Archive for the ‘Raynox DCR-250’ Category
March 15, 2022
The following photo shows a tiny spider carcass (~3/16″ long) that was inside an exuvia (~1 3/4” long) from a Common Green Darner dragonfly (Anax junius). The exuvia was collected on 17 June 2021 from a small pond in Prince William County, Virginia USA. I discovered the spider long afterward — too late to save its life.
Thanks to Eva Weiderman and Joseph Girgente — members of the “Odonate Larvae and Exuviae” Facebook group — for their help in identifying the specimen as a jumping spider, Family Saticidae.
Salticidae is one of several families of spiders with eight (8) eyes. My take-away from reading the reference on BugGuide entitled “Spider Eye Arrangements” is identification of this specimen to the genus and species level is challenging at best and impossible at worst.
In contrast, it’s well known that spiders use odonate exuviae for shelter. I wish the jumping spider had come out of its most excellent hidey-hole sooner!
Related Resources
Tech Tips
The tiny jumping spider was photographed using a Panasonic Lumix FZ-300, Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter, Godox X2To/p flash trigger, and Godox TT685F plus Altura flash modifier. Camera settings: ISO 100 | f/7.1 | 1/60 s | 56.9mm (316mm, 35mm equivalent).
“Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter” is a blog post in which I provide more information about how I use the Raynox with my Panasonic Lumix superzoom bridge cameras.
Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:Anax junius, Common Green Darner dragonfly, exuvia, Family Salticidae, jumping spider
Posted in Altura flash modifier, Aperture, digital photography, dragonflies, education, Godox TT685F, Godox X2To/p, How To, Lightroom, macro photography, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, Raynox DCR-250, wildlife photography | 4 Comments »
November 19, 2021
I spotted an emergent Uhler’s Sundragon (Helocordulia uhleri) during a photowalk along a mid-size stream at an undisclosed location in Prince William County, Virginia USA. The following photograph shows the exuvia from which the teneral adult emerged.
In the opinion of the author, larvae (nymphs)/exuviae from Family Corduliidae (Emeralds) and Family Libellulidae (Skimmers) can be challenging to differentiate and identify to the family level.
One way to differentiate Emerald from Skimmer larvae/exuvia is to look for a “ventromedial groove” in the prementum: it’s probably Corduliidae (Emeralds) if there is a ventromedial groove; it’s probably Libellulidae if there isn’t.
Look closely at a version of the preceding photo that was reformatted, rotated, and cropped to show an enlarged view of the prementum. You should notice a ventromedial groove on the basal half of the prementum, indicating this specimen is a member of Family Corduliidae (Emeralds).
Three raised structures on the underside of the prementum remind me of the hood ornament on a 1949 Lincoln automobile. (No, I wasn’t alive in 1949!)
Related Resources
Tech Tips
One reason I underexposed the photo is to add definition to the ventromedial groove and avoid overexposing the black background.
I prefer a white background for photographing odonate exuviae. Using a black background proved to be more challenging than I expected. More later in a follow-up blog post.
Copyright © 2021 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:exuvia, Family Corduliidae (Emeralds), female, Helocordulia uhleri, Prince William County, Signs of Wildlife, Uhler's Sundragon dragonfly, ventral, ventromedial groove, Virginia
Posted in Altura flash modifier, Aperture, digital photography, dragonflies, education, extension tubes, Fujifilm X-T3, Fujinon XF80mm macro lens, Godox TT685C, Godox TT685F, Godox X2TF, Godox XProF, How To, Lastolite flash modifier, macro photography, natural science, Photoshop, RAW FILE CONVERTER EX 3.0, Raynox DCR-250, Sunpak LED-160, wildlife photography | 2 Comments »
September 7, 2021
Since I started exploring ways to provide continuous power for my digital cameras, I have been guided by two questions. 1. Will it work? 2. Is it safe? I watched a YouTube video recently that reminded me of the latter question.
External Power for Cameras, the Safest Options by Graham Houghton (14:53) inspired me to search online for an inline voltage meter with USB connectors.
Drok USB Tester
After watching several more YouTube videos, I decided to buy a Digital Meter USB Tester Multifunction Digital Voltmeter/Ammeter/Power Meter/Capacity Tester/Charger 5in1 USB Panel Meter, available from a company in the United States called “Drok.” The MSRP for the Drok USB Tester is $15.99. The one I ordered from the Drok Store on Amazon cost $9.99.
The device features one male USB connector for input, and two female USB connectors for output.
GyroVu continuous power adapter
The next photo shows a GyroVu USB TO PANASONIC DMC-GH2 (DMW-BLC12) BATTERY 40″ CABLE w/ 3.1A USB POWER SUPPLY. The device can be used to provide continuous power for my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 superzoom bridge camera.
The “USB Charger” — a small white power brick — was plugged into a 120V AC electrical outlet. Look closely at the full-size version of the following image. Notice the USB Charger output is 5V=3.1A. (3.1A = 3100mA.)
Testing the GyroVu continuous power adapter
The Drok USB Tester was connected to the 3100mA USB connector on the GyroVu USB Charger, shown above.
The USB cable for the GyroVu dummy battery was connected to “Output 1” of the Drok USB Tester; the dummy battery was inserted into the battery compartment of my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300.
The last photo — the same one featured in my last blog post — shows the LED display on the front of the Drok USB Tester after my camera was powered on, indicating the output voltage of the USB Charger was 5V and the camera was drawing a current of 0.45A.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 (121mm) plus Raynox DCR-250.
The output voltage of the GyroVu dummy battery is 8.0V so the “dummy” battery must contain a DC-to-DC step-up converter.
I plan to use a multimeter to test the actual voltage output of the GyroVu dummy battery, that is, as soon as I can find my RadioShack mulitimeter. (Someday I’ll get organized so I know where everything is!)
Sidebar: Deep Dive into Tech Specs
The Web page for the GyroVu continuous power adapter shown above says the product is for the Panasonic DMC-GH2 camera. How could I be sure the device would work with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 digital camera?
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 uses a Panasonic DMW-BLC12 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery (7.2V, 1200mAh). Turns out that’s the same battery used by the Panasonic DMC-GH2. I know this thanks to Wasabi Power for providing a list of Panasonic cameras that use the DMW-BLC12 battery. (See the Web page for the PANASONIC DMW-BLC12 AC POWER ADAPTER KIT WITH DC COUPLER FOR PANASONIC DMW-DCC8, DMW-AC8 BY WASABI POWER, a product similar to the GyroVu continuous power adapter.)
Editor’s Note: The MSRP for the Wasabi Power continuous power adapter is $23.99 — nearly $10 less than the MSRP of $33.95 for the GyroVu USB Power Supply. You might be wondering why I didn’t buy the Wasabi Power device.
Notice the Wasabi Power device uses round connectors rather than USB connectors. I prefer the GyroVu devices because the USB connectors on their dummy batteries give me the flexibility to use them with my Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD 45W battery as a power source for select Canon, Fujifilm, and Panasonic digital cameras that I own.
Related Resources
This blog post is one in a series of posts related to continuous AC power and long-lasting battery power for select Canon, Fujifilm, and Panasonic digital cameras.
Copyright © 2021 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:gear talk
Posted in digital photography, education, How To, Lightroom, macro photography, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Raynox DCR-250 | Leave a Comment »
August 20, 2021
In my last blog post, I mentioned that minor vignetting can be a problem when the Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter is mounted on some macro- and non-macro camera lenses.
Canon 100mm macro lens
In case you’re wondering whether vignetting is a problem when using two step-down rings with the Canon 100mm macro lens, it isn’t. As it turns out, the front lens element is recessed quite a bit from the lens barrel so the step-down rings cover little if any glass. Source Credit: Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter, by Walter Sanford.
The first photo shows the front lens element of the Canon 100mm macro lens is in fact recessed quite a bit from the lens barrel.
Lens barrel without nested step-down rings.
The next photo shows the nested 67-52mm and 52-43mm step-down rings that I use to mount the Raynox DCR-250 on my Canon 100mm macro lens. Look closely at the full-size version of this image and you should see the step-down rings don’t cover any of the camera lens.
Lens barrel with nested step-down rings.
Disclaimer: This might or might not be true for other makes and models of 100mm macro lenses.
Panasonic Lumix superzoom bridge cameras
The camera lens will need to be adjusted for at least some slight telephoto zoom in order to eliminate the vignetting caused by mounting a 43mm filter on a lens with a 52mm filter size. Source Credit: Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter, by Walter Sanford.
A Guide To Using Raynox Close Up Lenses on the FZ200 Camera, by Graham Houghton is the second item listed under “Related Resources” in my last blog post. Page 6 of Graham’s excellent guide describes a simple way to set-up both my Panasonic Lumix DCR-150 and DCR-300 superzoom bridge cameras so that vignetting isn’t a problem.
For the DMC-FZ300, press the “Menu/Set” button on the back of the camera, then select the camera icon in the left side-bar. Navigate to page 7/7 and select “Conversion”; select the icon for close-up lens. When the camera is powered-on, it will zoom to 4x (121 mm) automatically and the aperture will be limited to f/4 or smaller (f/4 to f/8).
For my older DMC-FZ150, the set-up process is the same except “Conversion” appears on page 5/5. Zoom is set to 4x and the aperture is limited to f/3.6 or smaller (f/3.6 to f/8).
Using either camera, the lens can be adjusted for greater than 4x zoom, resulting in more magnification.
Post Update
You know, sometimes I wonder “What was I thinking?”
Although I like Graham Houghton’s trick for using one of the “Conversion” settings to quickly solve the vignetting problem on the Panasonic superzoom bridge cameras, I dislike the fact that aperture is limited by that setting. That’s a bad trade-off, in my strong opinion.
Another strike against using the “Conversion” setting: flash is disabled, including both the built-in flash and the flash hot-shoe. I like to use flash for macro photography, so this is a deal-breaker for me.
Copyright © 2021 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:gear talk
Posted in Canon EF 100mm Macro lens, digital photography, education, How To, macro photography, Panasonic DMC-FZ150, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, product reviews, Raynox DCR-250 | Leave a Comment »
August 17, 2021
I watched a video by Micael Widell recently that reminded me the Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter is a good value given its versatility.
Before I bought the Raynox close-up filter many years ago, I was skeptical that it would work. I still can’t explain why it works with many lenses I own including both macro- and non-macro lenses, but I can tell you with certainty it does work and works well!
Canon 100mm macro lens
The Canon 100mm macro lens has a maximum magnification of 1:1. Micael Widell says adding the Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter to the lens increases the magnification from 1x to 2x. According the B&H Photo Specs page for the Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter, its magification is 2.5x.
Calculating magnification is tricky and not as straightforward as one might think. In this case it doesn’t matter whether Mr. Widell or B&H Photo is correct, the fact of the matter is adding a Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter to your lens should at least double the magnification.
The first photograph shows the following equipment, couterclockwise from the upper-left: “snap-on universal adapter” for Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter; Raynox close-up filter mounted on a 52-43mm step-down ring; and a 67-52mm step-down ring.
Several mounting adapters for Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter.
The Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter comes with a “snap-on universal adapter” for mounting the filter on lenses with a filter size from 52-67mm. The universal adapter clips on the front of a lens the same as a lens cap. That’s OK for use in a photo studio but less than ideal for use in the field. In my opinion, it’s better to use inexpensive step-down rings to mount the close-up filter more securely.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II macro photography kit.
The Rube Goldberg rig shown above has a lot of parts, but for the purpose of this blog post focus on the Canon 100mm macro lens and Raynox DCR-250 mounted on the lens using nested 67-52mm and 52-43mm step-down rings.
In case you’re wondering whether vignetting is a problem when using two step-down rings with the Canon 100mm macro lens, it isn’t. As it turns out, the front lens element is recessed quite a bit from the lens barrel so the step-down rings cover little if any glass.
Panasonic Lumix superzoom bridge cameras
Both my Panasonic Lumix DCR-150 and DCR-300 superzoom bridge cameras feature a 52mm filter thread size. So it’s simple to use a 52-43mm step-down ring to mount the Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter on either camera lens.
Raynox DCR-250 not mounted on the camera lens.
The camera lens will need to be adjusted for at least some slight telephoto zoom in order to eliminate the vignetting caused by mounting a 43mm filter on a lens with a 52mm filter size.
Both cameras feature a 24x zoom lens, so when the Raynox DCR-250 is added to the kit the actual magnification will vary depending upon the focal length for which the camera lens is set.
Raynox DCR-250 shown mounted on the camera lens.
Related Resources
Copyright © 2021 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:gear talk
Posted in Canon EF 100mm Macro lens, digital photography, digital videography, education, How To, macro photography, Panasonic DMC-FZ150, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, product reviews, Raynox DCR-250 | Leave a Comment »
June 5, 2020
For some species of odonate exuviae, sex is indicated by a form of remnant reproductive anatomy. These external structures don’t look exactly the same for all species of dragonflies and damselflies, but their function is identical.
As far as I know, this is true for all species in the Family Aeshnidae (Darners) such as Common Green Darner dragonfly (Anax junius).
The following photograph shows a ventral view of a female Common Green Darner dragonfly. Notice the external reproductive anatomical structure on abdominal segment nine (S9) is virtually identical to the remnant anatomical structure on S9 of the exuvia, shown above.
The Backstory
My dear friend Louisa Craven discovered the lifeless adult dragonfly while on vacation with her family in Nags Head, North Carolina USA. Louisa is an accomplished wildlife photographer who developed an interest in odonates as a result of many photowalks with me.
Related Resources
Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:Anax junius, BoG Photo Studio, Common Green Darner dragonfly, exuvia, exuviae, Family Aeshnidae (Darners), female, Meet Your Neighbours, Nags Head, North Carolina, studio photography
Posted in Aperture, Apple iPhone, digital photography, Diptic, education, Godox TT685C, Godox TT685F, Godox TT685o/p, Godox X2To/p, Lastolite flash modifier, Lightroom, macro photography, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, Raynox DCR-250, wildlife photography | Leave a Comment »
December 16, 2019
An odonate exuvia was photographed against a pure white background using the “Meet Your Neighbours” (MYN) technique.
This specimen is a Spot-winged Glider dragonfly (Pantala hymenaea) exuvia. Spot-winged Glider is a member of Family Libellulidae (Skimmers).
Genus Pantala
The genus Pantala includes two species in North America: Spot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea); and Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens).
Spot-winged Glider and Wandering Glider larvae/exuviae look similar. The lateral spines on abdominal segment nine (S9) are noticeably shorter for P. hymenaea (shown left) than P. flavescens (shown right) — a key field mark that can be used to differentiate the two species.
A Spot-winged Glider dragonfly (Pantala hymenaea) exuvia was collected by Andy Davidson near Richmond, Virginia USA.
A Wandering Glider dragonfly (Pantala flavescens) exuvia was received from Andy Davidson, graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The Backstory
Both specimens featured in this blog post were collected (near Richmond, Virginia USA) and identified by Andy Davidson. Andy is a graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University working on a research project entitled “Predator-Prey Interactions in a Changing World.”
Related Resources
Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:BoG Photo Studio, exuvia, Family Libellulidae (Skimmers), lateral spines, Meet Your Neighbours, Pantala flavescens, Pantala hymenaea, Spot-winged Glider dragonfly, studio photography, Wandering Glider dragonfly
Posted in Aperture, digital photography, dragonflies, education, Godox TT685C, Godox TT685o/p, Godox X2To/p, Lastolite flash modifier, Lightroom, macro photography, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, Raynox DCR-250, wildlife photography | Leave a Comment »
December 13, 2019
Master Yoda’s explanation of the Force to Luke Skywalker (see Related Resources, below) features the following memorable quote.
Luminous beings are we,
not this crude matter.
One of many reasons I like the “Meet Your Neighbours” technique for photographing natural subjects against a pure white background is that it seems to reveal the luminous beings that odonate exuviae are. Feel the force by looking at the full-size version of the following image.
Related Resources
Tech Tips
I added a Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter to my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 24x superzoom bridge camera for a closer view of the anterior of the odonate exuvia.
The camera was set for 1-Area Focusing. The focus-and-recompose technique was used to focus on the eye of the subject.
A Godox X2To/p wireless flash trigger for Olympus and Panasonic was used to fire two off-camera flash units.
- A Godox TT685C Thinklite Flash for Canon Cameras (manual mode), fitted with a “Vello Bounce Dome (Diffuser) for Canon 580EX II Flash,” was used to light the underside of the translucent white plastic background; the top of the flash unit was ~30 cm from the bottom of the white plastic.
- A Godox TT685o/p Thinklite Flash for Olympus/Panasonic Cameras (manual mode), fitted with a Lastolite Ezybox Speed-Lite 2 flash modifier, was used to light the subject from above.
Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:Anax junius, BoG Photo Studio, Common Green Darner dragonfly, exuvia, Family Aeshnidae (Darners), female, gear talk, Meet Your Neighbours, studio photography
Posted in Aperture, digital photography, dragonflies, Godox TT685C, Godox TT685o/p, Godox X2To/p, How To, Lastolite flash modifier, Lightroom, macro photography, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, Raynox DCR-250, wildlife photography | Leave a Comment »
December 11, 2019
Identifying odonate exuviae is a lot like solving a jigsaw puzzle — eventually all of the puzzle pieces fit together to reveal a clear picture. As it turns out, while I’ve been experimenting with the “Meet Your Neighbours” technique for photographing natural subjects against a pure white background, I was also collecting puzzle pieces that would enable me to identify the dragonfly exuvia.
A two-step process was used to identify the genus and species of the specimen featured in my last two blog posts.
- Determine the family.
- Determine the genus and species.
Step 1. Family
First, determine the family of the specimen. For reference, watch the excellent Vimeo video, Identifying dragonfly larva to family (8:06). Here’s the decision tree I used to identify the exuvia as a member of the Family Aeshnidae (Darners).
Step 2. Genus and species
As shown in Photo No. 2 and 4, lateral spines along abdominal segments seven, eight, and nine (S7-9) indicate the genus is Anax.
At this point, you know the species could be either junius (Common Green Darner dragonfly) or longipes (Comet Darner dragonfly). The species is determined by the shape of the palpal lobes (part of the prementum) and the length of the specimen.
Notice the palpal lobes are rounded, as shown in Photo No. 3. The specimen is ~4.7 cm (~1.9 in) in length, not counting a slight bend in the body.
The rounded shape of the palpal lobes (see Photo No. 3) plus the length of the specimen (see Photo No. 4) indicate the species is junius. Anax junius is one of the more common species of Aeshnidae found in Northern Virginia.
Finally, the rudimentary ovipositor shown in Photo No. 2 indicates this individual is a female.
Related Resources
- Anax junius exuvia – another photo-illustrated identification guide for the same species.
- Odonate Exuviae – a hyperlinked list of identification guides to many species of odonate exuviae from seven families of dragonflies and three families of damselflies.
Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:Anax junius, BoG Photo Studio, Common Green Darner dragonfly, exuvia, Family Aeshnidae (Darners), female, Meet Your Neighbours, studio photography
Posted in Aperture, digital photography, dragonflies, education, Godox TT685C, Godox TT685F, Godox TT685o/p, Godox X2To/p, How To, Lastolite flash modifier, Lightroom, macro photography, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, Raynox DCR-250, wildlife photography | Leave a Comment »
December 9, 2019
An odonate exuvia was photographed against a pure white background using the “Meet Your Neighbours” (MYN) technique. Yep, this time the background is actually pure white (255, 255, 255). Now that’s the look for which I was striving!
36.1mm (200mm, 35mm equivalent) | ISO 100 | f/7.1 | 1/800 s | 0 ev
This specimen is an unknown species from the Family Aeshnidae (Darners), probably Common Green Darner (Anax junius). Compare/contrast the “MYN look” with a more traditional photo set of another A. junius exuvia.
Related Resources
Tech Tips
I added a Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter to my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 24x superzoom bridge camera for a closer view of the face/head of the odonate exuvia.
A Godox X2To/p wireless flash trigger for Olympus and Panasonic was used to fire an off-camera Godox TT685C Thinklite Flash for Canon Cameras (manual mode) fitted with a Vello plastic bounce dome diffuser. This flash unit was used to light the underside of the translucent white plastic background; the top of the flash unit was ~20 cm from the bottom of the white plastic. No other flash units were used to shoot the photo.
Although I own better camera gear for shooting macro photos, I like to use my smaller, lighter DMC-FZ300 for proof-of-concept experimentation with new techniques. Look for a transition to one of my Fujifilm- or Canon macro rigs in the near future.
Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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Tags:BoG Photo Studio, exuvia, Family Aeshnidae (Darners), gear talk, Meet Your Neighbours, studio photography
Posted in Aperture, digital photography, dragonflies, education, Godox TT685C, Godox X2To/p, How To, Lightroom, macro photography, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, Raynox DCR-250, wildlife photography | Leave a Comment »
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