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Moss Capsules

e6filmusere6filmuser Registered Users Posts: 3,378 Major grins
edited July 28, 2022 in Holy Macro

There was a cardboard box sitting on the window sill and I would see, but not register, it if I looked past the left side of my screen. It had a few bits and pieces on top of it but it was clearly visible. I’m not sure why but yesterday I decided to pick it up.

I thought the box had been reused for something other than its original contents but what looked like some crayon crossing out those details turned out to be some “clever” design work. It actually contained a Raynox MSN-505 32 diopter supplementary lens, their most powerful one, recommended only for experienced macro shooters. It had been there since I purchased it, at a very good price, 4 ½ years ago.

Now that I wanted to try it out, we are in the middle of a drought, with my usual type of subject nowhere to be seen. I managed to find some moss with brown, dried up capsules. These are deeper (DOF) than my usual subjects at a similar magnification.

Then I had to find a suitable lens, the Raynox website indicating that 200mm might be ideal. I located a Kiron 70-210mm and tried it out on my EM-1.

The best suitable location I could find was still uncomfortable and I struggled with maintaining focus. Hand held but resting on my elbows. Flash was essential. The images needed quite a bit of processing but I think they are worthwhile for my first, out of the box, try-out.

The single frames have been cropped but those used in the stereo pair have not.

The lens was set at 210mm and f16. The FOV was ca 2.5mm wide (compared with 3.5mm with my Laowa at maximum magnification).

The stereo is crosseye.

Harold

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    DeepWoodsDeepWoods Registered Users Posts: 27 Big grins

    Cool images!!...the last one being my fav.

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    e6filmusere6filmuser Registered Users Posts: 3,378 Major grins

    @DeepWoods said:
    Cool images!!...the last one being my fav.

    Thanks. the moss was past its best but all I had.

    Harold

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    spanky117abspanky117ab Registered Users Posts: 263 Major grins

    It's like looking at something from another world, very cool.

    My Smugmug galleryhttps://mikemcneil.smugmug.com/

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    e6filmusere6filmuser Registered Users Posts: 3,378 Major grins

    @spanky117ab said:
    It's like looking at something from another world, very cool.

    Yes, there are lots of fascinating life forms as you get down to microscopic level, or thereabouts.

    Harold

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    e6filmusere6filmuser Registered Users Posts: 3,378 Major grins
    edited July 29, 2022

    Here are similar capsules I shot in 2015 with a Schneider HM40 lens. The shorter focal length gives more effective DOF. I would normally use my Laowa 25mm now for even more.

    Harold

    [url]https://dgrin.com/discussion/253301/moss-grimmia-pulvinata[/url]

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    spanky117abspanky117ab Registered Users Posts: 263 Major grins

    @e6filmuser said:
    Here are similar capsules I shot in 2015 with a Schneider HM40 lens. The shorter focal length gives more effective DOF. I would normally use my Laowa 25mm now for even more.

    Harold

    [url]https://dgrin.com/discussion/253301/moss-grimmia-pulvinata[/url]

    Wow at 25mm the subject to lens distance must be extremely close. I mainly shoot with a 105mm macro and thought that I was shooting close to the subjects.

    My Smugmug galleryhttps://mikemcneil.smugmug.com/

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    e6filmusere6filmuser Registered Users Posts: 3,378 Major grins
    edited July 30, 2022

    @spanky117ab said:

    Wow at 25mm the subject to lens distance must be extremely close. I mainly shoot with a 105mm macro and thought that I was shooting close to the subjects.

    The working distance with this setup was about 20mm. With the Laowa 25mm it is about 40mm.

    Harold

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