Scales of the mountain swallowtail 50x (with emoji description)

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Adalbert
Posts: 2426
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 1:09 pm

Scales of the mountain swallowtail 50x (with emoji description)

Post by Adalbert »

Hello everybody,
The next photo with the emoji description:

▶️ mountain swallowtail 50x

📷 camera: Canon EOS M6 Mark II
🎩 tube-lens: Raynox DCR-150
🔎 lens: Olympus UMPlanFI 50x /0.80
👁 aperture: 0.80
🔬 magnification: 50x
⌚ exposure time: 1/6s , between curtains
💡 lighting: reflected light
⚡️ flash: 4 * YN660, 1/128 power
📊 format: RAW
🎞 ISO: 100
🗂️ stack: 461 * 0.00028mm
🚂 rail: THK KR2001A
⛅️ diffuser: DIY
🖥 editing: Zerene Dmap, LR, PS, Topaz
🦋 specimen: Papilio ulysses
🌎 origin: Australia


Image
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/515 ... 1a6b_b.jpg

Best, ADi

Zack
Posts: 18
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2022 6:24 am
Location: United States

Re: Scales of the mountain swallowtail 50x (with emoji description)

Post by Zack »

Hi ADi, I posted this in response to you on the other thread as well, but would you mind telling me more about your lighting and how you get it to work/squeeze light into such a small working distance? Also, using calculators online I believed that 2 microns was a sufficient step length for 50x on an APS-C, but you seem to be using far smaller steps than that. Have you noticed a difference in the output/sharpness of the final image?

Adalbert
Posts: 2426
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 1:09 pm

Re: Scales of the mountain swallowtail 50x (with emoji description)

Post by Adalbert »

Hi Zack,

Unfortunately I don't have any current photo of my setup at hand but on the old photo you can also see something:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=12 ... 0269581589


The light comes between the two cylinders:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=14 ... 0269581589


Yes, I usually take at least 3 photos per DOF, even more for large NA.
This compensates for the unstable step size and offers additional benefits for photos of wing scales.

Best,
ADi

Zack
Posts: 18
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2022 6:24 am
Location: United States

Re: Scales of the mountain swallowtail 50x (with emoji description)

Post by Zack »

What do you have wrapped around the lens that is providing diffusion? Is is a styrofoam-like material, and soft, or hard? Also, your photo mentions an exposure time of 1/6 "between curtains" - what does this mean? Do you have a flash fire, then 1/6 of a second exposure, and then a different flash firing on rear curtain? I did not even know that it was possible to coordinate flashes that way.

Lastly, I noticed that the weevil you have is strapped in place to a block. When I photograph butterfly wings, I have them held in a sort of caliper arm, but that does not allow me to have wrap-around diffusion like you do. Do you think it would be possible for me to also mount my wings as you have? Or do butterfly wings need "air" (ie. empty space) behind them to provide backlight?

Adalbert
Posts: 2426
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 1:09 pm

Re: Scales of the mountain swallowtail 50x (with emoji description)

Post by Adalbert »

Hi Zack,
What do you have wrapped around the lens that is providing diffusion?
black paper or light absorbing foil.
between curtains
the signal is generated by the rail and transmitted at the same time to 4 flashes.
I use the full electronic shutter only. So the exposure time for flash has to be longer than 1/25 s (EOS M6 Mark II).
Do you think it would be possible for me to also mount my wings as you have?
yes, but use in this case the light absorbing foil e.g. protostar.

Best, ADi

Zack
Posts: 18
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2022 6:24 am
Location: United States

Re: Scales of the mountain swallowtail 50x (with emoji description)

Post by Zack »

What about the white material that I see in the photos you linked? I assume that is not the light absorbing foil - it looks more like tracing paper or PVC pipe to me

Adalbert
Posts: 2426
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 1:09 pm

Re: Scales of the mountain swallowtail 50x (with emoji description)

Post by Adalbert »

It was a diffuser. Usually made of tracing paper or plastic from yogurt bottles.
But sometimes also from medicine packages:
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=29422&p=181340&hil ... al#p181340

ap
Posts: 57
Joined: Thu Sep 19, 2019 6:33 pm

Re: Scales of the mountain swallowtail 50x (with emoji description)

Post by ap »

hey adi - really lovely picture as always!
one question - you mention that you use a flash and also an electronic shutter. how do you manage to do that?
thx andy

Adalbert
Posts: 2426
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 1:09 pm

Re: Scales of the mountain swallowtail 50x (with emoji description)

Post by Adalbert »

Hi Ap,

I have always flashed between the curtains, even with EFCS.
The signal to flash is generated by the rail,
and at large shutter speeds it is generated about halfway through the shutter speed.

However, you have to take into account the readout time of the sensor, which is about 1/25 second on the EOS M6 Mark II.
This means that with the fully electronic shutter, you can only flash at shutter speeds greater than 1/25 sec.

In my case, it runs stably at 1/10 s, where the signal is not triggered in the middle of the shutter speed.
This time is calculated by the rail and that is its most important feature :-)

Best, ADi

ap
Posts: 57
Joined: Thu Sep 19, 2019 6:33 pm

Re: Scales of the mountain swallowtail 50x (with emoji description)

Post by ap »

thank you adi for explanation
i have the we macro rail and don't think it has the ability to sync flash directly - is that true or am i missing something?
thx andy

Adalbert
Posts: 2426
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 1:09 pm

Re: Scales of the mountain swallowtail 50x (with emoji description)

Post by Adalbert »

Hi Andy,
we macro rail and don't think it has the ability to sync flash directly
unfortunately I don’t know the features of the WeMacro :-(
I use a home-made rail based on Arduino and TMC:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=12 ... 0269581589
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=12 ... 0269581589
Best, ADi

ap
Posts: 57
Joined: Thu Sep 19, 2019 6:33 pm

Re: Scales of the mountain swallowtail 50x (with emoji description)

Post by ap »

very cool adi......and well above my skill level!
andy

NNL33543
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2011 2:42 pm
Location: Tampa Fl

Re: Scales of the mountain swallowtail 50x (with emoji description)

Post by NNL33543 »

Not really it’s well within your reach. All you have to do is to purchase the electronic timer from Peter Lin at MJKZZ that will trigger your flash and shutter at the same time. If you are DIY Mike had designed a circuit that you can make yourself if I remember correctly
Tony

Adalbert
Posts: 2426
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 1:09 pm

Re: Scales of the mountain swallowtail 50x (with emoji description)

Post by Adalbert »

Hi Tony,
Clear, you only need to trigger the signal for the flash with a slight time delay relative to the release of the camera.
It is worth finding out the shortest possible shutter speed, taking into account the time needed to read out the sensor for the fully electronic shutter.
Best, ADi

NNL33543
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2011 2:42 pm
Location: Tampa Fl

Re: Scales of the mountain swallowtail 50x (with emoji description)

Post by NNL33543 »

You’re right spent a lot of time trying to find that shutter speed
Tony

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