Close-ups with (arguably) innapproprate lenses

[Beatsy]

These are some of the "happy accidents" I got while practicing aiming and manual focus with various fast lenses. All are very heavy crops of between 70% and 100% from 42 megapixel full frame images (Sony A7Rii).

Small fly on a globe thistle. Zeiss Otus 28/1.4 @ 1/1250th, f/2.2 ISO 100


Butterfly landing on lavender. Zeiss APO Sonnar 135/2 @ 1/1600th, f/2, ISO 100


Hoverfly on lavender. Zeiss APO Sonnar 135/2 @ 1/320th, f/2.5, ISO 125


Bee on a globe thistle. Sony 400/2.8 GM @ 1/800th, f/2.8, ISO 320

[rjlittlefield]

Very pleasant images!

I realize that I'm not completely sure what this phrase means:

All are very heavy crops of between 70% and 100% from 42 megapixel full frame images (Sony A7Rii).

For example, your first image is 1024x819 as shown here.

So, are you telling us that on the sensor this image was someplace between 1024x819 pixels (shown here at 100%) and 1462x1170 (shown here shrunk to 70%) ?

--Rik

[Beatsy]

Very pleasant images!

...

So, are you telling us that on the sensor this image was someplace between 1024x819 pixels (shown here at 100%) and 1462x1170 (shown here shrunk to 70%) ?

--Rik

Exactly this.

[rjlittlefield]

Thanks for the confirmation.

Then I am equally impressed by the technical quality of the images. The sensor and lenses are doing a superb job, even at actual pixels.

--Rik

[Beatsy]

...The sensor and lenses are doing a superb job, even at actual pixels.

Indeed they are! Thoroughly enjoying my "regular photography" gear of late. So much so, it's been pulling me away from macro a lot. Perhaps why I sub-consciously "regressed" and used the lenses to do these macro-like shots

[aveslux]

I really like the butterfly landing shot!

The sensor on the Sony A7R is amazing.

[zzffnn]

Very nic, Beatsy!

Did you hand hold your 400/2.8 for that bee image or did you use a tripod?

Your f/2-f/2.5 images from 135/2 provided deeper DoF that I expected. You nailed the focus too, even with manual lenses!

[Beatsy]

Very nic, Beatsy!

Did you hand hold your 400/2.8 for that bee image or did you use a tripod?

Your f/2-f/2.5 images from 135/2 provided deeper DoF that I expected. You nailed the focus too, even with manual lenses!

Thanks - and thanks to everyone else for your comments too. All these are handheld (including the Sony 400/2.8 GM which only weighs 2.9Kg/6.4lbs! It's not an easy all-day carry, but certainly doable).

The "apparent" good DoF is what I've been practicing. Just a case of getting important features in a plane parallel with the sensor, then bare minimum DoF (keeping aperture as wide as possible). Look closely and you'll see the proportion of sharp pixels is miniscule compared to the blurred ones (easier to see in the bigger versions of these images though). The sharpness is "mostly" an illusion

Haha - I nailed focus on *these* but not telling you how many I missed in the session

[Olympusman]

That second shot of the butterfly alighting is wonderful! Nice timing.

Mike