A Craving For Glass

Things are getting out of hand! I can't stop myself!

"Hi. My name is Laz and I'm addicted to glass."

Spent Sunday afternoon shooting macro in Key Largo. I'm juggling two and three stacked macro lenses and my brain keeps saying, "MORE! MORE! MORE! NEED.. MORE... MAGNIFICATION!"

(Shot with double stacked Inon macros)

(Shot with double stacked Inon macros)

(Shot with triple stacked macros [2 Inon, 1 Olympus])

(Shot with triple stacked macros)

A Caribbean Sea Spider! I knew this little girl was rare when I saw her but I didn't realize she had not been seen in Florida according to the Creature ID book. Plus, she's carrying eggs under her! Woohooo!!!

Anyone know where I can get a housed microscope? ;D

Sweet shots Laz.....a 105 with 4T diopter will make you a happy camper ...you've just got to break down and get that housing for your D70

Karl

Poor Laz, pretty soon you're going to start craving the kind of glass that only comes in microscopes. Forget that 105 w/ a 4T diopter, just get a Leica MZ12 and you'll be able to do 8:1 to 100:1. Of course, it might be a little tricky to take it underwater but I'm sure you'll figure that out!

The sea spider is awfully nice. It's really hard to get a good combination of focus & depth with these little guys. By the way, it's a he, not a she - like seahorses the males carry the eggs after the females lay them.

It's not surprising that this isn't in Humann's book. His creature id books are great but they basically show the big or popular stuff, which is probably less than 1% of what's actually there.

Cheers, L

Sweet shots Laz.....a 105 with 4T diopter will make you a happy camper   ...you've just got to break down and get that housing for your D70    

 

Karl

Must..resist..the..dark..side...

Yeah, I'll be breaking down any day now and I'll order a housing for the D70. I'm thinking more along the lines of the 105 with a TC, though. Maybe I should start with a 60 -- gotta learn to doggy paddle before you can swim, right?

Poor Laz, pretty soon you're going to start craving the kind of glass that only comes in microscopes. Forget that 105 w/ a 4T diopter, just get a Leica MZ12 and you'll be able to do 8:1 to 100:1. Of course, it might be a little tricky to take it underwater but I'm sure you'll figure that out!

Ooooh, yeah! That would be sooo great. Then I'd finally be able to get more photos of plankton -- my favoristest of all underwater photos. I've thought of getting some kind of microscope with the adapter to attach my digital camera to it. I'd just have to do everything out on the boat as I don't have the heart to sacrifice a plankton just to get its photo.

The sea spider is awfully nice. It's really hard to get a good combination of focus & depth with these little guys. By the way, it's a he, not a she - like seahorses the males carry the eggs after the females lay them.  

 

It's not surprising that this isn't in Humann's book. His creature id books are great but they basically show the big or popular stuff, which is probably less than 1% of what's actually there.

Wow! You are always sooo helpful and informative. Thanks, Leslie. I truly appreciate all the insight into this interesting little critter. The latest edition of Humann's book does have the Caribbean Sea Spider but it is mentioned as seen only in the Caymans. One thing I found interesting about one of my Sea Spider photos is that it appears as though they have 4 eyes, much like those of a nudibranch (small black dot). I will have to revisit the area where I found the little fella. While it says in the book that they feed on cnidarians and other soft-bodied animals, I found this one on a sponge. Could be he was there to eventually release the babies.

Would you recommend any other books or places to find and learn about such odd critters?

Now if I could only find that Pygmy Seahorse -- you never know!

Must..resist..the..dark..side...

Yeah, I'll be breaking down any day now and I'll order a housing for the D70. I'm thinking more along the lines of the 105 with a TC, though. Maybe I should start with a 60 -- gotta learn to doggy paddle before you can swim, right?

That's not like you.

Don't forget to get the 1.4x and 2x teleconverters along with the 105. The new Sigma 150mm macro is also very interesting. I had lots of fun with the 1.4x and a 105mm last weekend.

Let me know if you want other suggestions on how to spend more money.

http://www.whiteheadimages.com/gallery/alb...bum07/pygmyface

this is an uncropped image from last week using the 105 with a Kenko 7 element 2x TC on the D70. A very difficult setup to use, AF is 99% useless and the weight/air torque of the setup made me feel as though I had arthritis in my hands not to mention the severely sickening CO2 head I had from holding my breath so much whilst trying to use it. I used an iTTL strobe which reduced the workload a little.

Despite all that some of the results were very interesting and I will have another attempt soon.

And you call yourself a friend!?!?!

Herb, I can't buy too much stuff. I gotta have a little extra cash left over so I can go do a Monterey Muck dive with you soon. I was in the neighborhood for the first time two weeks ago (went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium) and I truly fell in love with the place. Out on the bay I saw a kayaker paddle up right next to a pair of Otters (ever thought of a split shot with these furry little cuties?), a bunch of divers doing a beach dive and the critters I saw in the aquarium that are from those waters... WOW!

What an amazing aquarium! I loved their jellies and the mermaid's purse (shark egg) with the light behind it so you could see the baby embryo still inside the egg. That was truly stunning! You're gonna show me all this stuff out in the wild when I go, right? NO PRESSURE. LOL!

http://www.whiteheadimages.com/gallery/album07/pygmyface

 

this is an uncropped image from last week using the 105 with a 2x TC on the D70. A very difficult setup to use, AF is pretty useless and the weight/air torque of the setup made me feel as though arthritis in my hands not to mention the severely sickening CO2 head I had from holding my breath so much whilst trying to use it. I used an iTTL strobe which reduced the workload a little.

 

Despite all that some of the results were very interesting and I will have another attempt soon.

Oh wow!! That is spectacular to say the least. Did Herb put you up to this? That's it! I'm switching for sure now. Herb.. Go ahead and start shopping for me. I'll have the house mortgaged by the end of the week.

I especially love the fact that it's challenging. Shooting some of these macro shots with the 5050 is a lot of fun too. The LCD darkens and goes into slow motion video when the button is half-pressed. The housing is also so light that pressing the shutter button usually causes enough movement that the subject comes out of focus. All in all.. the kind of stuff that makes underwater photography fun.

Thanks for sharing that photo with me.. It definitely inspired me to finally house my D70. BTW - that's one of the nicest Pygmy shots I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of them.

I think you will like the 1.4x with the 105 better on your D70. Add a 3T (+1.5) diopter and you can get almost 3:1 apparent with the DX sensor plus have an uw working distance range from about 5 to 30 inches. I could fill the frame with a pygmy denise (much smaller than the ones whitehead shot) yet the shorter focal length is easier to handle than 210mm would be on the DX sensor. A bonus is the 1 stop faster lens for focusing. Modeling light is less necessary. The 105 + 1.4 is similar to the 105 + 2x on a full frame camera or the 200mm, both popular setups with film shooters.

If you enjoy shooting these things I see no reason to start with the 60mm. The 105mm + 1.4x and a 70-180 and you are set! With full frame I'm not certain I'll even bother with the straight 105mm.

Laz, I'll echo Craig. Go to the 105, go directly to the 105. Do not bother with the 60 until after shooting the 105.

whitehead, stunning pygmy shot. Thanks for the picture and showing what can be done with the teleconverter. Wow.

Rand

FWIW....I think Whitehead is now shooting a D70

Whitehead, really a nice shot.....after seeing and shooting our first pygmy seahorses a couple of weeks ago in Wakatobi, I appreciate your shot more than ever.....now I know how hard it is to get a full face shot

Well done

Craig, which TC would you recommend for the D70/105? Will AF still be possible?

Karl

Herb, I can't buy too much stuff. I gotta have a little extra cash left over so I can go do a Monterey Muck dive with you soon.  

You can't blame me for all the spending you're going do. Watching Craig shoot the Pygmies with a leisurely 1 foot working distance while I struggled with the focus an inch from the subject is what really convinced me this is the way to go. So he should get some of the blame.

I'd love to go muck diving with you at Monterey and introduce you to the fringeheads. You'll love them. Wish I knew you were in town.

 

Microscopes, cameras, & small boats just don't mix. Even on a big boat like the Atlantis there's so much vibration the image quality is impaired. Considering just how many plankters there are the sacrifice of a few won't impact the population! And besides, then you can send them off to a specialist & get verified ids to go along with the image. (I hate killing critters too but it's the only way to get specimens for study.)

 

 

The Indo-Pacific has an estimated 350 species of sea spiders; the Caribbean probably doesn't have as many but definitely more than one! Your fellow might have been dining on that sponge or just crossing it in search of a more tempting meal. And most of them do have eyes. I'm not sure but the number of eyes might be used in identifying them. there's lots of info on the web. (Warning! Stop reading now if you don't want info overload ) One of the top experts is Bonnie Bain from Australia. her website <http://www.invertebrate.ws/seaspider/> has good general info but poor images. An antarctic field guide site belonging to Scripps has good field images including one fellow dining on an anemone (some of these guys get up to 2 FEET in diameter!)

<http://scilib.ucsd.edu/sio/nsf/fguide/arthropoda48.html > A paper just came out by C.Allan Child, another top expert, on Caribbean pycnogonids but this is really getting into pure taxonomy: C.A. Child. 2004. Some pycnogonida from the western Caribbean with description of 3 new species. Bulletin of Marine Science 74: 143-162. In general any good invert text will have a chapter on sea spiders.

Cheers, Leslie

Holy cow, that sea spider shot is very cool laz. Heck, they all are very cool.

I'm with Craig. I'd recommend using the 105 first with a 3t or a +1 diopter. Once you're comfortable and want to get really tiny, try the 105 +1.4x + a 3t diopter.

For a DX sensor camera that is probably the best way to go. It's the "easiest" to get good results. You can even still use autofocus.

Cheers

James

James and Craig......which model 1.4x TC will work with the 105 and D70 and will still have autofocus?

Karl

One of the ones compatible with AF-D lenses. Don't get one that will only work with AF-S

Kenko Pro or Nikon TCwhatever

Cheers

James

I personally don't use AF much with macro but I see no reason why, at f/4, the 105 + 1.4x can't be used and I know my teleconverter allows it. I don't like AF even with the 60mm! I use the Tamron SP AF 140F-FNs teleconverter. It's the same as the Kenko 300 one so either is fine. I use a 20mm extension with it and everything works fine with the Nexus multiport.

That's funny Herb. That is the same thoughts I had.

Here we are crammed tight trying to get focus on the pygmies and Craig is sitting a foot back. At first I even wondered why he was not shooting them. Then I see the strobes fire and realize he is.

No more of that.

Maybe a 1.4 is the way to go. I keep hearing negative on the 2.0 and it's sharpness. Now which extention will I need now from Aquatica. I think one longer one is better than two smaller ones. When will it stop? :shock:

Todd, I bought the 2X Kenko TC if you buy the 1.4 we'll be able to compare sharpness in Lembeh. Don't start crying if I get some pygmy nosehair.... :roll:

Rand

Todd, I bought the 2X Kenko TC if you buy the 1.4 we'll be able to compare sharpness in Lembeh. Don't start crying if I get some pygmy nosehair.... :roll:

 

Rand

With your old eyes you will need me to show you them so be nice if you want to even see one.

Are you bringing diopters too? I have three of them also. Damn that Craig again! I keep spending and spending!