sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Not a critter in site and I'm getting cabin fever already. Went to PETCO yesterday and I bought a bag of crickets that were destined to be something meal. I got 30 of them for $5.00.

I took this image with the microscope objective attached to my camera with a series of 50 images stacked in Zerene. I hand-cranked my focus rail ever so slightly between each shot. Started at the outermost antena and worked inward to the hair at the back. What amazes me is that the image taken by the microscope objective fills the frame of my camera (Nikon D810) so there is no cropping or enlarging of the image. I did scale it down to 2450 px. wide to post.

I used a flexible LED desk lamp ($12 at Lowe's) with packing foam over it as the source of lighting. No flash, just a fixed light.

Now that I have 30 of these little buggers, I'll shoot from every angle possible and experiment with a variety of other lenses. I ordered a WeMacro digitally operated focusing rail yesterday and I expect it to arrive in about two weeks which will hopefully keep me occupied this winter experimenting.

Thanks for viewing and comments, suggestions and recommendations are highly welcomed.

Cricket from PETCO

(Download)

alx Loc: NJ

Well, you got an incredible macro shot AND 30 crickets happily celebrating Thanksgiving! Well done!

tinusbum Loc: east texas

you were desperate

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Tinusbum, as the saying goes, "Desperate men do desperate things".

newtoyou Loc: Eastport

At max, what you shot is ten mm front to back. That means one mm is five wee turns. The fact that you used continuous light is a surprise. The Lens must be fairly fast. Very nice. I will be using posed dead specimens, so no movement problems. Crickets do well when cooled. The ones that die(probably half) can be frozen and thawed for posing. How many others have persued this line of thinking for macro. I for one am interested.
Night all
Bill

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

Well! You are moving along a quite a clip! I suppose there are issues with the front of the head in this one, but it is clear that you are proceeding by leaps and bounds! It is very fun to watch this. Right now you have avoided many of the problems with stacking that I have seen with others, so very well done!

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks to all for the positive feedback for it gives me the incentive to continue my pursuit.

Thus far I'm amazed at the results of a $20 microscope lens https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G4CCGRC/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and the adapter to mount it directly to the camera https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DLP2ZNB/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 for $17

The adapter that the microscope objective screws into has not arrived yet so I've used a piece of paper towel to stuff it in place (crude but effective so far).

Right now I'm thinking that winter may not be so gloomy after all.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Nice shot, Gary.

napabob Loc: Napa CA

nice close up Mr Demille..............