Aphids (Pain in the ......) by Simon Chandler

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Aphids (Pain in the ......)

This photo caused me much agony. It took me hours of trial and error to achieve this shot.
I thought with my equipment, it would be a breeze to take some stunning aphid photos. I learned my lesson. Aphids are so small that I realized one really needs special equipment and techniques to get good photos of them.
At 2X magnification, even at very small aperture, the depth of field is next to nothing. Aphids are not flat creatures, to get sharp imges of them, one needs the depth of field. However, the smallest aperture won't help as one reaches diffraction limit at about f/13 to f/16. One won't get sharper image beyond this point.
I also tried other combinations to increase magnification such as more extenders and extension tubes but they just made the image worse.
This is the best I can achieve so far. I have a feeling that the MP-E lens won't help me unless I acquire some special techniques.
Anyhow, please enjoy this image. :)

Canon EOS 5D ,Canon 180mmL Macro + Canon 2X Extender
1/13s f/11.0 at 360.0mm iso800, Manfrotto Micropositioning Slide Plate full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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bill friedlander		24-Sep-2011 01:24
The image is well worth the effort. It is an amazing shot. Excellent work. V

FrankB		04-Nov-2007 05:10
awesome...well worth the labor Simon..thanks for the effort!...+V

Jean D		01-Nov-2007 01:59
Regardless, you sure worked hard to arrive at finalizing this shot, Simon! ~V~

Guest		01-Nov-2007 01:04
I feel your pain!! Great effort here, GMV!

Jess. ( Lady.D.)		01-Nov-2007 00:26
Outstanding macro, though I can't say I love the subject. A difficult one to achieve but you have done extremely well....

Guest		31-Oct-2007 21:40
Yes - Very difficult to get these tiny little bug(gar)s. You did very well!

laine82		31-Oct-2007 21:27
Your soooo right !!

Shayne		31-Oct-2007 19:57
glad I'm not the only one that has trouble getting the desired final image ~smile~ well done Simon

Guest		31-Oct-2007 19:50
Not an easy subject to work with, turned out great..v

Guest		31-Oct-2007 19:22
You did very wel. nice macro shot. V

zeev segal		31-Oct-2007 19:14
Excellent macro shot , VOTE

January Grey		31-Oct-2007 18:32
Wow! You should market your skills, and become an Aphid buster! These little guys are so small you can hardly see them without a magnifying glass! You did it, Simon! Amazing shot! V~

Katie Chew		31-Oct-2007 14:44
Excellent macro! V

Matthew Mannell		31-Oct-2007 14:25
I think you have done very well with an extremely challenging subject...there is an element of chance with all moving objects and eventually you will get the shot you want. Keep up the interesting macros Simon, they are great. V

Nestor Derkach		31-Oct-2007 14:16
Trying beat not trying. Now you know and we know as well by your experience. They are small, and you did good . A vote for the image and the experiment of the capture. Vote

Guest		31-Oct-2007 13:37
Haha! V

Randy Adams		31-Oct-2007 12:54
Fanatastic Simon! Don't forget, we're having fun...right!? Great shot for halloween..think of these little things crawling all over you.

Carol Rollins		31-Oct-2007 12:48
Well, Simon, I am amazed that you even got this! You can hardly see these with the naked eye so this is pretty terrific in my book! Vote.

Hank Vander Velde		31-Oct-2007 11:34
Well done Simon. Interesting endevour nicely explained. V.

Guest		31-Oct-2007 11:25
Now, don't beat yourself up. This is a great shot for such itsy-bitsy critters. Worth the effort and thank you for the explanation!

Fong Lam		31-Oct-2007 10:55
Terrific shot despite the odds. ~V~

Marcia Colelli		31-Oct-2007 10:42
great macro V

Ceya		31-Oct-2007 07:44
Excellent work! Worth all trouble! V

Guest		31-Oct-2007 07:25
Thanks for sharing this and the fascinating background info.

Brian McAllister		31-Oct-2007 06:32
Love the explanation Simon. I feel so much better about others finding really shallow DoF at the macro level. I don't have an extender but could well imagine the view gets down so thin that hardly anything would be in focus. A difficult challenge for sure. And good results. V.

Andrew Vincent		31-Oct-2007 05:52
Maybe also try extension tubes??? Great shot, they look enormous from where I am sitting. Hope you sprayed them afterwards! VOTE! Try dust mites next ;-)

Bryan Murahashi		31-Oct-2007 05:41
Very nicely captured.

Sam_C		31-Oct-2007 05:08
WoW, yeah these critters are incredibly small! I'd say you did a fine job for your first effort, considering how difficult it is to catch these guys! V

Liz Bickel		31-Oct-2007 05:02
Horrible little critters to find in your garden. Your explanation of how you did the shot is very interesting. Indeed, aphids are very tiny, 3-D critters. You did a great job under difficult circumstances. I now feel like I need to get out the soapy water to try to wash them off my screen.

Judy Sinclair		31-Oct-2007 04:44
Wow Simon.....great stuff....I alway thought aphids were green, now I know better!! V

Char		31-Oct-2007 04:15
Hi Simon, They are definitely that but you made them look so goooooood!! \/

Chad Ramsey		31-Oct-2007 03:49
Excellent capture! V

Sabine Stetson		31-Oct-2007 02:50
yuuupppp.....but you can help these tiny creatures into the life ever after by a gentle soap rinse... they will lose their grip so to speak...i do really hate to play god...:)))