Micro Catalogue: Camera lens adapter

When I moved back home I had this idea that I'd learn about everything living on my land. I was a bit naive :)
The more you look the more you see.

I was curious about small things but a dedicated macro lens for my Nikon SLR is expensive. I'm not fond of exposing the rear end of a lens to the elements so reversing rings are out. I used the lathe to make a custom adapter that fits on 52mm filters. The adapter accepts 1" PVC pipes stubs fitted with cheap lenses from Surplus Shed. I use it on the stock 18-55mm lens that came with the camera.


Ready to go!

Cercopoidea
Opiliones
Hesperiidae
Syrphidae

I am curious to see the images that can be captured with this.

(I am using a Tamron 180mm macro lens as my main lens, if possible.)

We call this "bave de crapeau", toad spit. I grew up near a big abandoned field and there were tons of these. There aren't common in the woods but there are plenty along the road and in meadows.



I asked around and nobody knew there is a bug inside (Cercopoidea). Isn't that strange? It seems these are baby froghoppers! I was fascinated by them as a kid. Just a touch and they'd take off like superman.
Now I take care during walks not to disturb them.



The Internet says they suck on plants but aren't usually a problem. I'm glad because I like this bug.

I was surprised to learn how old Opiliones are, unchanged since the time of tyrannosaurs



Opiliones aren't that scary, but at this scale...

Francis Mallet wrote:We call this "bave de crapeau", toad spit.

In the UK we called it cuckoo spit because it would appear at about the same time that the cuckoo began to lose his voice.

According to the poem

"The Cuckoo comes in April
She sings her song in May
In the middle of June
She changes her tune
And then she flies away"

I used to spend hours as a kid hunting through the spit and finding the froghoppers.  They'd start off pale and soft and get darker and harder by the end of the summer, by which time the cuckoo had lost his voice completely and, presumably, flown away.

Sebastian Köln wrote:I am curious to see the images that can be captured with this.

(I am using a Tamron 180mm macro lens as my main lens, if possible.)

The quality isn't that of real macro lenses but for the price I paid and the fun I had I can't complain. I also have a Nikkor 55-200mm zoom and an old 50mm prime from ebay but the adapter don't work on them (severe vignetting). I could browse Surplus Shed and make it work I suppose but it's too much trouble, I'm good with my current setup.

Francis Mallet wrote:The quality isn't that of real macro lenses but for the price I paid and the fun I had I can't complain. I also have a Nikkor 55-200mm zoom and an old 50mm prime from ebay but the adapter don't work on them (severe vignetting). I could browse Surplus Shed and make it work I suppose but it's too much trouble, I'm good with my current setup.

I wasn't completely convinced by the first set of images, but the second one is certainly something!

Such a lucky shot! From the way it folds its wings I think it's a skipper (Hesperiidae), a good name.

Sebastian Köln wrote:

Francis Mallet wrote:The quality isn't that of real macro lenses but for the price I paid and the fun I had I can't complain. I also have a Nikkor 55-200mm zoom and an old 50mm prime from ebay but the adapter don't work on them (severe vignetting). I could browse Surplus Shed and make it work I suppose but it's too much trouble, I'm good with my current setup.

I wasn't completely convinced by the first set of images, but the second one is certainly something!

Light is everything. Macro is not easy! Yellow flowers are especially difficult to capture.

The following image of a Tropaeolum majus was taken in direct sunlight and only required some tweaking of the colors.
EDIT: Okay. The yellow was a bit too dark. Fixed.

And I totally agree with the problem of light. I usually don't attempt taking a photo in anything but the brightest light outside. Otherwise a tripod is unavoidable.

In my next life please let me be a hoverfly (Syrphidae).



Hoverfly larvae are said to help control aphids and other pests. I will keep an eye out for them and plant more flowers for the adults to feed on.

While researching hoverflies I found this guy's video. He's into permaculture, I should contact him.  In 2015 his garden was destroyed. That would rip my heart out.

Caterpillars are difficult to identify. I tried a Google reverse image search but it suggested Bavarian cream puff recipes lol
Note the small mite on the left.



It's a Lepidoptera, I think. But that doesn't tell me much. Lepidoptera is an order and orders are big! Taxonomy is confusing.
I read somewhere that moths outnumber butterflies 8:1, maybe it's a kind of moth.



Clearly I wasn't welcomed so I left it alone.



I'll fill this out as I learn more.