Tuesday, May 26, 2020

The Dreaded Error 01

I'm back to shooting with the Canon EF-S 60mm + extension tubes because my MP-E 65mm macro has broken again (3rd time). The aperture makes the most God awful crunching sound when I take a shot, and the display reads Error 01 and tells me that there's something wrong with the lens contacts. It's a generic error that pops up when the camera cannot communicate with the lens, and from experience I know it's because the cable that runs between the electrical contacts and the aperture assembly has worn out. I told myself the last time it broke that I was just gonna use the EF-S 60mm and tubes or buy a new MP-E. So I think I'll use the EF-S lens for a while until I decide what to do. Knowing my luck I'll buy a new one and Canon will announce a version for an RF mount...

Which brings me to the last topic I want to mention: I'm feeling the need to shoot full frame but I'm not sure about getting a mirror-less camera. I photograph a lot of semi-active to hyperactive subjects and I'm concerned that the display lag between the sensor and an electronic view finder (EVF) will be an issue. For those of you shooting with a Canon mirror-less rig how's the EVF lag?

Friday, May 22, 2020

Bumblebes Foraging in Grape Hyacinth

One of the followers of my Extreme Macro Facebook Page posted a link to a video that he shot that I just had to share. Methias Solstrand did an excellent job of filming Bumblebees in motion foraging on Grape Hyacinth flowers. I always associated pollination with the hairs on bees, but these Bumblebees are clearly pollinating the flowers with their proboscis.