Diptera.info

Posted by Tony T on 09-04-2008 02:41

7 April 2008, New Brunswick, Canada.
Very close to, and with similar habits, Culex pipiens
Be careful what you wish for:p. Been waiting for some new flies to appear (plenty of Pollenia spp. flying) but didn't want the mosquito season to start so early:(.

Note the blurry antennae, must have been the slightest of air movement (undetectable by me) that was picked up by the antennae.

Edited by Tony T on 11-04-2008 03:22

Posted by Susan R Walter on 10-04-2008 21:04

Nothing is more humbling than to look with a strong magnifying glass at an insect so tiny that the naked eye sees only the barest speck and to discover that nevertheless it is sculpted and articulated and striped with the same care and imagination as a zebra. Apparently it does not occur to nature whether or not a creature is within our range of vision, and the suspicion arises that even the zebra was not designed for our benefit.

-Rudolf Arnheim, psychologist and author (1904-2007)

Mind you - that is one weird looking beastie. Another triumph Tony :D

Posted by Tony T on 11-04-2008 00:26

Susan R Walter wrote:
Nothing is more humbling than to look with a strong magnifying glass at an insect so tiny that the naked eye sees only the barest speck and to discover that nevertheless it is sculpted and articulated and striped with the same care and imagination as a zebra. Apparently it does not occur to nature whether or not a creature is within our range of vision, and the suspicion arises that even the zebra was not designed for our benefit.

-Rudolf Arnheim, psychologist and author (1904-2007)

Thanks Susan.
Perhaps even more amazing are the structures found in some microscopic life; animals we cannot even see with the naked eye. Take a look at some of the posts on photomacrography
HERE

Joke wrote:
WOW !!....Splendid pfoto' s
Did you made them with a camera or a microscoop whit a camera??
Greatings Joke

Photos made with a digital camera (a DSLR). To get high magnification all one has to do is to attach extension tubes or a bellows to the camera and then attach a wide angle lens, in reverse, to the bellows. In this case a 28mm lens mounted in reverse (backwards).

Edited by Tony T on 11-04-2008 12:42

Posted by Tony T on 11-04-2008 12:49

conopid wrote:
What kind of magnification do you think you are achieving in the full size file ?

Hi Nigel:
Didn't record the mag. in this instance, and I don't have the mosquito.
I have a Nikon PB-6 bellows. The literature that came with the AF 28mm f2.8D Nikkor lens gives a mag. range of 3.2-7.6 when reversed on the PB-6, and a field size getting down to 3.2x4.7mm.I believe these data are based on the full-sized sensor in regular SLR's; possibly need to increase the mag. range by 1.5 to acount for the smaller sensors in most DSLR's.
A wider angle lens, e.g., 24mm will give even greater mag.; a longer lens, e.g., 50mm will give less mag.
Also, using the 28mm in the normal position on the PB-6 will give mag. from 1.7-4 (again I guess with a full-sized sensor).
At these mags. depth of field is almost non-existant; had to use many images and stack them with Helicon Focus.