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It's pretty common to be reluctant to apply too much force to a new piece of gear. That's not a bad thing. That caution has saved me from breaking things on several occasions. I think you will find that this lens is very sharp, and focuses quickly and silently. It's not your usual kit lens. It...

Diagonal lines.

Mine was pretty difficult to remove. The good news is that when you remove the cap, it's a great lens. I started off the Z series with a Z5 and the 24-70. I'm sure you'll be very happy with them.

Spent some more time in the backyard again today.

Tried opening up to F/9.5 and shooting a lot more. Used the focus stacking option in the camera's menu set to 25. Ran it through PS. Made things worse. I think the problem is that PS doesn't properly mask the subject. It feathers out from the legs quite a distance. My club has a workshop this...

I thought about posting about the #1 photo, but didn't want it to descend into a political discussion. What immediately struck me when I first saw the photo was the similarities with another iconic photo that was intrinsically linked with our view of history. That would be the image of the...

Well, I thought I had it nailed with the second stack. It had more images, 10 to be exact, and I had good overlap. PS dropped the ball on it, however. I was nearly done editing, concentrating on attempting to remove a distracting edge of a leaf on one corner, when I discovered a real problem...

OK, this if for you Blackstar, and anyone else who is interested in the issue of DOF with macro. At the risk of a continued assault on a deceased equine, here are two images. I was lucky enough to spot a lynx spider sitting on some bushes in the yard. I got my gear out and decided this was a...

Tell him I said, "Hi".

No offense was taken at all. I have no problem with folks pointing out things, good or bad in my images. That can be a valuable tool in learning for both myself and others. FTR, I didn't look on your statement as a negative assessment of the image, just commenting on one of the obvious aspects...

Wow, I'm impressed you got a dragonfly in flight. And sharp! I remember growing up in Florida we called them "mosquito hawks".

I swear every time I walk out back, I discover something that catches my interest and have to go get my camera. I have taken to leaving it out with the 105 micro and flash on it. Today I was initially drawn to a wasp. By the time I got back with the Z, it was gone. Then I discovered this delta...

DOF is the 800 lb gorilla in the room when it comes to macro. Often focus stacking is the only way to get exactly what you want. With insects, often stacking is not an option because of subject movement. I've had situations where I thought the insect was rock steady, only to have extra legs, or...

Got a similar shot the other day. Assassin bug vs sweat bee.

I shoot most of my macro with a flash. It solves the issues with needing a tripod, using low ISOs, and small apertures. I can shoot handheld without worrying about camera shake or subject movement. I use the Godox 685. It runs around $130. They have a smaller, less powerful unit for well under...

Thanks, I'm trying to use the opportunities to shoot macro in my backyard to learn and grow. I don't have the variety of subjects that I do going farther afield, but the quick feedback of editing images minutes after taking them may help with the learning process. I've been very pleased with the...

And a few more. I would like to make some trips out and shoot something a little different, but it's just so darned hot. This one would have been much better if the fly had both of his wings back. I guess I'm lucky, as soon as I got focus and hit the shutter, he took off. I think I got him...

Welcome. I fondly remember spending time as a child with my Dad out in the darkroom watching him develop and print B&W film. I went on to have an interest in photography. I would love to be able to spend an afternoon with my dad showing him the wonders of the latest digital cameras. He was a...

I had a tough time getting the green of the grasshopper to look natural in post processing. I have some pastel purple flowers coming on right now. I'm hoping to get a few interesting looking insects on them. Right now, the thistles are drawing the crowds. That is the middle fly pic, as well as...