Damsels and Butterfly Through Tamron SP 180mm

Harold Gough · Post by **Harold Gough** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 1:52 pm

Having seen some very nice dragonflies in my garden yesterday, I went to my favourite riverside meadow, with the intent of shooting some with my Tamron 35th Anniversary Edition SP 180mm lens. It is not a macro lens but I expected it to be good for dragonflies.

I saw only one dragonfly and too briefly to even raise my camera. Blue damselflies were abundant so I tried the lens on them at, or about, its closest working distance of about 4 feet/120cm.

I can't call this a test of the lens, as it was hand-held and there was a gusting breeze throughout. It was a realistic test of its use under typical field conditions.

In each case I show the full image, then the same image dropped to my preference.

Mating damselflies Enallagma cyathigerum (centre of lens), on stinging nettles, f8 1/320 ISO 200. The female appears to be the homeochrome (andromorph) form:

Crop:

Small White butterfly Pieris rapae (edge of lens). f8 1/125 ISO 200:

I believe the lens performed much as I expected.

Harold

naturalmente · Post by **naturalmente** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 7:04 am

Good composition in the second

Harold Gough · Post by **Harold Gough** » Thu Aug 02, 2012 11:41 am

Thanks.

I take that to mean the first crop. The full image was rather a keyhole shot and I did what I could with that.

Harold