I've been looking for a decent loupe for a while for peering at stuff up close in the garden etc - I spent ages looking around, there's a huge variety out there. I pondered different models for weeks! In less lean times I may have splurged for one of the modern Zeiss ones, but they seem to have plas...

I've been trying to shoot more flowers lately, I find these bits really pretty up close. I think this is one of the nicest so far. Please see my flickr stream for a few more in this style.. Black Elder (Sambucus nigra - Black lace) - flower stamen at ~9x magnification http://www.photomacrography.net...

Thanks for the comment! Yes very 'hairy' (in reality, scaly) face. A few more shots from this interesting subject: http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/userpix/390_20140522205819_ZS_retouchedpmn_1.jpg (Olympus 38mm/f2.8 macro bellows lens at f2.8, 76 slices) Notice the two little blobs on the 'neck...

That foot shot is amazing!

Found it, thanks guys on Flickr! :) It's a Scarce Fungus Weevil - Platyrhinus resinosus. (But I still like the name "big hairy dog faced beetle"!) I've been trawling the internet for ID help but I'm stuck on this, interesting looking beetle, dark charcoal colour with brown marks, and a whitish splot...

These fellas are mostly nocturnal aren't they? I rarely see ground beetles but I've spotted a few at night while on slug patrol..

No doubt at all Dave!

Thanks for the kind words chaps!

Found this earlier today, spotted it on a Crocosmia leaf in the garden, something I've been trying to capture for ages now. A just hatched leafhopper nymph, when found there were like three bubbles, it had just started making bubbles! Rushed it indoors and shot as much as I could before it was cover...

Wim is indeed a worthy winner with a truly outstanding image so congratulations to him and our other top 100 successes. However I do find the judges choices particularly random this year. I find the very high placing of the second placed image rather odd considering the standard of lower placed ima...

I'm not sure focus stacking would help with something like this comet which is relatively far away and relatively not that big? Surely shooting at any sensible focal length (300mm+) with the kind of aperture you can achieve at that focal length would get the whole thing in focus? The pyramid stackin...

Thanks for that Rik, that does make sense!

And in that case with the extra glass, the extra magnification comes without added diffraction. I thought for a moment that was impossible, then I realised it could happen if the Raynox increases the aperture of the lens (decreases the F-stop), but then I thought how does it do that, when it's in b...

The 'inspection' fee is 8 pounds something. Depending on the type of goods you can sometimes be hit with duty as well as the VAT. Basically it's a stitch up.

(VAT means 'Value added tax' - I so wish the government added some value to my life for all the tax I've paid but I'm still waiting...)

Really great photo Wim, well deserved winner IMO!

http://www.nikonsmallworld.com/gallerie ... ompetition

I also see a few other names from here, well done chaps!

There has been a proliferation of devices to do this with smartphones lately, but I doubt many of these would have the grunt necessary to handle a proper camera. This one looks like it would do the right rotation for you

http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/camalapse/