Glue them in the end of a thin hypodermic needle?

Lovely shots and arrangements! It is frustrating to lose diffraction colours at higher N.A. I experimented with taking hi-res and low-res images of the same FoV, then use the lo-res one to provide "hue" and the hires for "luminance" (changing layer blend type in HSL mode instead of RGB). There can b...

Lovely. And a bonus points for the longest chemical name I've yet seen in the context of polarised crystal shots

Thank you for your comments everyone, and Rik for the definitive answer (definitive enough to satisfy my curiosity, anyway). I learnt a lot more about fly eyes in general over the course of this too. All good stuff. Cheers.

Fish-flocking available soon...

I saw one sit completely still in a penny-sized spot of bright sunlight for 10 minutes before it flew off. It prompted this thought that I've never considered before. Their compound eyes have no eyelids or irises (right?) but do have lenses. So even if bright, visible light is no issue, surely there...

Thanks, Mark, that's interesting. I think the key element is the shaft and slider sticking out at the front. Acts as linear guide for capturing a hand stack. I think it must need to be rested somewhere though, so not *quite* what I'm looking for. But that idea is filed away - certainly could be usef...

Actually, a device like that would be rather simple to make. Just mount a Stackshot on a pistol grip :-k Yes - I knocked-up something similar on a thin aluminium plate (with a WeMacro rail). Just a bodge to try it. Not quite what I'm after. I want the tactile physical connection between my finger a...

Hopefully, speculation isn't too far off-topic... I'd like something like one of those gunstock camera holders, but with a modification. Squeezing the (long-travel) trigger slides the camera and lens smoothly forward on the mount while triggering the camera at regular intervals (preferably per unit ...

Beta version is coming - light from both sides (separate dimmers) & sample can be rotated. Oh my! That could be so good for diatom arranging and easily adapted to my setup(s). I think I have some suitable parts to try it out too (but not LEDs and electronics :( ). I can probably simulate with fibre...

@Beatsy Which carbon travel monopod are you using? I use a Kirk MPA-2 Monopod Head (about £200 new) on a Gitzo GM2562T Series 2 Carbon eXact monopod (£150 2nd hand). The Kirk head was bought to use with a 400/2.8 prime (mainly sport, birds and wildlife), but it works well here too. Oh, and the pod ...

Sorry - a bit late writing this up. This short commentary is the result of one garden outing using a Sony A9 and 70-200/2.8GM with the Nisi filter fitted. It was not a strict test of the optics, more a test that the system is suitable for the kind of photoography I want to do with it and the picture...

Purely my current preferences... For 1:1 and closeup it's handheld. Always. Higher mag, mostly MP-E 65 @ 2-3x it's a carbon travel monopod with added tilt head (borrowed from my 400mm setup). This is light enough to permit handheld but offers a stable-ish point when required. You don't get much move...

If you wear glasses and are required to wear a face mask, you might be entitled to condensation.

I don't want to divert the discussion but is there no love for the Sigma 180 mm Apo 1:3,5 as an affordable alternative to the Minolta? Sorry Icthy, I missed your post. No, I have no love for the Sigma. I had my heart set on the Minolta from many years ago. I was a bit of a sucker for high-end manua...