The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This is my first image stack using an OM Systems 90mm f/3.5 macro which I have rented for a week. I was lucky to find this little beetle since it’s only about 45 degrees out right now and windy to boot. Not much happiness for a macro photographer, but I’m putting it through its paces alongside my 45mm f/2.8 to see if it offers me anything substantially different. I’m impressed with its handling and the detail looks amazing. IRL it’s about 15 mm long.
Lr for basic global edits for exposure, texture, sharpness and a bit of color and wb correction. Zerene for the stack which is a DMap with PMax details painted in the insect and what it’s sitting on. The bg and OOF areas are largely DMap which is smoother. Edited the TIFF for better color and used masking to darken the foreground.
Kris, the hairiness of this critter shows very well and is special. The stack looks good, with the possible exception of some “fringing/noise” along the top of the bug, which I’m not sure isn’t in the final shot… I expect that you’ll like the extra working distance when you’re after things that can move.
How cool – a hairy beetle! I like that it looks alert and aware of the viewer. I could wish that the stack started a bit more gradually below the in-focus part of the rock – maybe a smaller aperture would have been needed for a more gradual transition with the longer lens. Might have given more detail along the back edge of the bug, too. Always fun to play with new tools!
Kris: Great look at this little guy and for me longer is generally better with macro. My first 35mm system macro was a 100mm Minolta that was eye-watering sharp and easy to handle but a couple years later I indulged myself with a 200mm and it was the resident lens on my cameras for close to 20 years. I got frustrated that no one was making a 200mm for mirrorless but then Sony came out with their new 100mm that pairs with my 2xTC to get me back to my happy place. I just prefer the narrower angle of view and greater working distance. The only thing I don’t love about the new lens is the pain I suffered in the wallet but so it goes. Hope your trial with this new lens works out and I’m looking forward to more from it and you. >=))>
I feel this photo would benefit from a tighter crop. For me there is too much OOF foreground. The subject is nice and sharp. Maybe a touch brighter so the eye stands out a bit more. An interesting photo.
Hi Kris. As with other comments I think a bit less OOF foreground would be good, however the beetle is great. I have that lens, after agonising whether to get it or not, and have never regretted it. The amazing stabilisation is what sold me in the end. I use an OM-1 camera now though, and don’t know if the stabilisation is the same with your Lumix.
I particularly enjoy the higher magnifiction of 2x but for that I mostly use the lens on a camera stand. I sometimes mount a 10x objective on the end of the lens and that works well. It is really good no longer having to muck around with various lenses to get magnifications from 1x through to 10-20x.
Thanks @Diane_Miller , @Bill_Fach , @Mark_Seaver , @John_Tobias & @Phil_G - it was nice to get behind the lens again. It should get warmer over the next few days so hope to get more testing done. I’ve updated the OP with a slightly smaller crop. As I was getting used to the lens, this was more or less and experiment and I’m encouraged by the results although more tinkering will be needed because it is so different from my P/L 45mm f/2.8.
Playing with it a bit more today (another beetle!) and I like the greater working distance which is closer to what I had when I was using my old Olympus 90mm f/2 macro with an adapter for digital cameras. I think I like it.
To answer your question, Phil, I will get OIS, but not Dual IS which is frankly stupid, but there is it. Should be fine with a flash and for most handheld and on a support it’s not even an issue.
Your new crop works for me, as does @Bill_Fach 's. Something in between could be good, too. What catches my eye is the fairly sharp distinction between the in-focus and OOF parts of the perch. I’ve occasionally tried to mitigate that with some 50% opacity cloning, just to soften the line a bit. That bug is SO cool, though, that I’m not complaining!
I gotcha @Diane_Miller - I had a hard time with the focus point in front because the rock curved so much. I’m going to let this one go as is since it’s basically an experiment. There are tons of them around right now, I even took one out of an old spider web the other day.
