Bees

[GardenersHelper]

These were captured with my new camera, a Panasonic FZ330 bridge camera, which replaces one of my two FZ200 cameras which died after 101,000 shutter activations. I used a Raynox 150 close-up lens and a Venus Optics KX800 twin flash with individually diffused flash heads and a concave diffuser. The images were processed in DXO Optics Pro 11 and Silkypix Developer Pro 7. There are 1300 pixel high versions in this album at Flickr.

1

0971 18 P1040835_DxO RAW 01a SP7 1300h by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

2

0971 20 P1040838_DxO RAW 01a SP7 1300h by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

3

0971 21 P1040853_DxO RAW 01a SP7 1300h by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

4

0971 41 P1040922_DxO RAW 01a SP7 1300h by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

5

0971 42 P1040923_DxO RAW 01a SP7 1300h by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

6

0971 46 P1040940_DxO RAW 01a SP7 1300h by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

 

[sbowler579]

The last three are superb, vibrant colourful and super detailed.

 

[GardenersHelper]

The last three are superb, vibrant colourful and super detailed.

Thanks Steve. I don't usually bother with bees because they don't stay in one place quite long enough for my liking and I find it gets a bit frustrating, keeping on getting lined up on an empty flower just after the bee has gone. Perhaps the new camera is a little faster to deploy. Or perhaps I just got lucky. Don't know.

 

[jimbosloan]

Nice shots
the Raynox is a great bit of kit had one when I had a G3 on my wish list for my new FZ1000

 

[GardenersHelper]

Nice shots
the Raynox is a great bit of kit had one when I had a G3 on my wish list for my new FZ1000

Thanks.

I used Raynox 150 and 250 and also Canon 500D on a G3 (using a 45-200 and later, and better, a 45-175). Like you say, they work well.

There is a bit of a disadvantage using close-up lenses on the FZ1000 if you like lots of DOF. With its minimum aperture of f/8 you will only get about half of the DOF with the FZ1000 that you could using f/22 with the G3. There again, if you only used up to f/11 on the G3 then it won't make any difference to the maximum DOF you can get.

For shots like the ones in this post I always use minimum aperture to get maximum DOF. That is what made the FZ1000 unsuitable for my purposes as it can't achieve the same amount of DOF as my other cameras. The FZ2000/2500 is better in this respect, going down to f/11 as it does. That will give about 70% of the DOF that you would get with f/22 on the G3 (or f/8 on my FZ330, which is what I used for these shots).

 

[Paul Iddon]

These are brilliant Nick.

The Lumix cameras always were quality and you show their ability and yours, here.

Paul.

 

[GardenersHelper]

These are brilliant Nick.

The Lumix cameras always were quality and you show their ability and yours, here.

Paul.

Thanks so much Paul.

I know you didn't get on with the KX800, but I'm really liking it now I've got the diffusion sorted out to my liking. In fact I just bought a second one in case they stop making them, it being a rather odd and specialist item that might not sell enough to make it worthwhile to keep making. I really wouldn't want to be without it now. That would hurt.

I suspect the illumination and the post processing have quite a lot to do with the look of my stuff these days. I think the camera matters from the operational point of view (live view that works nicely, so I can use the articulated LCD and get at awkward angles, autofocus with very fine control of focus placement, not needing a lot of flash power so recycle times are faster, nicely implemented manual focus - on the FZ330 - for the difficult spider etc shots). But given the apertures I use I don't think the optics have much to do with it.

 

[ChrisA]

New camera results look superb.

 

[The Weasel]

Agree with, Paul on both counts, and the detail is quite incredible.

 

[GardenersHelper]

New camera results look superb.

Agree with, Paul on both counts, and the detail is quite incredible.

Thanks both.

On the subject of detail, I think I may be about to get into an argument with someone over at dpreview who wrote "F/16 on a 1" sensor will have the same diffraction as F/43.2 on FF I can think of no possible reason I would want to use F/16 on my FZ1000.....[snip] F/16 on 1" has a very serious impact on resoloution ." He is absolutely right of course about the diffraction and the impact on resolution. Still, I responded with the comment that I routinely use that (equivalent) aperture for insects and spiders. It's a discussion (and occasionally an argument) that I keep having.