It's a leaf

dinanm3atl

That is a bug

Thanks for the invite Brian!

GOLDENORFE

that was quick ! welcome

good shot, focus looks good.
think your sensor needs cleaning

phil

dinanm3atl

Yes it does. I think I confused you Phil, with Brian who I was also flickr mailing with... my apologies!

I guess it does. I seriously have NEVER noticed it until I am now shooting some macro. I am overly anal about lens changes and such and somehow it is FILTHY

I don't know how to clean and don't really feel comfortable doing it either.

GOLDENORFE

dinanm3atl wrote:

I guess it does. I seriously have NEVER noticed it until I am now shooting some macro. I am overly anal about lens changes and such and somehow it is FILTHY

I don't know how to clean and don't really feel comfortable doing it either.

yes higher magnification does show every little blob! get used to cloning tool
i use an "arctic butterfly" for cleaning sensor, usually once a month
dead easy, takes about 3 mins
phil

craig_d

Nice picture. I like how the color and leafy texture of the bug relates to the surface it's on. You've got DOF just about perfect, too. I see a little bit of blur toward the bottom of the bug's tail end, but not enough to be bothersome, and the tail end is the right place for it.

Lord Vetinari

Wonderful leaf hopper/plant hopper shots - esp like the composition of #2

Thought my memory had finally gone kaput for a min with the invite
Brian V.

CyberSteak

GOLDENORFE wrote:

yes higher magnification does show every little blob! get used to cloning tool
i use an "arctic butterfly" for cleaning sensor, usually once a month
dead easy, takes about 3 mins
phil

Any links and further explanation on this arctic butterfly you speak of?

paddler4

Cyberstreak,

I'd also look at your front element or filter. I'll bet some of these splotches are just debris on it.

A few weeks ago, I finally started using tubes and shooting up to about 2:1. Suddenly, I had a lot of little splotches like the ones on your images, which I had never had before. While I was procrastinating cleaning the sensor, I noticed that they did not stay in the same place from shot to shot!

Yesterday, I had a bunch when I shot a carpenter bee @ 2:1. On a hunch, I quickly blew and brushed off the filter I usually keep on the front of my macro lens and took some test shots of a blank surface. I also shot without the filter. I shot with a regular lens, and also with my macro at 2:1. Most of the blotches had disappeared.

For decades, I had not paid much attention to minor amounts of debris on the front because in most kinds of photography, it simply does not show up. I think what is happening here is that at this magnification, the focal plane is very close to the front element, so the debris matters.

Others with more experience with macro can weigh in and correct me if my reasoning is wrong. But it is easy enough to clean the front and see whether it matters.

Dan

dinanm3atl

I think I also need to really 'clean' my lens elements but I don't really know the proper way. Use a microfiber cloth and rocket blower for the most part.

paddler4

dinanm3atl wrote:

I think I also need to really 'clean' my lens elements but I don't really know the proper way. Use a microfiber cloth and rocket blower for the most part.

I try to minimize the risk that anything will gouge or smear. I start with a rocket blower, and then move to a brush if necessary. (I keep the brush in plastic so that I don't get finger grease on the bristles.) That almost always is sufficient. If you have to do more than that, at least you will have removed much of the grit that might cause damage.