XF35mm f1,4 modifcation for macro

This is one of the well-known lenses from the FujiFilm X-mount lineup. Some call it magical, some call classic feel. It is a useful lens for streets, portraits and even landscapes.

However, today I tried to modify it to be a macro lens. I add a Raynox closeup 250 filters in front and a 10mm extension tube on the back.

And here's the result....

Lunar New Year Flower display @ Gardens by the bay

As the Lunar New Year is approaching, there is a ongoing flower display inside the Flower Dome at the Gardens by the Bay Singapore. The entrance fee to the dome is $10 for locals. The dome is fully air conditioned and it is a gigantic green house. The flowers are grown in cold climate and needs to be maintain at a low temperature in our hot tropical heat.

I brought along the outdated Xpro-1 and 55-200mm / 12mm zeiss to the shoot. 10mm, 16 mm extension tubes and Raynox 250 magnifying glass were used for close-up shots.

News of the new launch of Xpro-2 has already released. The spec of the camera is impressive. It has a new sensor and to me it has the best of XT1  technologies and best of Xpro-1 handling combined. Hope one day, I will have a chance to own it.

Wolf Spider

This species of spider can be found on the ground level and the web are build on the grasses.
Shot by Xe-1 fuji and 55-200mm with Raynox 250.

Common items

It's a common Lynx Spider and a common flower which can be found in any grass patches. But I still want to shoot to bring the best of of it.

D600 w 100mm Tokina + raynox250

Two hoppers 1 stem

Sometimes we are so addicted to getting closer and closer to macro. We buy extension tubes, magnify filters and crop the image to get close-up. But at times a normal macro shot is also interesting and getting the moment right needs more patience.

Here is my favorite of the day. D600 and 100mm Tokina

Jumping Spider by the flower

Shot by D600 and 100mm tokina ISO100

Ant Mimic Spider

From the first glace, it look like an ant. Upon close-up it appears to be a spider.
By D600 and 100mm f2.8 w Raynox 250

Macro with FF and my flash set up

After being used to using m4/3 and 60mm f2.8 macro lens for awhile it does take more patience and practice when using a Fullframe camera.

As the m4/3 has a smaller sensor of 1/2 the 35mm film, there is a extender effect to get close. For a FF DSLR, all need to be compensated. However I can see one big advantage is it is much easy to get a smoother background on a FF sensor. As mentioned, a DSLR has virtually no lag in the shutter release and it is crucial for manual focusing and pressing the shutter (with actual capturing of the subject). This allows a better hit rate.

As I need more light now due to the requirement of smaller aperture f11-f16, I uses a remote flash as shown in the picture below.

Tokina 100mm f2.8 with D600

After building my Fullframe setup, I finally have some time for some serious macro shoot. I have in mind due to the higher depth of field in fullframe (FF) sensor, I need to stop down more on the aperture to get more depths in focus. When using m4/3 due to the small sensor, I can use f5.6 to f8 to get a decent depth for macro. But using a FF camera a f11 to f16 is required. However due to the better dynamic range and better ISO (high) I am able to compensate the disadvantage.

There is also a "cheat" way to get bigger magnification by using the DX mode of D600. The 100mm will become a 150mmf2.8 lens at 10 Mega Pix resolution. A 10MP sensor is almost the same as the older D200 Dx DSLR. But I still prefer to use the FF sensor to max out the resolution.

 Handling the 100mm tokina is fairly easier than the Olympus 60mm. The 1:1 ratio can be switch immediately whereas the 60mm Olympus, you will need to turn and hold the knob on the lesn.

The switching of auto focus and manual focus is just pull-push the focus barrel. The weight is great for hand hold too.

Nature marco

After 2 months o taking a break from macro shooting, I went out to shoot with my OM-D and 60mm macro. Here are some of the catch of the day at Tampines Eco park.

Portrait of the praying mantis

Shot by OM- D and 60mm macro. Simply love the setup. Light weight, sharp, nice Olympus colours. No sweat compared to my old Canon 180mm and DSLR plus heavy tripod to hold heavy equipment.

DIY macro lighting arm

I was planning to buy the Olympus LED macro arm to see if this setup will help my macro photos where some angles may not be suitable for conventional flash.

I came across a recommendation to use a twin LED lights for reading and glue a flash cover onto it. With this, a retractable LEB twin light was made. I use it to test and works well.  The LED twin lights is bought from Ebay at $5.00. The Flash cover only cost $1.00. Total cost is $6. Compared to the original Olympus Macro Arm that cost about $90.00.

The arm is good for shoot like situation where the Jumping spider was hidden in between the leaves. If a conventional bounced flash is used, there will be shadows etc.

Small Dragonfly

Shot this while searching for butterflies. It just landed in front of me.
By Olympus EM-5 , Olympus 60mm f2.8 ISO640, F5.6 1/80s

Jumping spider with prey

Shot with OM-D and 60mm f2.8 Macro. Done at min focus distance and cropped 20%. ISO1000

f7.1 1/90s. Really good noise control from the sony sensor used in OM-D.

Butterfly in Pulau Ubin

The Common Tit (Hypolycaena erylus teatus)

Pale Grass Blue (Zizeeria maha serica)

By Olympus OM-D EM5 and 60mm macro. Flashless

Simple pose

I just love simple pose. Shot with Om-d and 60mm f2.8 macro. CLoudy day.

Creatures hiding in ferns

There is a stretch of green lung between the NSRCC and Tenah Merah Ferry road where a bicycle and jogging track cuts through it. There are lots of nice ferns along that stretch and I soon realised these ferns are a living havens for some insects after I jogged along the track. I came back a few days later armed with my OM-D and 60mm macro lens. Here are some of the shots I have made.

There are some spots where mosquitoes are plenty. It's better to wear long pants or have insect repellent on the body.