly:


The first GIF has been to large so I reduced the number of frames down to 10.

I took a walk through the city with the R5 and RF24-105L in my bag. Surprisingly I noticed this insect by a pond in the inner city.


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## Click (Aug 29, 2021)

Very nice gif, Nemorino.


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## Click (Aug 29, 2021)

josephandrews222 said:


> Eastern Amberwing...or Biplane?




Beautiful pictures. I really like the biplane. Well done, josephandrews!


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## josephandrews222 (Aug 29, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Welcome to the Dragonfly thread! There are lots of great images here, and your kind words much appreciated. But most have not been taken with the R5. The shots taken here here with other bodies or with other than RF glass are at least as good, if not better, and I’ve taken by far the most of the R5 + RF glass shots. Where the RF is a winner is for DIF at 20 fps where the R5‘s ability to latch on and track long sequences is awesome, but for static or single DIF shots non R/RF is just as good, and sometimes better.


When making my R5 comment here, I was thinking of what at the time was my next post:





__





Butterflies, Moths and Assorted Insects...


@Click & @Maximilian Thank you! :D Of cause the R5 did the main job.;)




www.canonrumors.com





I presume the R5 would have a better chance of locking onto proper focus for the first few images there?

In addition, the extra pixels of the R5 would have been handy for the Eastern Amberwing pix I posted...those little guys are less than an inch long, I think.

But your point is well taken, and I did not mean to diminish the efforts of others (and their gear)--this includes me and the trusty 5DMk3 that still serves me well.

But I'm dreaming of a letter, AlanF. I think there's a letter in my future...


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## AlanF (Aug 29, 2021)

josephandrews222 said:


> When making my R5 comment here, I was thinking of what at the time was my next post:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The R5 will give more detail than the 5DIII, which can still produce stunning images. However, my trusty old 5DSR and 100-400mm II (which I still use) give just as detailed images as the R5 + 100-500mm, but I have to get the exposure right as you can't push the RAW from the 5DSR in post nearly as much as that from the R5. Also, I don't think the AF of the R5 for these close up shots is much different from the recent DSLRs. I use the centre square for AF for these subjects, and the DSLRs have a smaller focus area mode choice.


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## AlanF (Aug 29, 2021)

Female Southern Hawker. She was attempting to oviposit on the side of a platform on the water. She's the only dragonfly I've seen for a couple of days.


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## Click (Aug 29, 2021)

Beautiful picture, Alan. I really like the colours.


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## AlanF (Aug 30, 2021)

Click said:


> Beautiful picture, Alan. I really like the colours.


The green background is algae on her little pool. It's been a very bad year for Dragonflies, and it's their absence and not gear that is limiting.


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## Maximilian (Aug 30, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Female Southern Hawker. She was attempting to oviposit on the side of a platform on the water. She's the only dragonfly I've seen for a couple of days.


Wonderful pic, Alan! A little bit dark, isn't it?
I guess I would have pushed it 1/3 to 1/2 a stop.


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## Maximilian (Aug 30, 2021)

Saw this darter in the middle of the dark forest when I was searching for the golden ringed dragonfly. 
It was hovering a lot, but it was so dark that I didn't have a chance to try without fill flash.
Seems the AF didn't do as I wanted. 
But the important thing in this case - the abdomen is in focus. Can you see them? The eggs?
Taken @ M mode, 400mm, 1/200, f/8, ISO800, fill flash with diffusor +2/3 to compensate the diffusor


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## AlanF (Aug 30, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Wonderful pic, Alan! A little bit dark, isn't it?
> I guess I would have pushed it 1/3 to 1/2 a stop.





Maximilian said:


> Saw this darter in the middle of the dark forest when I was searching for the golden ringed dragonfly.
> It was hovering a lot, but it was so dark that I didn't have a chance to try without fill flash.
> Seems the AF didn't do as I wanted.
> But the important thing in this case - the abdomen is in focus. Can you see them? The eggs?
> ...


Wonderful pic, Maximilian! A little bit bright isn't it?
I guess I would have darkened it 1/3 to 1/2 a stop.


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## Nemorino (Aug 30, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> A little bit dark, isn't it?


No, I like it as it is.  (even with sunglasses!)


AlanF said:


> A little bit bright isn't it?


 Just the reducing the highlights!


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## Maximilian (Sep 6, 2021)

One of the last pics of skimmers this year. Their season typically ends by mid August.


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## koenkooi (Sep 6, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> One of the last pics of skimmers this year. Their season typically ends by mid August.
> 
> View attachment 200028


The focal plane is very nice on that one!


----------



## Click (Sep 6, 2021)

+1

Lovely shot. Nicely done, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Sep 6, 2021)

koenkooi said:


> The focal plane is very nice on that one!





Click said:


> +1


Thanks, guys.


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## AlanF (Sep 6, 2021)

Willow Emerald Damselfly this morning.


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## Click (Sep 6, 2021)

Nice! I love the creamy background.


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## AlanF (Sep 8, 2021)

A Southern Hawker DIF. R5+100-500mm


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## Click (Sep 8, 2021)

WOW Beautiful shots, Alan. I really like the second one.


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## tron (Sep 8, 2021)

I agree with Click. Alan the second one is fantastic!


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## Maximilian (Sep 9, 2021)

A ruddy darter with highlight bg.


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## Maximilian (Sep 9, 2021)

My first willow emerald this year.


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## AlanF (Sep 9, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> My first willow emerald this year.
> 
> View attachment 200092


They are becoming more common because of global warming. I got one this week where I took about 100 shots to get just the right angle for top and bottom to be in focus. It's an incredibly long male. I think yours is a female.


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## Maximilian (Sep 9, 2021)

AlanF said:


> It's an incredibly long male. I think yours is a female.


Correct! 
The males like yours have these _cerci _and _paraprocte _formed like grippers to hold the females.
The females have that thicker abdomen end segments and ovipositor, that you can see quite well at my pic.
But a little bit long distance for our two willow emeralds to try matchmaking


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## Maximilian (Sep 9, 2021)

My first migrant hawker (_aeshna mixta_) DIF pics.
They used to hover quite a long time, so I could choose longer exposure times for blurry wings.
[email protected] 560mm, 1/500, f/16, ISO1250


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## Click (Sep 9, 2021)

Very nice pictures, Maximilian.


----------



## Nemorino (Sep 11, 2021)

Another one with the Laowa 15mm UWA macro and the R5:
1/500s, Iso800, about f/8



And one with a Sigma 70-200 & 2xTC @ 353mm, 1/2000s, Iso 1250, f/8



Great fun to use such different techniques at one day: full manual and high end tracking!


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## Click (Sep 11, 2021)

Very nice pictures, Nemorino.


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## Maximilian (Sep 12, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> But a little bit long distance for our two willow emeralds to try matchmaking


I was able to find a male a little bit closer. But now I can't find the female anymore 
Seems I'm not the best one in matchmaking


----------



## AlanF (Sep 12, 2021)

Managed to get a male Brown Hawker flying towards me today. These guys are fast and don't hover (for me). R5 100-500mm.


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## Click (Sep 12, 2021)

Great shot ,Alan. It's beautiful, well done.


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## Click (Sep 12, 2021)

Lovely shot, Maximilian.


----------



## koenkooi (Sep 22, 2021)

This one perched on a watering can in my garden. RF100mm + MT14EX + diffuser:




A few days earlier a similar one perched on the fence, RF100-500mm:


----------



## Click (Sep 22, 2021)

Very nice shots. I especially like the second one. Well done, koenkooi.


----------



## AlanF (Sep 22, 2021)

Great day for me for Migrant Hawkers. One perched in front of me and was front lit. It then flew in front of me, but he was backlit and it took some work to get the colour back.


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## AlanF (Sep 22, 2021)

A 2-second burst of 24 shots at 12 fps with EFCS on the R5 and 100-500mm shows nicely how it flaps its wings when hovering.


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## Click (Sep 22, 2021)

Great shots, Alan.





Excellent gif also! You are the gif master.


----------



## AlanF (Sep 22, 2021)

Click said:


> Great shots, Alan.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Click. I am trying hard to produce the gifs.


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## Maximilian (Sep 23, 2021)

Sitting migrant hawkers.


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## Maximilian (Sep 23, 2021)

And some really late this year scarce chasers.


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## Click (Sep 23, 2021)

Nice shots, Maximilian. I especially like the first one.


----------



## Maximilian (Sep 24, 2021)

Yesterday I found this really, really old female black-tailed skimmer. They normally fly until mid of August.
Their body normally is yellow-brownish. Brown-greyish is a sign for its aging.
And look at the wing tips and wing edges...


----------



## Click (Sep 24, 2021)

Nice picture! Thank you for the information provided.


----------



## AlanF (Sep 24, 2021)

A pair of Common Darters making sure we have something to photo in the future. R5 + 100-500mm as usual.


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## Click (Sep 24, 2021)

Beautiful shots, Alan.


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## Maximilian (Sep 25, 2021)

AlanF said:


> A pair of Common Darters making sure we have something to photo in the future. R5 + 100-500mm as usual.


Especially the one in flight is great, Alan.
Out of interest: how many DIF "non-keepers" regarding AF locking do you have with the R5?


----------



## AlanF (Sep 25, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Especially the one in flight is great, Alan.
> Out of interest: how many DIF "non-keepers" regarding AF locking do you have with the R5?


Varies according to how fast and erratic they are flying, whether they are just hovering, how fast I can move the camera and lens, background, distance etc, and what I consider to be a keeper. The number of keepers varies from frustratingly low when they are darting like mad against a confusing background to boringly easy when they are hovering against a plain background at just the correct angle.


----------



## Maximilian (Sep 25, 2021)

AlanF said:


> ... The number of keepers varies from frustratingly low when they are darting like mad against a confusing background to boringly easy when they are hovering against a plain background at just the correct angle.


Thanks for that info. 
Seems I don't need to sell a kidney or anything else. But it's tempting, still. And veeeery expensive. 
Maybe I'll managed saving when R5 Mk II arrives


----------



## AlanF (Sep 27, 2021)

A Common Darter symbolically on an autumnal leaf to show the beginning of the end of its brief season. I used focus stacking (R5 500mm).


----------



## Click (Sep 27, 2021)

I really like this shot. Well done, Alan.


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## AlanF (Sep 27, 2021)

Click said:


> I really like this shot. Well done, Alan.


It was high up in a tree so it provided a different point of view from usual for me.


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## Maximilian (Oct 4, 2021)

AlanF said:


> A Common Darter symbolically on an autumnal leaf to show the beginning of the end of its brief season. ...


Really poetic subject. Wonderful, Alan.

Is the wing getting blind or is it fogged? I cannot recognise it.


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## Maximilian (Oct 4, 2021)

One of my last pictures. A migrant hawker.
It's getting cold and rainy throughout the next week. I don't think that I will have much more chances on dragonflies.
I still have some on my HDD but I'm already awaiting the the 2022 season


----------



## Click (Oct 4, 2021)

Beautiful picture, Maximilian.


----------



## AlanF (Oct 4, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Really poetic subject. Wonderful, Alan.
> 
> Is the wing getting blind or is it fogged? I cannot recognise it.


light reflection at that angle.


----------



## AlanF (Oct 8, 2021)

Common Darters are the most common at present. Here's one close up with the 100-500mm at 1000mm.


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## Click (Oct 8, 2021)

Very nice close up!


----------



## HenryL (Oct 8, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Common Darters are the most common at present. Here's one close up with the 100-500mm at 1000mm.
> 
> View attachment 200675


Um...WOW!


----------



## Maximilian (Oct 13, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Common Darters are the most common at present. Here's one close up with the 100-500mm at 1000mm.


Great sharpness on the eye. 
Full pic or cropped?


----------



## AlanF (Oct 13, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Great sharpness on the eye.
> Full pic or cropped?


Crop (1 pixel = 1 pixel of original).


----------



## Maximilian (Oct 13, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Crop (1 pixel = 1 pixel of original).


Thanks for that info. Of course I could have checked the file name  before asking, which I didn't.


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## AlanF (Oct 17, 2021)

The Southern Hawkers are still around. I stalked this one and took far too many shots to get all of its long, ~3"/7.5cm, body in focus. 100-500mm.


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## Click (Oct 17, 2021)

Beautiful series, Alan.


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## Maximilian (Oct 18, 2021)

AlanF said:


> ... took far too many shots to get all of its long, ~3"/7.5cm, body in focus. ...


Twas worth it, Alan. Great series.
Looking at the wings this was a really old individual.


----------



## AlanF (Oct 18, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Twas worth it, Alan. Great series.
> Looking at the wings this was a really old individual.


Me or the dragonfly?


----------



## Maximilian (Oct 19, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Me or the dragonfly?


 Do you have wings?


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## AlanF (Oct 19, 2021)

Maximilian said:


> Do you have wings?


Not yet.


----------



## Click (Oct 19, 2021)




----------



## Maximilian (Oct 19, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Not yet.


I really hope this state will stay for a while. Stay healthy.


----------



## AlanF (Oct 29, 2021)

There are still some Ruddy Darters around. I got this one yesterday with the 100-500mm. It's a pity I didn't have the RF 100-400mm as I'd like to have tested it.
It's the best shot I have got of the grid of lenses on an eye because the light was right. Focus stacked to get both ends sharp.


----------



## Click (Oct 29, 2021)

WOW That's sharp. Excellent picture. Nicely done, Alan.


----------



## ISv (Nov 7, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Common Darters are the most common at present. Here's one close up with the 100-500mm at 1000mm.
> 
> View attachment 200675


Great shot Alan! 
I didn't visit this topic for a wile - simply because I don't have any new photos of dragons so far. A lot of great photos around (and it would be nice workout to put thumb up for all of them!) but this one grabbed my attention because the lens... You really did find the lens that covers most of your interest without pressing you to drag a heavy backpack!


----------



## AlanF (Nov 7, 2021)

I have too many telephoto lenses I love!


----------



## ISv (Nov 7, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Me or the dragonfly?


If you still have a wings - it's not you!


----------



## neuroanatomist (Jan 16, 2022)

This one is from a while back, and it's the shot that killed my 1D X (the main PCB failed right after this image).



EOS 1D X, EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM, f/10, 1/320 s, ISO 2500


----------



## Click (Jan 16, 2022)

Beautiful picture, Neuro.


----------



## Jack Douglas (Jan 16, 2022)

neuroanatomist said:


> This one is from a while back, and it's the shot that killed my 1D X (the main PCB failed right after this image).
> 
> View attachment 202114
> 
> EOS 1D X, EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM, f/10, 1/320 s, ISO 2500


A great camera... in its day. How I remember following the "Anything shot" thread with its amazing photos, with awe.

Are you interested in an R1?

Jack


----------



## neuroanatomist (Jan 16, 2022)

Jack Douglas said:


> A great camera... in its day. How I remember following the "Anything shot" thread with its amazing photos, with awe.


Still great. I recently got around to having Canon replace the PCB. I will probably sell it, not certain yet. 



Jack Douglas said:


> Are you interested in an R1?


Depends on the features and specs.


----------



## Maximilian (Mar 26, 2022)

The 2022 season has begun.
I suppose this is a common winter damselfly (_sympecma fusca_).
And I suppose I need to train my alignment of focus plane again 
I hope I'll find them again tomorrow.


----------



## Maximilian (Apr 3, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> The 2022 season has begun.
> I suppose this is a common winter damselfly (_sympecma fusca_).
> And I suppose I need to train my alignment of focus plane again
> I hope I'll find them again tomorrow.


I finally found the time to process the best pic I took the next day. And the focus plane is much better here 
And I read about this very interesting damselfly. It is one of only two species in Europe that overwinter as imago.
And they can reach an age of up to 11 month as imago which is much longer than normal dragonflies and damselflies.
Really fascinating.


----------



## Maximilian (Apr 20, 2022)

Yet another try on the common winter damselfly from this weekend.
Other damselflies have not appeared yet. Not to mention dragonflies. But it's just a few weeks of waiting...


----------



## Maximilian (May 7, 2022)

The blue-tailed damselflies (_ischnura elegans_) are second this year. 
I caught some of them at lunch time


----------



## Maximilian (May 7, 2022)

And the winter damselflies take care about the next generation


----------



## Click (May 8, 2022)

Excellent series. I especially like the second picture.


----------



## AlanF (May 15, 2022)

My first dragonfly of the season, a Hairy Dragonfly, the smallest hawker, which emerges before the others. I haven't shot one before. It's so long that with a 1000mm of lens and standing 4.5 m away, it nearly filled the height of the screen.


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## Maximilian (May 15, 2022)

This seems to be a freshly hatched female scarce chaser




And I found a triple pack of exuviae - damselfly got a bit too much oof. Plus aphid in the shadow


----------



## Maximilian (May 15, 2022)

AlanF said:


> My first dragonfly of the season, a Hairy Dragonfly, the smallest hawker, which emerges before the others. I haven't shot one before. It's so long that with a 1000mm of lens and standing 4.5 m away, it nearly filled the height of the screen.


Wonderful catch, Alan.
I haven't seen this kind of hawker before, only in literature.


----------



## Maximilian (May 15, 2022)

First four-spotted chaser of the season


----------



## Maximilian (May 15, 2022)

An artistic try on a backlit blue-tailed damselflies with sun reflections on the water


----------



## Click (May 15, 2022)

Alan and Maximilain,

Great shots, guys.


----------



## koenkooi (May 16, 2022)

Two focus stacks from summer 2021, I finally had enough motivation to run all the CR3s through Topaz Denoise and then stack them with Helicon Focus. Both were taken around 7 in the morning, the first using ISO6400, the second with ISO3200. The built-in focus stacking feature was used, so it's all e-shutter, taken as fast as the lens can re-focus.

The dragonfly in the bottom picture grew an extra appendage, it moved its leg during the shoot 

R5 + EF180L:


R5 + RF100L:


----------



## Click (May 16, 2022)

Beautiful pictures, koenkooi. I especially like the first one.
​


----------



## Maximilian (May 16, 2022)

A female azure damselfly


----------



## Maximilian (May 16, 2022)

a few more blue-tailed damselflies, already caring about reproduction


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## Click (May 16, 2022)

I really like the metallic effect on the first one, it looks like brass.

Nice shots, Maximilian.


----------



## AlanF (May 16, 2022)

My first Common Blue Damselfly of the year too. The UK and Germany must be in sync - I wish it was in other areas too! Here's one in flight with a gif. I had 5 seconds of it with a 100 shots, but I removed 90%.


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## Click (May 16, 2022)

I really like this shot with its dark background.

Very nice gif.


----------



## AlanF (May 17, 2022)

R5/500mm: Azure Damselfly, Female Common Blue Damselfly, Female Red-Eye Damselfly


----------



## Click (May 17, 2022)

Nice series, Alan.


----------



## Maximilian (May 18, 2022)

Two more exuviae, 
1st from a four spotted or scarce chaser.
2nd from a damselfly, I suppose azure one. That one was tricky, hanging by a thread in the wind


----------



## AlanF (May 18, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> Two more exuviae,
> 1st from a four spotted or scarce chaser.
> 2nd from a damselfly, I suppose azure one. That one was tricky, hanging by a thread in the wind
> 
> ...


Great exuviae!


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## Click (May 18, 2022)

I really like the first picture. Great shot!


----------



## Maximilian (May 18, 2022)

AlanF said:


> Great exuviae!





Click said:


> I really like the first picture. Great shot!


Thanks, guys!


----------



## AlanF (May 18, 2022)

Azure Damselflies in marital embrace. R5/500mm


----------



## Click (May 18, 2022)

Beautiful shot, Alan.


----------



## Maximilian (May 22, 2022)

The beautiful demoiselles have returned 

1st a male hovering while searching ... (couldn't avoid the grass):



2nd: ... searching for a female like this:


----------



## Maximilian (May 22, 2022)

And this should be my first black-tailed skimmer _male scarce chaser_ (_edit, thank you _@AlanF ) in 2022:


----------



## Click (May 22, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> And this should be my first black-tailed skimmer in 2022:




Excellent shot. Well done, Maximilian.


----------



## AlanF (May 22, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> And this should be my first black-tailed skimmer in 2022:
> 
> View attachment 203800


It's actually a Scarce Chaser. By coincidence, I got my first Blacktailed Skimmer today. The Scarce Chaser has blue eyes. This Blacktailed is still immature. Edit: the yellow veins and dark bases of the wings are more consistent with a Scarce Chaser.


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## Click (May 22, 2022)

Beautiful shots, Alan.


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## Maximilian (May 23, 2022)

AlanF said:


> It's actually a Scarce Chaser. By coincidence, I got my first Blacktailed Skimmer today. The Scarce Chaser has blue eyes. This Blacktailed is still immature


Thanks, Alan. Maybe you are right. Honestly I was and still am undecided between those to species.
I didn't see the the typical spots on the wingtips, which should be prominent for a young scarce chaser.
And the eyes were more geenish than blueish.
IMO, those two facts pointed towards a blacktailed skimmer.

Looking at your dragonfly I get confused by the brown compound eyes.
For both - young and old blacktailed skimmer males - they should be greenish.
And looking at the brown spots at the wing roots my guess for your dragonfly could be a broad-bodied chaser.
But the abdomen is not wide enough for that.

Still mulling over this... 


_Edit: visible distinguishing marks between blacktailed skimmer, scarce chaser, and broad-bodied chaser_
blacktailed skimmer, male (_orthetrum cancellatum_)

no basal spots on any wings
mature have green eyes

scarce chaser, male (aka. blue chaser, _libellula fulva_)

basal spots only on the hind wings, fine basal lines on the fore wings
mature have blue eyes

broad-bodied chaser, male (_libellula depressa_)

large basal spots on all four wings
mature have brown eyes

Conclusion:
Both, yours @AlanF and mine are scarce chasers if you refer to the basal marks.
As for the side view at my picture the basal marks are not so easy to detect.
The "wrong" eye colours might be from being immature.


----------



## AlanF (May 23, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> Thanks, Alan. Maybe you are right. Honestly I was and still am undecided between those to species.
> I didn't see the the typical spots on the wingtips, which should be prominent for a young scarce chaser.
> And the eyes were more geenish than blueish.
> IMO, those two facts pointed towards a blacktailed skimmer.
> ...


They are confusing, and mine do have characteristics of three species. I've seen reports of dark brown eyes of the the Black Tailed Skimmer. But, I think the dark wing bases and yellow veins are most consistent with the Scarce Chaser. It looks like one that is in the latter stages of maturation with the colour nearly complete but still with immature eye colour.


----------



## AlanF (May 23, 2022)

Male Redeyed Damselfly


----------



## Click (May 23, 2022)

Focus right on the eyes. Well done, Alan.


----------



## AlanF (May 23, 2022)

Click said:


> Focus right on the eyes. Well done, Alan.


I usually do focus on the eye using a single point. But, here the eyeAF did it for me!


----------



## Maximilian (May 25, 2022)

First green-eyed hawkers in 2022:


----------



## Maximilian (May 25, 2022)

Large red damselflies mating. 
I couldn't get an angle with both in focus


----------



## Maximilian (May 25, 2022)

This must be a very, very young dragonfly.
I recognized it because it was flying more like a butterfly than a dragonfly.
And even though it was cloudy the wings are shining with reflections. I suppose they are not dried yet.
As it is so young and immarture it is difficult to determine.
It could be a black-tailed skimmer (no visible basal spots  ), either male or female. Maybe it is a darter


----------



## AlanF (May 25, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> This must be a very, very young dragonfly.
> I recognized it because it was flying more like a butterfly than a dragonfly.
> And even though it was cloudy the wings are shining with reflections. I suppose they are not dried yet.
> As it is so young and immarture it is difficult to determine.
> ...


You are lucky to see so many - very few here.


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## AlanF (May 25, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> First green-eyed hawkers in 2022:
> 
> View attachment 203872
> View attachment 203871


Nice shots of a less common species.


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## Click (May 25, 2022)

Very nice series. I really like the first picture. Great shot!


----------



## Maximilian (May 25, 2022)

AlanF said:


> Nice shots of a less common species.


At our ponds those are very common. 
In Bavaria they are listed "near threatened" to "vulnerable" in Germany "least concern". 
When I started to catalogue the species around these ponds I was expecting some 10 different dragonflies and damselflies. 
Now I am at 23 plus the golden-ringed dragonfly living in die forest but not coming to the ponds. 
Yes I feel really lucky having so much diversity nearby  
So if you are ever around Nürnberg...


----------



## Maximilian (May 25, 2022)

AlanF said:


> You are lucky to see so many - very few here.


Right now I just take every chance to go to the ponds. I start work early, so I can end early whenever possible. 
Being out there makes everything that happens right now in the world more bearable.


----------



## Nemorino (May 28, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> And this should be my first black-tailed skimmer _male scarce chaser_ (_edit, thank you _@AlanF ) in 2022:





AlanF said:


> It's actually a Scarce Chaser. By coincidence, I got my first Blacktailed Skimmer today. The Scarce Chaser has blue eyes. This Blacktailed is still immature. Edit: the yellow veins and dark bases of the wings are more consistent with a Scarce Chaser.


I just had a look at wikipedia and would say the picture of maximillian is a black-tailed skimmer and the one of Alan is a Scarce Chaser:

_https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-tailed_skimmer
"The wings spread more or less horizontally in repose. They are dissimilar in shape and venation, sessile, unpatterned and clear."_

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libellula_depressa
_"Both fore and hind wings have a dark patch at the base."_


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## Nemorino (May 28, 2022)

Female Black-tailed skimmer: 
*Edit:*
OK, Alan, it´s a Four spotted chaser.
R5, RF 100-400 @ f/9, 1/3200, ISO 1000, 225mm





R5 + RF100 2.8L
@ f/13, 1/1000, Iso 5000


----------



## AlanF (May 28, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> Female Black-tailed skimmer:
> 
> R5, RF 100-400 @ f/9, 1/3200, ISO 1000, 225mm
> View attachment 203924
> ...


It's a Four Spot Chaser.


----------



## AlanF (May 28, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> I just had a look at wikipedia and would say the picture of maximillian is a black-tailed skimmer and the one of Alan is a Scarce Chaser:
> 
> _https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-tailed_skimmer
> "The wings spread more or less horizontally in repose. They are dissimilar in shape and venation, sessile, unpatterned and clear."_
> ...


Both Maximilian and I have agreed, above, that mine is a Scarce Chaser. Maximilian's is not so clear but he has come down on the side of the Scarce Chaser. Your Four Spot Chaser, on the other hand is unambiguous because it has 4 spots on its wings.


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## AlanF (May 28, 2022)

First Banded Damsel in flight for the year for me.


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## Click (May 28, 2022)

Beautiful shot, Alan.


----------



## Click (May 28, 2022)

Very nice series, Nemorino. I especially like the last picture.


----------



## Nemorino (May 28, 2022)

Thanks, Click!


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## Maximilian (May 28, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> I just had a look at wikipedia and would say the picture of maximillian is a black-tailed skimmer and the one of Alan is a Scarce Chaser:
> 
> _https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-tailed_skimmer
> "The wings spread more or less horizontally in repose. They are dissimilar in shape and venation, sessile, unpatterned and clear."_
> ...


Hi @Nemorino!

Thanks for trying to help us out.

When I try to determine a dragonfly/damselfly I choose at least three sources:

of course I use wikipedia.org in both German and English version, because pictures sometimes differ.
I really like the page www.libellen.tv (Ger) of Dirk Pape-Lange, a really great source of knowledge.
Sometimes not 100% up to date (e.g. winter damselfly beeing not as threatened as described)
And last but not least the really good book "Kosmos Libellenführer".
And if all those three sources don't work, I have a degreed biologist and his human sources to ask.

About my pic of a black-tailed skimmer beeing a scarce chaser I can say that looking at the basal spots - difficult at the side view perspective - the *red circle* shows the basal spots at the hind wing while the *blue circle* shows the basal lines at the fore wing.

This is matching the fact that most "blue" dragonfly I spotted out throughout the last days were scarce chasers.
This fits the data that black-tailed skimmers start to appear in late May/early June and scarce chasers already in early May .
Of course climate change can mix this up.




Here the original pic reposted:


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## Nemorino (May 29, 2022)

OK, I'll stop to try to identify.

Dragonfly turning left: 
R5 + RF 100-400 @ 1/3200, f/10, Iso 1600


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## AlanF (May 29, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> OK, I'll stop to try to identify.
> 
> Dragonfly turning left:
> R5 + RF 100-400 @ 1/3200, f/10, Iso 1600
> View attachment 203965


Nice shot with all in focus. You have to have a stab at ID!


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## Click (May 29, 2022)

Excellent shot, Nemorino.


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## Maximilian (May 30, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> OK, I'll stop to try to identify.
> 
> Dragonfly turning left:


Great shot. Even though you need good panning as well, I must say that the R5 AF system makes me jealous 

By the way - spoiler alert - this is a male _anax imperator. _


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## Maximilian (Jun 2, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> Still mulling over this...



Finally my 2022 edition of the "ultimate  blue dragonfly" comparison, all shot throughout the last few days.
Enjoy...

blacktailed skimmer, male (_orthetrum cancellatum_)

no basal spots on any wings
mature have green eyes




scarce chaser, male (aka. blue chaser, _libellula fulva_)

basal spots only on the hind wings, fine basal lines on the fore wings
mature have blue eyes




broad-bodied chaser, male (_libellula depressa_)

large basal spots on all four wings
mature have brown eyes


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## AlanF (Jun 2, 2022)

No doubt about these: Large Red Damselflies.


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## Nemorino (Jun 2, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> By the way - spoiler alert - this is a male _anax imperator. _





R5 + RF100-400 @ 1/3200, f/9, ISO 2500


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## Click (Jun 2, 2022)

WOW! Great shot, Nemorino.


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## AlanF (Jun 2, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> View attachment 204038
> 
> R5 + RF100-400 @ 1/3200, f/9, ISO 2500


I can’t wait for these to appear here. Great shot!


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## Maximilian (Jun 3, 2022)

AlanF said:


> I can’t wait for these to appear here. Great shot!


Seems like the continent / Germany is a little bit ahead here and we lost synchronity.
I spot emperors for about one week. No good pic yet.


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## Maximilian (Jun 3, 2022)

Two more scarce chasers.
And an impression of our local ponds in the morning dew.



1:1 Detail of 1st pic


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## AlanF (Jun 3, 2022)

I don't see many female Banded Demoiselles and by chance one appeared in a laurel tree by my kitchen window. She was 4m away, and I had the R5 at 1000mm at hand.


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## Click (Jun 3, 2022)

Maximilian and Alan,

Very nice pictures, guys. Thanks for posting.


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## Nemorino (Jun 3, 2022)

AlanF said:


> I can’t wait for these to appear here. Great shot!


Thank you!
The RF100-400 is such a fun to use for DIF! The low weight is a big advantage.


I had a lot of luck today!
R5 + RF100-400 @ 1/3200, f/9, ISO 1600


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## Nemorino (Jun 3, 2022)

R5 + Laowa 15mm macro, uncropped @ 1/800s, ISO 1250, ca f/8-11


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## AlanF (Jun 3, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> Thank you!
> The RF100-400 is such a fun to use for DIF! The low weight is a big advantage.
> 
> 
> ...


Is your 100-400 sharper at f/9 than f/8?


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## Nemorino (Jun 3, 2022)

Yes, it is. f/8 seems to be much softer but only at closer focus distance.


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## AlanF (Jun 3, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> Yes, it is. f/8 seems to be much softer but only at closer focus distance.


Thanks. I'll check out my ones at close distances. Stopping down is no bad thing at these close distances anyway.


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## Nemorino (Jun 3, 2022)

And a third stop lower Iso doesn't make a big difference if you use software like DxO.


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## Maximilian (Jun 4, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> Thank you!
> The RF100-400 is such a fun to use for DIF! The low weight is a big advantage.


great shot!


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## Nemorino (Jun 4, 2022)

Thanks, Maximilian!

My first panning DIF Gif 
R5 + RF100-400 @ 1/3200, f/9, mech shutter


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## Click (Jun 4, 2022)

WOW! Nice job. Excellent gif. Well done.


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## Nemorino (Jun 4, 2022)

Click said:


> Well done


Thanks Click, but primary the R5 did the job.


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## Nemorino (Jun 5, 2022)

Broad-bodied darter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libellula_depressa


> When a female enters a male's territory the male will fly up and grab the female. Mating occurs on the wing and the pair are in tandem for only a brief period, often less than a minute. The pair separate and the female will find a suitable location for ovipositing, usually a stretch of open water with submerged vegetation. The female oviposits in flight, hovering above the water and dipping the tip of her abdomen in.


Like this:



and 90 seconds later



R5 + RF100-400 @ 1/3200, f/9, ISO 6400 (first), 1250 (second).


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## AlanF (Jun 5, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> Broad-bodied darter
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libellula_depressa
> 
> Like this:
> ...


Good catch!


----------



## koenkooi (Jun 5, 2022)

First damselfly photo of the year  The damsels were a bit of a surprise since they settled on our strawberry beds on the roof. I hope they keep returning, especially now that I have located the cloth diffuser, the sun is quite harsh at noon.

R5 + RF100L


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## AlanF (Jun 9, 2022)

Got the Emperor Dragonfly in flight out of my system for the season! The big guy was in flight rather than hovering. I got some 300 shots at 20 fps and discarded 95% of them though nearly all in perfect focus with the R5 and 100-500mm. I got just about as good individual shots with the 5DSR + 100-400mm II in the past, saved a huge amount of time then because I would have only 4 or 5 shots of a hovering one at the end of the day! So, here are a few plus the now usual gif, with it turning towards me at the end.


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## koenkooi (Jun 9, 2022)

Very nice!

It makes me wonder how the R7 with EFCS at 15fps will do, it might do a bit better at freezing the wingtips compared to the R5 e-shutter. Having said that, the e-shutter has done much better than I expected in the shots above.


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## Click (Jun 9, 2022)

Great shots, Alan!


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## AlanF (Jun 9, 2022)

koenkooi said:


> Very nice!
> 
> It makes me wonder how the R7 with EFCS at 15fps will do, it might do a bit better at freezing the wingtips compared to the R5 e-shutter. Having said that, the e-shutter has done much better than I expected in the shots above.


These are relatively small crops, the movement of the wings is of low amplitude, and so only a small area of the sensor is read for the used image. This will greatly decrease the rolling shutter effect as the time window for the effective image area is shortened.


----------



## Click (Jun 9, 2022)

I really like the second picture. The Emperor Dragonfly has its body tilted to the side and its head levelled. Cool shot!


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## AlanF (Jun 9, 2022)

Click said:


> I really like the second picture. The Emperor Dragonfly has its body tilted to the side and its head levelled. Cool shot!


It's my favourite. It's much easier to get them side on but for this shot you have to catch it banking and turning.


----------



## Nemorino (Jun 12, 2022)

[email protected] 1/3200, f/9, ISO5000
My PC is not the fastest so I didn't used DxO for the pictures of the GIF



And one of those pictures (my favorite) processed with DxO


----------



## Click (Jun 12, 2022)

Beautiful picture. Well done, Nemorino.


----------



## josephandrews222 (Jun 14, 2022)

Still new to this part of CR and I've tried more than a little bit to identify this one. Help! 





5DMkIII + EF 100-400 II + 1.4 TC III


----------



## Click (Jun 14, 2022)

Very nice shots. I especially like the second one.


----------



## AlanF (Jun 14, 2022)

josephandrews222 said:


> Still new to this part of CR and I've tried more than a little bit to identify this one. Help!
> 
> View attachment 204213
> View attachment 204214
> ...


It's a Common Whitetail.


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## Maximilian (Jun 18, 2022)

josephandrews222 said:


> Still new to this part of CR and I've tried more than a little bit to identify this one. Help!...


Wonderful pics, Joseph.


AlanF said:


> It's a Common Whitetail.


I second Alan's ID, that this is a female common whitetail.


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## Maximilian (Jun 18, 2022)

I've been on vacation so it took me some time to proceed these pics of two white-legged damselflies from earlier this month.

First is a male, second one took me some time to ID at all, as it is a very freshly hatched and immarture female.
Both 5D3+100-400L II + 1.4TC @560 mm

f/10, 1/1000, ISO1600



f/13, 1/250, ISO800


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 18, 2022)

And with this damselfly I'm still unsure how to ID.
It seems to be freshly hatched and immarture female azure damselfly.
If anyone knows better, please let me know
5D3+100-400L II + 1.4TC @560 mm
f/10, 1/800, ISO1250


----------



## Click (Jun 18, 2022)

Beautiful shots. Especially the first and second one. Well done, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Jun 18, 2022)

Click said:


> Beautiful shots. Especially the first and second one. Well done, Maximilian.


Thanks, Click. 
The second one is my fav. 
Because I think it is really vivid with wing veins and body quite sharp.
And I don't know how short the time is to get a white-legged damselfly with these "colours"


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 19, 2022)

I love dragonflies, but it seems that dragonflies also like me (and my family).
We had our first vacation to Rhodes since the pandemic started and right on the first day this dragonfly landed on my son's toe.
That one was shot with the cell, so quality is not the best. First time ever that I saw dragonflies on the beach.



After that, I started the "hunt". As I was travelling light, I only had my 200D (old diamond AF, meh!) with me.
But I also had the EF 70-300 DO which I bought years ago for its compactness.
And even though its optical performance is always discussed, I found myself quite positively surprised.
Especially now, as I used it the first time for dragonflies.

Even more difficult than the AF performance of the center point of the 200D was the determination of the species.
It took me three days and the remote help of my friend and his friend in Germany to find out that these are
black pennants (selysiothemis nigra). More pics to come later.

200D, 70-300DO, @300 mm, close to MFD (1.4 m), some cropping was needed.

This is a male black pennant (f/11, 1/1000, ISO800):



And this a female (f/11, 1/1000, ISO800):


----------



## Click (Jun 19, 2022)

I really like your last picture. Great shot!


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## Maximilian (Jun 19, 2022)

Click said:


> I really like your last picture. Great shot!


Thanks Click.

Question:
Do you see any nervous DO bokeh? Me not.
And I think I have pics with even more detail on the dragonfly. 

I thought about selling the 70-300 DO, but I missed the point where the prices still were good. 
And seeing this IQ, I think I'll keep it.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 21, 2022)

Some more female black pennants (_selysiothemis nigra_).
These were really tricky with the center AF point and about 5 - 6 Beaufort at the beach. 
The amplitude of the stems was more than the wingspan of the dragonflies.

200D, 70-300DO, @300 mm, close to MFD (1.4 m), some cropping was needed.
(f/11, 1/1250, ISO800).
Last one is 1:1 (600x900) detail of the second, not bad for that "old" DO on a 24 MP APS-C sensor, isn't it?


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## AlanF (Jun 21, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> Some more female black pennants (_selysiothemis nigra_).
> These were really tricky with the center AF point and about 5 - 6 Beaufort at the beach.
> The amplitude of the stems was more than the wingspan of the dragonflies.
> 
> ...


That's a pretty impressive lens - you have a good copy. Some lenses are at their best close up.


----------



## Click (Jun 21, 2022)

Great shots, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Jun 22, 2022)

Here's my last set of black pennants (_selysiothemis nigra_).
And one can see the "bad sides" of my DO. If you look at the highlights on the wings, you can see the typical nervous behaviour of the DO in OOF areas.
Again
200D, 70-300DO, @300 mm, close to MFD (1.4 m), some cropping was needed.
(f/11, 1/1000, ISO800).
The last one is 1:1 (600x900) detail of the second, showing the highlights.
But that pic is still one of my favs, as you almost don't recoginze that flaw in the original pic. And I love highlights in the wings


----------



## Click (Jun 22, 2022)

WOW Great shots again. Well done, Sir!


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## Maximilian (Jun 22, 2022)

Click said:


> WOW Great shots again. Well done, Sir!


Thanks Click. 
I am pretty much pleased, especially when I think about the gear I've used and how long it will take until I'll get a chance on this species again.


----------



## ISv (Jun 27, 2022)

My first shots of Dragons for may be ~2 years... I was feeling "rusty" for the DIF: as every sport it needs constant practice...


----------



## Click (Jun 27, 2022)

Very nice shots, ISv. I especially like the first picture. Well done.


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## Maximilian (Jun 27, 2022)

ISv said:


> My first shots of Dragons for may be ~2 years... I was feeling "rusty" for the DIF: as every sport it needs constant practice...


These look very well, especially when you call yourself "rusty".
Quite interesting IMO the first time I see emperors ovipositing in tandem position. 
Normally I see females alone.


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 27, 2022)

Back at my home grounds, I came across these redeyes.
5D4, 100-400L II + 1.4x, @560 mm plus cropping.


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## Click (Jun 27, 2022)

Very nice pictures, Maximilian.


----------



## ISv (Jun 28, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> These look very well, especially when you call yourself "rusty".
> Quite interesting IMO the first time I see emperors ovipositing in tandem position.
> Normally I see females alone.


How did you ID the species? These are from Hawaii, not Europe...


----------



## Maximilian (Jun 28, 2022)

ISv said:


> How did you ID the species? These are from Hawaii, not Europe...


Hi ISv!
The emperor dragonfly (_anax imperator_) is a cosmopolite and quite common in a lot of regions in the world, especially Europe and Asia.
They also live at my ponds here in Germany.
I just saw it and said, "emperor, cool!".
Now, as you are asking me and making me rethink .
Of course, it could also be another subspecies from the genus _anax_ and I just don't recognize the differences.
Please correct me if I am mistaken.

Here I have posted a female ovipositing at my local ponds.
And here is one of my best of a male (?) resting.

_Edit:_
I was curious:
Giant Hawaiian darner _(anax strenuus_) is a Hawaiian endemit. But looking at pics on the web it has a much more backish abdomen than yours.
It is particularly common at higher elevations.
I suppose, yours is a common green darner (_anax junius_) as this is the common subspecies in northern America and Hawaii, too.
But at a fast glance I couldn't tell the difference from _anax imperator._


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 1, 2022)

A pair of azure damselflies in honeymoon flight:


----------



## Click (Jul 1, 2022)

Very nice shot, Maximilian. I really like the composition in diagonal.


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## ISv (Jul 2, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> Hi ISv!
> The emperor dragonfly (_anax imperator_) is a cosmopolite and quite common in a lot of regions in the world, especially Europe and Asia.
> They also live at my ponds here in Germany.
> I just saw it and said, "emperor, cool!".
> ...


The problem is "...at fast glance..." you can't separate many similar species. You need the insect in your hands... Even experts have a hard time telling what is what just by photos (especially from different parts of the world!!!) - or just refuse to answer because they don't want to look foolish. By the same reasons I can't risk to tell the species on my photos (for birds I can take some risk but definitely not for dragons!). Any way - _Anax strenuus _you can see at much higher elevations (my photos are from nearly see level!) and it's bigger! I have seen it several times but no photo - they are relentless, strong flyers and with me getting older than younger with every year I'm not sure I will ever get a photo of that one).
BTW I have more photos from that locations and I got to_ Anax junius - _not necessarily correct!!!- by the reasons I mentioned above (I posted the photos time ago...)_._
Anyway - here we are not a conference of Odonata experts and I really appreciate your knowledge of the Dragonflies!


----------



## ISv (Jul 3, 2022)

And few more of the same from today (I went to the zoo because of their ponds - to hunt for Dragonflies. For me this is the nearest location to see reliably some dragons and because I'm a member it's still for "free"). Also - the last weekend I notice there a few Tramea lacerata - Black Saddlebags Skimmer and wanted to get them again (my first photo of this one - few years old and made with the 200-500 zoom - is attached).
The DIF is from ~11 meters. The couple is from 5.6 to ~4 meters. The Skimmer is from ~2.5 meters and one can see the advantage of the closer focusing distance of the zoom...


----------



## Click (Jul 3, 2022)

Beautiful series, ISv.


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## Maximilian (Jul 3, 2022)

ISv said:


> ...
> Also - the last weekend I notice there a few Tramea lacerata - Black Saddlebags Skimmer and wanted to get them again (my first photo of this one - few years old and made with the 200-500 zoom - is attached).
> ...


Wonderful how many different species of _odonata_ are spread around the world. Great pics again, @ISv.

Yesterday I found species #24 at my local ponds. When I started shooting there, I couldn't even imagine more than ten living at that location.
Here is a goblet-marked damselfly (_erythromma lindenii_).


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 3, 2022)

Today I managed to get some wonderful pics of a flying downy emerald (_cordulia aenea_) showing why they are called "emerald" 
The BG is the dark lake in shadows.
Cam settings at these difficult light conditions:
I made a test shot of a leaf or plant on the water. 
Then I went fully manual M. 
In this case my setup was f/10, 1/1000, ISO1000, all fixed
I keep spot metering for control if light changes.


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## Click (Jul 3, 2022)

I really like the glowing eyes. Well done, Maximilian.


----------



## AlanF (Jul 3, 2022)

Red-eyed Damselflies, top; Small Red-eyed Damselflies, below.


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## Maximilian (Jul 3, 2022)

Click said:


> I really like the glowing eyes. Well done, Maximilian.


Same here @Click
I had an almost as good pic from last year. But these just outdid that by far.
Perfect angle of light.
So happy I managed to wrap this up __


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## Maximilian (Jul 3, 2022)

AlanF said:


> Red-eyed Damselflies, top; Small Red-eyed Damselflies, below.


Lovely to see those two species together in one post.


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## AlanF (Jul 3, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> Lovely to see those two species together in one post.


I nearly asked you to confirm that they were the two species but I convinced myself that the lower couple were the Small. They were on neighbouring water lily leaves at the end of our bumpy cycle ride this afternoon. They were too far away to identify with the naked eye. You learn so much from photography.


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## Maximilian (Jul 3, 2022)

AlanF said:


> I nearly asked you to confirm that they were the two species ...


Thank you for your confidence


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## Maximilian (Jul 4, 2022)

A well matured and dark four-spotted chaser. Oh, I love digital photography for the details it provides


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## Click (Jul 4, 2022)

Very nice shots, Maximilian. I especially like the first one.


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## koenkooi (Jul 6, 2022)

The first damselfly I managed to shoot outside my garden this year! The dappled lighting was sadly too bright to recover, but the reflections do have the nice blue and greens 

R5 + 100-500L


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## Click (Jul 6, 2022)

Lovely shot. Nicely done, koenkooi.


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## Nemorino (Jul 9, 2022)

the beauty
R5 + RF100
@ f/14, 1/125, Iso 4000


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## Click (Jul 9, 2022)

I really like this shot. Well done, Nemorino.


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## Maximilian (Jul 10, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> the beauty
> R5 + RF100
> @ f/14, 1/125, Iso 4000


Great shot. Nice transition to the OOF areas.

Close to MFD?
And at which time of day? 
I seldom managed to get closer to banded demoiselles than 1 m, but I've never tried in the morning / cold.


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## Nemorino (Jul 10, 2022)

Thanks @Click !





Maximilian said:


> Close to MFD?
> And at which time of day?


The picture is only slightly cropped; maybe 25 or 30cm between lens and dragonfly.
Afaik I took it around 17:00h.


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## AlanF (Jul 10, 2022)

Banded Demoiselle R7 + RF 100-400mm.


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## Click (Jul 10, 2022)

Beautiful shot, Alan.


----------



## AlanF (Jul 10, 2022)

And one more in a different pose.


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## AlanF (Jul 10, 2022)

And a few more testing the R7 with the RF 100-400. Ye Olde Emperor hovering and the Four-Spot Chaser posing here like in Deutschland.


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## Click (Jul 10, 2022)

Great shots, Alan.


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## ISv (Jul 11, 2022)

Two from today: the first one is Tramea lacerata - Black Saddlebags Skimmer, I don't think I ever posted one in fly. Very scarce here, hard to get a really good opportunity for decent shot. And actually this was my goal today.
The second one is much more frequent... The problem is that I always miss-ID it for all these years! (and I still don't know what is it...).


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## Maximilian (Jul 11, 2022)

ISv said:


> ... The second one is much more frequent... The problem is that I always miss-ID it for all these years! (and I still don't know what is it...).


Hi ISv!
You and I know that I am no odonatologist 
(sometimes I wish I had turned that way. But as an engineer, I can make more money for good photo gear  )

And as you pointed out, sometimes it needs an individual in hand (which I don't like to do) and to observe e.g. the shape of cerci, etc.
But I think I found several sources and ways to get through the ID of odonata.

My personal guess here is that this could be a scarlet skimmer, (aka. ruddy marsh skimmer, _crocothemis servilia_).
If you have already proven that wrong, then I am sorry to "think" I am more clever than you, which I definitely think I am not.
My reasons that point towards a scarlet skimmer are the general shape and colour, the black band at the abdomen, the red cerci, and the red wing veins, that look like slight red basal wing spots. Sites on the web tell that they are from Asia, but also common in Hawaii and Florida.
I also found similar looking dragonflies at treknature.com and Hawaii Nature Journal that were IDed there as scarlet skimmer.

I hope, you can confirm or discard my ID with this information.

Yours,
Maximilian


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## Maximilian (Jul 11, 2022)

First ruddy darters (s_ympetrum sanguineum_) of the season.

The second pic shows a behaviour pointing the abdomen towards the sun, which I never recognized before in Germany.
This obelisk posture seems to be common for several dragonflies to prevent overheating on sunny days.
I saw it first in Rhodes and I read about it when I tried to ID the black pennant, and I falsely thought those to be from the genus _trithemis_.
The _trithemis _are called in German "Sonnenzeiger" meaning "sun pointer".
Now I also see this behaviour here at home.


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## Click (Jul 11, 2022)

Beautiful shots, Maximilian. I especially like the first one.


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## Maximilian (Jul 11, 2022)

Click said:


> Beautiful shots, Maximilian. I especially like the first one.


Thanks, @Click. 
I couldn't manage to get a better angle on the second one before the darter was gone. 
So I see this just an evidence photo


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## Maximilian (Jul 11, 2022)

Some mating skimmers (1st pic) and scarce chasers (2nd pic).


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## ISv (Jul 11, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> Hi ISv!
> You and I know that I am no odonatologist
> (sometimes I wish I had turned that way. But as an engineer, I can make more money for good photo gear  )
> 
> ...



Here you have more (older files): the first one is the same as the one posted above, after that are a male Scarlet and female Scarlet. Note the color of the wing spots as well as the black line on the back of the body: it is continuous on the Scarled and interrupted on the first species... On the link you sent the male Scarlet has dark wing spots but I think it's from the light/exposure. In reality they are yellow, not red.
This are taken with 200-500, as I already mention it's better lens for close-ups than my 500mm prime.


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## Maximilian (Jul 11, 2022)

ISv said:


> Here you have more (older files): the first one is the same as the one posted above, after that are a male Scarlet and female Scarlet. Note the color of the wing spots as well as the black line on the back of the body: it is continuous on the Scarled and interrupted on the first species... On the link you sent the male Scarlet has dark wing spots but I think it's from the light/exposure. In reality they are yellow, not red.
> This are taken with 200-500, as I already mention it's better lens for close-ups than my 500mm prime.


Fully get your point about the colour of the pterostigma, ISv.
I thought, the black line might not be interrupted, depending on the angle of view.
But if you say it is, I'll believe you.
And it seems that the legs in the original pic are not red enough for a scarlet.
I have to think this over.

But I don't get your first pic DSC_0247_DxO_DxO.jpg in correlation with the original pic DSC_4985_DxO-1.jpg.
That because of the colour of the frons. In the original picture the fons is red, in the one you posted now it is beige.
Same with the thorax, the underparts of the abdomen, the wing veins and (if I see it right) the legs in the original picture. All red or with a red tone.
These are either different species, or your DSC_0247 is a female, and you didn't mention it. DSC_0247 also has spots at the wing tips.
But both seem to have reddish pterostigmata.

I see your dilemma... still not giving up.


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## ISv (Jul 12, 2022)

Well, since you like to dig in this: few more! 
BTW I'm missing good literature about the dragons here (what one can easily find are popular articles and nothing really serious. With the Damselflies it's better, at least concerning the endemic species...). 
Enjoy !


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 12, 2022)

ISv said:


> Well, since you like to dig in this: few more!
> BTW I'm missing good literature about the dragons here (what one can easily find are popular articles and nothing really serious. With the Damselflies it's better, at least concerning the endemic species...).
> Enjoy !



When I look at the pictures instantly several dragonflies come to my mind. But those are more common in Europe and Asia. 
Maybe they found the same way as the scarlet skimmer did. So without focussing on Hawaii here some guesses, just shots in the dark:

The red one that I can see with those huge dorsal spots at the hind wing could be a red saddlebags (_tramea onusta_). 
Found the pages Arizona Dragonflies just now. Seems to be a cool source with good descriptions and identification tips.

The pink/lilac one could be a roseate skimmer (_orthemis ferruginea_).

And putting the circle wider, both, your original red dragon pic and the pink/lilac one, could be from the genus _trithemis _
(more common in Europe, Asia, Africa).
So for original red dragon pic I'd take trithemis kirbyi or _trithemis pluvialis__._ 
But more guesses would make me look like a fool.

The orange/brown one has no recognizable cerci, so it looks like a female. But no idea here. 

What do you think of this? Not bad or just foolish


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## Maximilian (Jul 12, 2022)

But back to my common grounds:

Backlit male emperor (_anax imperator_) in flight. I love the glow of the frons in the last pic.


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## Maximilian (Jul 12, 2022)

This pic should clarify why those are called red-eyed damselflies (_erythromma najas_). 
And no, I didn't play with the saturation


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## AlanF (Jul 12, 2022)

Four-Spot Chaser head on.


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## ISv (Jul 13, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> When I look at the pictures instantly several dragonflies come to my mind. But those are more common in Europe and Asia.
> Maybe they found the same way as the scarlet skimmer did. So without focussing on Hawaii here some guesses, just shots in the dark:
> 
> The red one that I can see with those huge dorsal spots at the hind wing could be a red saddlebags (_tramea onusta_).
> ...


For the "The pink/lilac one could be a roseate skimmer (_orthemis ferruginea_)." I got to the same conclusion so if it's foolish we both are in the same bag


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## Click (Jul 13, 2022)

Beautiful shot, Alan.


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## Click (Jul 13, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> This pic should clarify why those are called red-eyed damselflies (_erythromma najas_).
> And no, I didn't play with the saturation



Great shot, Maximilian.


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 14, 2022)

Two of my rare pics of a resting downy emerald. It seems to be easier to get them in flight, and that's hard enough because they hover only for a short time. 
Couldn't avoid the plants here. When I tried to get closer and to a better angle, it was gone. I like the shadow on the leaf


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## Maximilian (Jul 14, 2022)

Here are female emperors ovipositing and taking care that I'll get something to do in future 
Looking at the wings, you can see those are two different individuals.


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## Click (Jul 14, 2022)

Lovely reflections. Great shots, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Jul 15, 2022)

A bottom up four-spotted chaser:


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## Click (Jul 15, 2022)

Very nice pictures. I especially like the second one. Well done, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Jul 16, 2022)

A darter sitting at almost the same spot as the four-spotted chaser the day before.
And two more.


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## Click (Jul 16, 2022)

I really like the first picture. Well done, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Jul 16, 2022)

Click said:


> I really like the first picture. Well done, Maximilian.


Thanks, Click


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## Maximilian (Jul 17, 2022)

I proudly present species #25 at my local ponds:
A scarlet dragonfly (_crocothemis erythraea_), confirmed by an odonatologist.
@ISv: He didn't have the time to look at yours. But we discussed a scarlet skimmer (_crocothemis servilia_) it in your case.
And I looked up the genus _crocothemis_ again and found pictures of a subspecies, _crocothemis servilia mariannae.
Could that be "your"_ species?

But now here is "my #25":
_Edit: Exposure data:
5D4, 100-400L II+ext., @560mm, 1/250, f/16, ISO2000_


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## Click (Jul 17, 2022)

Wow I really like the colour of that dragonfly. Well done, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Jul 17, 2022)

Click said:


> Wow I really like the colour of that dragonfly. Well done, Maximilian.


Thanks, Click! 
TBH, I took this in the late afternoon and cloudy to overcast sky.
1/250, and ISO 2000 made it look a bit pale. So this time I added +0.5 saturation in DPP


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## Hector1970 (Jul 17, 2022)

Banded Demoiselle


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## AlanF (Jul 17, 2022)

Hector1970 said:


> Banded Demoiselle
> View attachment 204707


It's a male Beautiful Demoiselle. The Banded Demoiselle has well-defined bands on the wings, as on these taken on my R7 + RF100-400mm recently. The bottom one is backlit, which shows up the bands as very dark.




.


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## ISv (Jul 18, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> When I look at the pictures instantly several dragonflies come to my mind. But those are more common in Europe and Asia.
> Maybe they found the same way as the scarlet skimmer did. So without focussing on Hawaii here some guesses, just shots in the dark:
> 
> The red one that I can see with those huge dorsal spots at the hind wing could be a red saddlebags (_tramea onusta_).
> ...


My antivirus program blocked the first 3 links you sent me -I didn't try the rest! I have no idea what an antivirus you are using but be careful!!! 
Sorry for the late warning but I went there for first time today (busy). Concerning the Tramea onusta you may be right. I need some additional shots - especially some revealing the pattern from above...


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## Maximilian (Jul 18, 2022)

ISv said:


> My antivirus program blocked the first 3 links you sent me -I didn't try the rest! I have no idea what an antivirus you are using but be careful!!!
> Sorry for the late warning but I went there for first time today (busy). Concerning the Tramea onusta you may be right. I need some additional shots - especially some revealing the pattern from above...


Thanks for the warning, @ISv!
I keep my AV and browser up to date in daily schedule and most links were from wikipedia.de/.com.
So blocking them seems to point towards a too nervous AV at your site.
Others were from http://azdragonfly.org/ (being a non-http*s* page), so that could be a cause, too.

Most important for you was that info (added Hyperlinks in clear text):


> And I looked up the genus _crocothemis_ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocothemis) again and found pictures of a subspecies,
> _crocothemis servilia mariannae. _(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Scarlet_skimmer,_Keitakuen,_Osaka_II.jpg/1920px-Scarlet_skimmer,_Keitakuen,_Osaka_II.jpg).


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## Maximilian (Jul 18, 2022)

Some red-eyed damselflies (_erythromma najas_) trying to reproduce but are heavily disturbed by an azure damselfly. 
The female was rescued, no worries.


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## Click (Jul 18, 2022)

Very nice series, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Jul 19, 2022)

A beautiful posing four-spotted chaser.


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## Click (Jul 19, 2022)

Very nice picture!


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## AlanF (Jul 19, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> A beautiful posing four-spotted chaser.
> 
> View attachment 204736


They are just as big poseurs here, but more coy maybe. (R7/RF100-400).


----------



## Nemorino (Jul 19, 2022)

R5 + RF 100+400
@1/4000, Iso 5000, f/10


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## Click (Jul 19, 2022)

Very nice shot, Nemorino.


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## Maximilian (Jul 20, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> R5 + RF 100+400
> @1/4000, Iso 5000, f/10


Really great shot. I only got the skimmers sitting. When in mating wheel, they fly so erratic that they're hard to track.


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## Maximilian (Jul 20, 2022)

Mating azure damselflies (_coenagrion puella_)


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## AlanF (Jul 20, 2022)

Remember that handsome Four-spot Chaser I posted yesterday. Another on in the same spot who's been through the wars.


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## AlanF (Jul 20, 2022)

First decent shot shot of a Black-tailed Skimmer (R7/100-400). All the others perch on the ground.


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## Maximilian (Jul 22, 2022)

Species #26:
Common bluet (_enallagma cyathigerum_).
_Edit: _This here is a female in the blue form (homochrome)


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## Click (Jul 22, 2022)

Very nice pictures. I prefer the first one, for the vertical line of the subject, the focus right on the eyes and the beautiful bokeh in the background.

Well done, Maximilian.


----------



## koenkooi (Jul 22, 2022)

3 photos from my garden. The dragonfly was fighting another dragonfly and then settled down to get out of the rain. Close up shots also show a lot of spidersilk.
The damselfly landed on the anti-bird netting over our fruit trees and stayed still enough for close ups. 

R5 + RF100L + MT24-EX for everything.


----------



## koenkooi (Jul 22, 2022)

On vacation on one of the Dutch islands I saw a dragonfly hunting and landing next to the path, so I got of my bike and approached it.

R5 + 100-500L


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 23, 2022)

Darters mating. 
I prefer the pose in the first pic, but the second one shows how important light is. For colour, highlights, contrast.
When I was taking the first one, the sun was shining just through a fine cirrus. That was enough.


----------



## Click (Jul 23, 2022)

Beautiful shots, Maximilian.


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## AlanF (Jul 23, 2022)

Common Blue Damselflies this afternoon (R5/500mm).


----------



## AlanF (Jul 23, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> Species #26:
> Common bluet (_enallagma cyathigerum_)
> 
> View attachment 204806
> View attachment 204807


I think it's the female blue form?


----------



## Click (Jul 24, 2022)

Great shots, Alan.


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 24, 2022)

AlanF said:


> I think it's the female blue form?


Yes, @AlanF, of course! I forgot to mention that. (corrected it in the OP)
The females are normally green. 
But it's the pattern on the abdomen that shows, that it is a FEMALE common bluet.


----------



## bhf3737 (Jul 24, 2022)

Golden-ringed Dragonfly (R3 + RF 100-400mm)


----------



## AlanF (Jul 24, 2022)

bhf3737 said:


> Golden-ringed Dragonfly (R3 + RF 100-400mm)
> View attachment 204852


That's a new one for me. It's a beaut.


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## Click (Jul 24, 2022)

Very nice shot, bhf3737. Focus on the eyes, great details.


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## bhf3737 (Jul 26, 2022)

AlanF said:


> That's a new one for me. It's a beaut.


Thanks. I saw lots of this dragonfly in Kairakuen, in Mito, Japan. I could get very close with RF100-400.


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 27, 2022)

bhf3737 said:


> Golden-ringed Dragonfly (R3 + RF 100-400m





bhf3737 said:


> ...I saw lots of this dragonfly in Kairakuen, in Mito, Japan. ...


Beautiful pic, @bhf3737.
Very interesting, especially when looking at the hind wings and the broadened abdomen.
Doesn't seem from the genus _cordulegaster_.

The one I know by the name golden-ringed dragonfly (c_ordulegaster boltonii_) is common in Europe but not in Asia.
I managed to get those last year and posted pics here.
This year I saw them flying again but couldn't get a decent photo.
Now most of their streamlet has dried out. I fear for their future here...


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## Maximilian (Jul 27, 2022)

Some red eyed damselfies


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## Maximilian (Jul 27, 2022)

A black tailed skimmer. My best skimmer pic in 2022.


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## Click (Jul 27, 2022)

Very nice shot, Maximilian. Great details on the wings.


----------



## AlanF (Jul 29, 2022)

Blacktailed Skimmer (R5 + 100-500mm + RF2x).


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## Click (Jul 29, 2022)

WOW Great details!


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 29, 2022)

AlanF said:


> Blacktailed Skimmer (R5 + 100-500mm + RF2x).


Just WOW!


----------



## EricN (Jul 30, 2022)

AlanF said:


> Blacktailed Skimmer (R5 + 100-500mm + RF2x).
> 
> View attachment 204894


That's the stuff of nightmares for me! Great photo!


----------



## Maximilian (Jul 30, 2022)

Some downy emerald in flight. Note that the abdomen needs a dent puller


----------



## Hector1970 (Jul 30, 2022)

AlanF said:


> It's a male Beautiful Demoiselle. The Banded Demoiselle has well-defined bands on the wings, as on these taken on my R7 + RF100-400mm recently. The bottom one is backlit, which shows up the bands as very dark.
> 
> 
> View attachment 204709
> ...


Thanks for that. I didn't realise I have been seeing two different types, I just thought it was the light on the day.


----------



## ISv (Jul 31, 2022)

More of the same but different method - there was no way to use the tripod in that spot today so these are handheld (and with my beauty brick - 200-500 ).


----------



## EricN (Jul 31, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> Some downy emerald in flight. Note that the abdomen needs a dent puller
> 
> View attachment 204901
> View attachment 204902
> View attachment 204903


love the second one


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## Click (Jul 31, 2022)

I really like the second one also.


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## Maximilian (Jul 31, 2022)

EricN said:


> love the second one





Click said:


> I really like the second one also.


Thanks, guys! 
I like the first for its X wing position and I like the second and third for the great sharpness on the compound eye (for a DIF pic). 
The third has the least interesting wing position. 
So 1 and 2 are both my favs.


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 1, 2022)

Lunch break for a female broad-bodied chaser (_libellula depressa_). 
I think it is the first time ever, that I saw a female... 
Look at the light shining through the wings and showing the brown veins.


----------



## Click (Aug 1, 2022)

Great shot, Maximilian.


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 2, 2022)

A skimmer on a wooden bridge railing.
5D4, 100-400L II x1.4 
@560 mm close to MFD and almost FF, tricky DOF
first @f/8
second @f/16


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## AlanF (Aug 2, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> A skimmer on a wooden bridge railing.
> 5D4, 100-400L II x1.4
> @560 mm close to MFD and almost FF, tricky DOF
> first @f/8
> ...


If it's at mfd, very low dof and that angle, it might perhaps be better to crop and just show the face and forelegs - what do you think?


----------



## AlanF (Aug 2, 2022)

Blue-tailed Damselfly (R7+100-400mm). It's so much less noticeable when visiting a local park to have the more discrete kit, and it does the job.


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## Maximilian (Aug 2, 2022)

AlanF said:


> If it's at mfd, very low dof and that angle, it might perhaps be better to crop and just show the face and forelegs - what do you think?


Good point and good idea. Thanks, @AlanF
My idea and thought was to show the whole dragonfly, and I still like those pics as they are.
But I'll try it out and repost the different framing.


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 2, 2022)

AlanF said:


> Blue-tailed Damselfly (R7+100-400mm). It's so much less noticeable when visiting a local park to have the more discrete kit, and it does the job.


When I see the results of the RF100-400 and knowing its MFD and that I normally start with f/8 when doing insects and flowers, I'm sure it'll be one of my first lenses, when I get into R system.
But maybe the 800 might be better for the kingfishers...   

But first I'll have to see how much I can get for my kidney. Is it a good idea to sell the second one, too ...?


----------



## AlanF (Aug 2, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> When I see the results of the RF100-400 and knowing its MFD and that I normally start with f/8 when doing insects and flowers, I'm sure it'll be one of my first lenses, when I get into R system.
> But maybe the 800 might be better for the kingfishers...
> 
> But first I'll have to see how much I can get for my kidney. Is it a good idea to sell the second one, too ...?


Trading in your 5DIV and EF 100-400 ii would cover the cost of an R7 + RF100-400! But, it might be a step down.


----------



## Click (Aug 2, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> A skimmer on a wooden bridge railing.
> 5D4, 100-400L II x1.4
> @560 mm close to MFD and almost FF, tricky DOF
> first @f/8
> second @f/16



Remarkably thin depth of field, the focus is at the right spot on the eyes.

I like Alan's suggestion.


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 2, 2022)

AlanF said:


> Trading in your 5DIV and EF 100-400 ii would cover the cost of an R7 + RF100-400! But, it might be a step down.


Thanks for that suggestion. But I'd take that for a step down.
Seeing the advantages of FF (for me and my variable style of photography), I'll keep waiting for a FF successor of an RP or keep saving for an R5 (or its successor  ).
Whatever comes first


----------



## AlanF (Aug 2, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> Thanks for that suggestion. But I'd take that for a step down.
> Seeing the advantages of FF (for me and my variable style of photography), I'll keep waiting for a FF successor of an RP or keep saving for an R5 (or its successor  ).
> Whatever comes first


I took out the R7/RF100-400 for difficult DIF shots, and I just couldn't get any. Today, the R5/RF100-500 worked its usual wonders and latched on to fast flying ones I could hardly keep up with. Whatever anyone says about the R7 having faster AF, my experience is the opposite - the R5 is difficult to beat.


----------



## Maximilian (Aug 2, 2022)

AlanF said:


> I took out the R7/RF100-400 for difficult DIF shots, and I just couldn't get any. Today, the R5/RF100-500 worked its usual wonders and latched on to fast flying ones I could hardly keep up with. Whatever anyone says about the R7 having faster AF, my experience is the opposite - the R5 is difficult to beat.


And I haven't heard wonders about the R7 sensor, so this is grist to my mill 
And I will continue to pursue my plan.


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## AlanF (Aug 2, 2022)

@Maximilian here's what I call high cropping, from this afternoon - R5/RF100-500 and an Emperor Dragonfly in full hunting flight the other side of the lake. What can you do with it? Make some gifs with a cut of 14% of the area, or go one stage further and use just 1.1% of the area are some things.


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## Click (Aug 2, 2022)

Very impressive. Excellent result.


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## becceric (Aug 3, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> A skimmer on a wooden bridge railing.
> 5D4, 100-400L II x1.4
> @560 mm close to MFD and almost FF, tricky DOF
> first @f/8
> ...


These shots remind me that I just watched F-18s in the Top Gun movie. Maybe you should join their cinematography crew.


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## Maximilian (Aug 3, 2022)

becceric said:


> These shots remind me that I just watched F-18s in the Top Gun movie. Maybe you should join their cinematography crew.


Interesting thought. Can you explain, why these remind you of F-18s?


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## Maximilian (Aug 3, 2022)

AlanF said:


> If it's at mfd, very low dof and that angle, it might perhaps be better to crop and just show the face and forelegs - what do you think?


This is my approach. To me the first one is not sharp enough, though the leg position is more interesting.
Did you think about an even closer framing, @AlanF?


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## AlanF (Aug 3, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> This is my approach. To me the first one is not sharp enough, though the leg position is more interesting.
> Did you think about an even closer framing, @AlanF?
> 
> View attachment 204957
> View attachment 204958


No, that’s enough.


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## Maximilian (Aug 3, 2022)

A series of male and female white-legged damselflies


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## Click (Aug 3, 2022)

Beautiful shots, Maximilian.


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## becceric (Aug 4, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> Interesting thought. Can you explain, why these remind you of F-18s?


Well first, your depth of field reminded me of the visible haze noticed during the scenes taking off from aircraft carriers. Second, your great images show off the fuselage/wing similarity between nature and sleek aircraft. I really like full wing composition. The closer crops do not convey the same essence.


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## Quirkz (Aug 4, 2022)

AlanF said:


> Thanks. I'll check out my ones at close distances. Stopping down is no bad thing at these close distances anyway.


Been trying to decide whether to pick up a rf10-400 due to that fantastic light weight for travel, but was very confused at some examples that weren't particularly exciting, and others that quite surprised me with how good they were - I think you've answered why - close vs far, f8 vs f9 or 11.

This thread has been great for the decision making process, thanks everyone for your wonderful images!


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## Nemorino (Aug 5, 2022)

Female with filament
R5 + RF100-400
@ 1/4000, f/10, Iso 10000


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## Maximilian (Aug 6, 2022)

Quirkz said:


> This thread has been great for the decision making process, thanks everyone for your wonderful images!


You're welcome. Especially to participate and to post your pics 
If advice is needed, please let us know.


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## Maximilian (Aug 6, 2022)

Some more goblet-marked damselfly (erythromma lindenii) in flight and sitting.


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## Maximilian (Aug 6, 2022)

You can find common winter damselflies even in summer and at 35° C 
But it is very tricky to find that brown and coppery insect in the dried out plants.
The good camo is the reason why they were considered threatened - not enough found 
Luckily they aren't.


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## Click (Aug 6, 2022)

On the first series, I really like the blue on the dark background. Nicely done, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Aug 9, 2022)

I found the downy emerald with the dent again 
In the first pic you can see the dent in the abdomen even better now...


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## AlanF (Aug 9, 2022)

Yesterday, I posted shots taken at 80m away of a Southern Hawker Dragonfly in the beak of a Bee-eater (R7/800mm). By the greatest coincidence, at breakfast back home this morning, an absolute monster of a Southern Hawker flew into our kitchen and I had the R5+100-500 at hand. Here's first a crop of the bird and today's close-ups.


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## Maximilian (Aug 9, 2022)

AlanF said:


> Yesterday, I posted shots taken at 80m away of a Southern Hawker Dragonfly in the beak of a Bee-eater (R7/800mm). By the greatest coincidence, at breakfast back home this morning, an absolute monster of a Southern Hawker flew into our kitchen and I had the R5+100-500 at hand. Here's first a crop of the bird and today's close-ups.


Great shots, Alan. 
I've seen several of those at my local ponds. But they never rested or hovered or came back. So not even a chance to aim at them. 
Seems they were just short time visitors.
I've read that the male southern hawkers (yours in the kitchen seem to be a female) are one of the most curious dragonflies. 
Maybe the female are, too. And it was looking for your breakfast...?


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## Maximilian (Aug 10, 2022)

I found some banded demoiselles to pose for me. Last one is a female.


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## Maximilian (Aug 10, 2022)

Here is a male banded demoiselle spreading his wings and showing his typical territorial behaviour against other males.


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## Click (Aug 10, 2022)

Beautiful series. Great shots! Very well done, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Aug 11, 2022)

Click said:


> Beautiful series. Great shots! Very well done, Maximilian.


Thanks, Click.


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## koenkooi (Aug 12, 2022)

A dragonfly landed in our garden and was relaxed enough to get photographed up close with the RF100L + MT14EX:





I did have to stand on a chair to get to eye level  The black background is the wall of the neighbours house, built from black bricks. I think the blue sky would've been nicer, but this works as well.


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## Click (Aug 12, 2022)

Very nice shots. I really like the 3rd picture.


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## Maximilian (Aug 14, 2022)

koenkooi said:


> A dragonfly landed in our garden and was relaxed enough to get photographed up close with the RF100L + MT14EX:
> 
> I did have to stand on a chair to get to eye level  The black background is the wall of the neighbours house, built from black bricks. I think the blue sky would've been nicer, but this works as well.


Really nice, @koenkooi. 
Interesting that it landed on that Velcro fastener. Wouldn't have expected that. 
IMO the Black BG looks really fine. Gives the colours of the dragonfly more glow.

Interesting that it takes the sun pointer position, which I read about and firs recognized only this year.


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## Maximilian (Aug 14, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> Here is a male banded demoiselle spreading his wings and showing his typical territorial behaviour against other males.


Same behaviour from a different angle:


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## Nemorino (Aug 14, 2022)

Focus stack of 85 pictues taken with the R5 and RF100 @ f/7.1 and Iso 320
First uncropped second detail 1:1


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## AlanF (Aug 14, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> Focus stack of 85 pictues taken with the R5 and RF100 @ f/7.1 and Iso 320
> First uncropped second detail 1:1
> View attachment 205162
> View attachment 205163


What software did you use for stacking this great shot?


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## Nemorino (Aug 14, 2022)

Thank you, I used Helicon Focus.


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## Click (Aug 14, 2022)

Great details. Well done, Nemorino.


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## koenkooi (Aug 14, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> Really nice, @koenkooi.
> Interesting that it landed on that Velcro fastener. Wouldn't have expected that.
> IMO the Black BG looks really fine. Gives the colours of the dragonfly more glow.
> 
> Interesting that it takes the sun pointer position, which I read about and firs recognized only this year.


I learned about the pose from your post in this thread


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## ISv (Aug 15, 2022)

More exercise for DIF - this time with the 500mm prime. On the second photo the brown spot left of the dragons was a duck. They pass safely around that duck but later descended sharply (and I lost them). I looked above the camera just to see next duck snapping them (and I hear the sound!!!). No time to react otherwise it could be (eventually) interesting photo. I think they descended to the water for ovisporing - I noticed them doing it around fallen leafs moments before the action.


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## Maximilian (Aug 15, 2022)

ISv said:


> More exercise for DIF...


Great shots, @ISv.
I especially like the first one.


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## Click (Aug 15, 2022)

Excellent series. I like them all. Well done, ISv.


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## AlanF (Aug 15, 2022)

Ruddy Darter day today with RF 100-500 on the R7.


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## Maximilian (Aug 16, 2022)

A sitting downy emerald. I think it's the third time only I've caught one sitting.


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## AlanF (Aug 16, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> A sitting downy emerald. I think it's the third time only I've caught one sitting.
> 
> View attachment 205190


Nice shot. Most of your shots this year have been in excellent focus.


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## Maximilian (Aug 16, 2022)

AlanF said:


> Nice shot. Most of your shots this year have been in excellent focus.


Thanks, @AlanF.
I suppose three reasons:

I get more and more used to my 5D4 over the 5D3, although ergonomics are quite similar.
Better AF and more MP for cropping.
I stop shooting like in film times and make more shots per subject.
Therefore, more work selecting in post, but more chances to get focus on spot. *
I automatically pay more attention to the focal plane.
* If I remember right, with this emerald I took only 3 shots. Then it was gone.
I don't know if it is a good idea to lend/rent an R5 to compare the AF systems.
Could become very expensive, I know


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## AlanF (Aug 16, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> Thanks, @AlanF.
> I suppose three reasons:
> 
> I get more and more used to my 5D4 over the 5D3, although ergonomics are quite similar.
> ...


You do as well on the 5DIV for these shots for AF. I use point focus on the R5 and R7 as I did on the 5DSR and 5DIV to have more control over the focus. Point 3 is the key, positioning yourself for the focal plane. It really does show in your recent shots which are excellent.


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## Click (Aug 16, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> A sitting downy emerald. I think it's the third time only I've caught one sitting.



Excellent.




Very well done, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Aug 18, 2022)

A well aged (and no longer black-tailed) skimmer


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## Click (Aug 18, 2022)

Very nice shots, I especially like the second one.


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## koenkooi (Aug 21, 2022)

I decided to try using my old circular polarizer on the 100-500L and it seems to have added a lot of haze and softness  But I did manage to find some dragonflies, this one has quite some damage to its wings.


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## koenkooi (Aug 24, 2022)

This dragonfly crash landed on our roofterrace last night, missing half of its wings. The first picture is a regular one, taking with an M6II + EF-S60mm, the other 2 pictures are stacks of 32 pictures taken with the builtin stacking feature, denoised with DxO PL and stacked with Helicon Focus.
The middle picture was taken at ISO4000, DxO DeepPrime did a really good job on that.


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## Click (Aug 24, 2022)

Amazing details. Nicely done!


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## Maximilian (Aug 25, 2022)

koenkooi said:


> This dragonfly crash landed ...





Click said:


> Amazing details. Nicely done!


Pity for the dragonfly (seems to be a southern or migrant hawker). 
But a good chance for you and I fully agree with @Click:
Amazing details. It's not all about 45+X MP on the sensor. 
It's about the human and the technique behind it...
Great to see, what you can do with a M6II


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## Maximilian (Aug 25, 2022)

My first southern hawker DIFs.
Not at our local ponds. But at a different lake.
@home they just appear shortly but don't stay long enough for a pic.


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## AlanF (Aug 25, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> Pity for the dragonfly (seems to be a southern or migrant hawker).
> But a good chance for you and I fully agree with @Click:
> Amazing details. It's not all about 45+X MP on the sensor.
> It's about the human and the technique behind it...
> Great to see, what you can do with a M6II


The M6II has essentially the same 32 Mpx APS-C sensor as the R7, which has the pixel density of an 88 Mpx FF sensor. It gives higher resolution than a 45 Mpx R5. I use the R7 rather than the R5 when I want to optimise detail.


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## Maximilian (Aug 25, 2022)

AlanF said:


> The M6II has essentially the same 32 Mpx APS-C sensor as the R7, which has the pixel density of an 88 Mpx FF sensor. It gives higher resolution than a 45 Mpx R5. I use the R7 rather than the R5 when I want to optimise detail.


I know. But thanks for pointing that out. 
But guessing that not too much cropping was needed here, it is about absolute sensor area used vs. pixels used.


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## Maximilian (Aug 25, 2022)

Some pics of common bluets. Second one during a lunch break.


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## AlanF (Aug 25, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> I know. But thanks for pointing that out.
> But guessing that not too much cropping was needed here, it is about absolute sensor area used vs. pixels used.


According to the EXIF data, Koen was at the mfd of the EF-S 60mm, about 21-23cm, so an FF sensor would not be able to cover a greater area of it by getting closer.


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## koenkooi (Aug 25, 2022)

AlanF said:


> According to the EXIF data, Koen was at the mfd of the EF-S 60mm, about 21-23cm, so an FF sensor would not be able to cover a greater area of it by getting closer.


Yes, the close up shots were indeed at MFD. I had put the M6II there last week in case something interesting showed up, so I wouldn't need to run down three flights of stairs to get a camera 

This worked out better than expected, MFD on a crop sensor beats most other things for macro "reach". The other options would've been R5+RF100L, but the size of that lens and the larger working distance would make getting a low angle very difficult. Using the MP-E wouldn't have worked with the built-in focus stacking, since it's fixed focus.

An R7 might've made it a bit easier, the higher FPS and presumably better AF would've made the focus stacks slightly better. It certainly would've made the video better with IBIS and oversampling. A short clip from the same session:


----------



## AlanF (Aug 25, 2022)

koenkooi said:


> Yes, the close up shots were indeed at MFD. I had put the M6II there last week in case something interesting showed up, so I wouldn't need to run down three flights of stairs to get a camera
> 
> This worked out better than expected, MFD on a crop sensor beats most other things for macro "reach". The other options would've been R5+RF100L, but the size of that lens and the larger working distance would make getting a low angle very difficult. Using the MP-E wouldn't have worked with the built-in focus stacking, since it's fixed focus.
> 
> An R7 might've made it a bit easier, the higher FPS and presumably better AF would've made the focus stacks slightly better. It certainly would've made the video better with IBIS and oversampling. A short clip from the same session:


The R7 and the RF 100-400mm is another very good solution. The cheap lens has better magnification at its MFD than than the 100-500, is easier to manipulate, and gives very good IQ. Brilliant video!


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## AlanF (Aug 26, 2022)

AlanF said:


> The R7 and the RF 100-400mm is another very good solution. The cheap lens has better magnification at its MFD than than the 100-500, is easier to manipulate, and gives very good IQ. Brilliant video!


R7 + RF 100-400mm this afternoon, Common Darter Dragonfly. I used mechanical shutter at 15 fps to avoid any rolling shutter.


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## AlanF (Aug 26, 2022)

And an Emerald Damselfly.


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## Click (Aug 26, 2022)

I really like the second and third shot. The subject is very sharp. Lots of details. Well done, Alan.


----------



## Del Paso (Sep 1, 2022)




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## Maximilian (Sep 1, 2022)

@Del Paso: for some reason, I like the second pic more


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## Del Paso (Sep 1, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> @Del Paso: for some reason, I like the second pic more


I even know the reason...
The dragonfly number 1 was dead, floating on the water. Well seen!


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## Maximilian (Sep 1, 2022)

Del Paso said:


> I even know the reason...
> The dragonfly number 1 was dead, floating on the water. Well seen!


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## AlanF (Sep 1, 2022)

Migrant Hawker today, R5 + RF 100-500mm, - very much alive. The crop is where I got the face in flight spot on in focus.


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## Maximilian (Sep 1, 2022)

AlanF said:


> Migrant Hawker today, R5 + RF 100-500mm, - very much alive.


And very much detail - kudos!


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## AlanF (Sep 1, 2022)

And the eye of a Common Darter - first time I have got the lenses somewhat resolved.


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## Click (Sep 1, 2022)

Great shots, Alan.


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## AlanF (Sep 1, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> And very much detail - kudos!


Zero depth of field that close and only one or two perfectly sharp on the face, though most acceptable. They got binned!


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## Maximilian (Sep 2, 2022)

Some blue-tailed damselflies.


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## koenkooi (Sep 5, 2022)

R5 + RF100L. The second picture was shot at 1/50s with EFCS, I'm very happy with how the IS+IBIS work together on the R5.

This is the same damselfly, I'm amazed how the colour shifts between green and brown depending on the angle.


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## AlanF (Sep 5, 2022)

koenkooi said:


> R5 + RF100L. The second picture was shot at 1/50s with EFCS, I'm very happy with how the IS+IBIS work together on the R5.
> 
> This is the same damselfly, I'm amazed how the colour shifts between green and brown depending on the angle.
> View attachment 205456
> ...


Definite thumbs up for the first! The different colours are characteristic of iridescence.


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## Click (Sep 5, 2022)

I really like your shots. Well done, koenkooi.


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## Maximilian (Sep 7, 2022)

Here at my place, the willow emeralds (chalcolestes viridis) have shown up, too.
Definitely a sign that Autumn is coming.


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## Maximilian (Sep 7, 2022)

And the migrant hawkers even have Autumn in their German name (Herbst-Mosaikjungfer).
@AlanF:
The second pic, the DIF one, is far from the details that yours show, but it's the best out of three with
5D4, 100-400L2+TC @560mm, *1/320*, f/10, ISO3200
No sun and in the shadows made it quite tricky, and the hawker was gone soon. So I am pleased.


----------



## AlanF (Sep 7, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> And the migrant hawkers even have Autumn in their German name (Herbst-Mosaikjungfer).
> @AlanF:
> The second pic, the DIF one, is far from the details that yours show, but it's the best out of three with
> 5D4, 100-400L2+TC @560mm, *1/320*, f/10, ISO3200
> ...


Great shots, and I love the head on one!


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## Click (Sep 7, 2022)

Awesome. Great shots, Maximilian.


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## Maximilian (Sep 7, 2022)

Click said:


> Awesome. Great shots, Maximilian.


Thanks, Click. 
Terms like "Awesome" make me blush and feel ashamed. 
Because I know that others do and I could do better and as several of us I am my biggest critic.


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## Click (Sep 7, 2022)

Don't be too hard on yourself. Those are great shots! 

Keep posting my friend.


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## Nemorino (Sep 10, 2022)

My favorite DIF of the year:
R5 + RF100-400 @ 1/4000, f/10, ISO 10 000


A crop of 6484x3647 out of the R5's 8192x5464


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## AlanF (Sep 10, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> My favorite DIF of the year:
> R5 + RF100-400 @ 1/4000, f/10, ISO 10 000
> View attachment 205538
> 
> A crop of 6484x3647 out of the R5's 8192x5464


Nice one, and the year isn't over yet!


----------



## Maximilian (Sep 12, 2022)

Some more of the black pennants (_selysiothemis nigra_) of Rhodes, mostly males. 
I sorted them wrong, but found them again now.
Keep in mind, that I used my travel setup:
200D, 70-300DO, @300 mm, close to MFD (1.4 m), some cropping was needed.


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## Click (Sep 12, 2022)

Very nice series, Maximilian. I especially like the first picture, this one looks like a helicopter.


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## Nemorino (Sep 17, 2022)

AlanF said:


> Nice one, and the year isn't over yet!


Yes, but due to work I have not enough time to look for DIF.
Maybe I'll find some in my archive, still a lot to check.

Close up!
R5 + RF 100 close to mfd @ f/14, ISO5000, 1/200s +DxO
Uncropped:


and 1:1


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## koenkooi (Sep 17, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> Yes, but due to work I have not enough time to look for DIF.
> Maybe I'll find some in my archive, still a lot to check.
> 
> Close up!
> ...


Nice shots! 

For smaller-than-f/11 shots I've started using LR with the new 'select subject' mask and moving the 'texture' slider a bit to get better perceived sharpness on things like dragonfly faces. I haven't found an equivalent in DxO yet, the 'microcontrast' slider does something completely different.
Without the mask, the texture slider will sharpen up the bokeh, which most of the times will give a very unpleasant look.


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## Nemorino (Sep 17, 2022)

koenkooi said:


> For smaller-than-f/11 shots I've started using LR with the new 'select subject' mask and moving the 'texture' slider a bit to get better perceived sharpness on things like dragonfly faces.


I only use DxO deepRaw to reduce the noise and develop the image with LR. The selected subject is indeed a very useful tool.


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## Maximilian (Sep 25, 2022)

Some more willow emeralds taking care for the next generation:


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## Click (Sep 25, 2022)

I really like the first picture.


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## AlanF (Sep 25, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> Some more willow emeralds taking care for the next generation:
> 
> View attachment 205734
> View attachment 205733
> View attachment 205732


Nice to see some new images, especially good ones!


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## Maximilian (Sep 25, 2022)

@Click and @AlanF, thanks for the replies and compliments.
Too much to do and not the best weather makes it hard to find good conditions right now.
And it seems that only migrant hawkers, willow emeralds and some darters are left.
The d&d season seems to come to an end...


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## ISv (Sep 26, 2022)

Click said:


> Don't be too hard on yourself. Those are great shots!
> 
> Keep posting my friend.


Being hard on himself he improve! On other hand I like your post!


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## Maximilian (Sep 26, 2022)

Migrant hawker again. 
2nd is a 1:1 detail of the first. Quite pleasing resolution.
At the 3rd, note that that one seems to only have 2 full legs left. Whatever happened to the other 4.
The 4th was so far away that cropping almost killed the rest of the details in the wings.


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## Click (Sep 26, 2022)

Very nice series. I especially like the 4th picture. Great details.


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## Maximilian (Sep 28, 2022)

Maximilian said:


> The second pic, the DIF one, is far from the details that yours show, but it's the best out of three with


Migrant hawker DIF, better detail than before, less nice pose


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## Del Paso (Sep 28, 2022)

AlanF said:


> Great shots, and I love the head on one!


Me too!


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## Maximilian (Oct 6, 2022)

Some female and male darters, sunbathing on a parapet


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## AlanF (Oct 10, 2022)

From Mallorca, A Scarlet Darter (taken by my wife with the R7+RF100-400mm) and an immmature Red-veined Darter by me with the R5 + RF 100-500mm @ 1000mm.


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## Click (Oct 10, 2022)

Nice shots, Alan. I especially like the last one.

1000mm....Good result.


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## Maximilian (Oct 11, 2022)

AlanF said:


> From Mallorca, A Scarlet Darter ...


Lovely.
I am always enchanted by the colors with which the evolution has decorated the _Odonata_.

I hope you really enjoyed your stay there. Wonderful island, especially when you leave the beach


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## Nemorino (Oct 15, 2022)

R5 + RF 100-400 5.6-8
@ 1/3200, f/10, ISO 12 800


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## Click (Oct 15, 2022)

Excellent shot! Well done, Nemorino.


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## Nemorino (Oct 15, 2022)

Thanks, Click!
A handheld focus stack with R5 and RF100 2.8 macro @ f/5.6
Couldn't use all pictures due to movement of the wings and leaves.


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## Nemorino (Oct 23, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> My favorite DIF of the year:





AlanF said:


> Nice one, and the year isn't over yet!


Yes, You have been right, once again. 
I didn't expect this, happend last sunday:
All shots R5 + RF 100-400 5.6-8 @ 1/4000, f/10, Iso 6400


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## Click (Oct 23, 2022)

Excellent series, Nemorino.

Ménage à trois?


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## Nemorino (Oct 23, 2022)

Probably not  , just mobbing at the pond


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## Maximilian (Nov 4, 2022)

Nemorino said:


> Yes, You have been right, once again.
> I didn't expect this, happend last sunday:


Really great moment! Kudos!



Click said:


> Ménage à trois?


Not so much. More like "Killing a couple!"


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## Maximilian (Nov 4, 2022)

A lot of work to do.
Some darters from late September, I now found the time to process.


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## Maximilian (Nov 6, 2022)

In mid of October, I took these darters during oviposition. This is the best out of about 20

5D4, 100-400L II + TC, @560mm, f/10, 1/800, ISO1600



At the same time, my son was shooting from the opposite bank of the stream. 
It was his first time trying on DIF. Using my 200D and the stupid 9-point AF locking on the bricks, these were the best two out of about 80 shots.
Still okay.
But look what was hiding in a crack, and we recognized it only back at home...

200D, 70-300DO, @300mm, f/5.6, 1/800, ISO800


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## ISv (Dec 4, 2022)

These are from November 20


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## Click (Dec 4, 2022)

Definitely not as good as you guys....Here is my participation


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## Click (Dec 4, 2022)




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## Maximilian (Dec 4, 2022)

Click said:


> Definitely not as good as you guys....Here is my participation


@Click: Don't hide your light under a bushel!
Yours are also great.


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## Click (Dec 4, 2022)

Thank you for your kind words, Maximilian.


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