Sigma 180mm f/2.8 Macro Lens

Sigma 180mm f/2.8 Macro Lens

I have been wishing Sigma would make 70-300mm, f/2.8 macro lens but if they did, I could not afford it.  I decided to try out this lens, instead.

I really got used to being able to zoom from 200 to 300 on the other lens in macro mode.  I was unsure whether I could duplicate the reaching power with this lens.  The other lens with the 1.4x teleconverter was 448 to 672 mm factoring in for camera APS-C sensor and the 1.4x teleconverter.  The 180mm prime is 576 mm with the 2x converter and APS-C sensor, a large amount shorter.  I was afraid it would not be enough.  I feel now, after testing that it is.  My knowledge of the behavior of the insects helps me obtain the frame filling shots I am after.

The other day I was shooting and there was a branch sticking up in front of me.  It would have been perfect but the insects would not land on it.  I decided that I was just a bit too close for their comfort.  I moved backward just about 12 inches and like a miracle, they began perching there.  They were actually driving each other off it.

Sigma 180mm f/2.8 Macro Lens

 I like the tripod mount on the lens.  The rig is well balanced and much easier for me to handle as I use it.  I had to modify my flash mounting system for it.

I calibrated the auto focus with LensAlign even though I don't use auto focus for insects.  I wanted to take a look at the sharpness of it using the LensAlign Target.  It was quite sharp.

I haven't look extensively, but I have found myself wishing that I had a circular polarizer for it.  So far the largest I have found is 77mm not large enough for the 86mm threads on the lens.

The brighter view makes it possible for me to hit focus more often.  It makes me more productive.  I like this lens!

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Different Lens for Insects

Insect Setup

My previous insect setup was a Sigma 70-300mm macro on a 1.4x converter.  I liked the working distance and the framing flexibility of this setup.  It required manual focus and was slow, f/8.  I used two Canon 420EX slave flashes off camera.  I was able to learn to used it successfully. 

Sigma 180mm Macro Setup

I am currently shooting with a Sigma 180mm Macro Lens mounted on a 2x teleconverter.  It is faster and easier to manually focus because the image in the viewfinder is brighter.  It shows at f/5.7 in the metadata.  I like the working distance.  The lens has quite a lot of resolving power, much more than the 70-300.  It lacks some of the framing flexibility of the other rig, lack of zoom, but the extra resolution helps with cropping in the digital darkroom.  It has come to this:  Can I live without it.  Currently, I am thinking that the answer is, "No."

Unless stated, my insect shots will be made with this rig in the future.  Did I mention how sharp I consider this lens?

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Salamanders Morphed into Woodfrogs

Wood Frog

I must give Jason Larson credit for making the call on these.  I have showed him the pictures as time progressed and he said they look like frog tadpoles.  I am convinced he was right.

Wood Frog

I truly believed they were salamanders but my belief was wrong. 

Wood Frog

I saw this one at the pond.  I know the legs don't look the same.

Wood Frog

The mask is there.  I will have to try for salamanders again sometime.

Wood Frog Camera Setup

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Dot-tailed Whiteface II

Dot-tailed Whiteface

I think that I may be photographing dragon flies earlier this year than in the past.  This species is the most numerous.

Dot-tailed Whiteface

They are easy to find during the warmer part of the morning.  Whereas I was arising at 5:00 AM earlier this spring, I can now sleep in until 6:00 AM, do my Facebook duties, and get out at the right time.

Dot-tailed Whiteface

They are a small dragonfly, barely longer than a damselfly.  Of course, they are wider and larger in diameter.

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Pickeralweed

Pickeralweed

I have known this plant for several years.  I thought sure that I had photographed it but cannot locate it.  It has purple spiked flowers.  It is a perennial growing from rhizomes as well as seeds.

Pickeralweed

Need I say that it is an aquatic plant?  It has a species of bee, Dufourea novaeangliae, which exclusively visits this plant.  It grows around the large pond in the shallows.

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Dot-tailed Whiteface

Dot-tailed Whiteface

Unfortunately, you can barely see the face in these shots.

Dot-tailed Whiteface

I had forgotten that I had images of the immature female from last year.

Dot-tailed Whiteface Immature Female

I am seeing the adults at the big pond and the vernal pool.  They seem numerous.

While photographing them, I noticed that the vernal pool has Bladderwort.

Bladderwort

Bladderwort has no roots in soil.  It is supported by bladders and it eats pond life.  Also note from this picture, the presence of duck weed.

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GNC Bridge 3

GNC Old Bridge 3 Cut Up

School is out and Mr. Shoemaker's Construction Class has completed its work for the summer.

GNC Old Bridge 3 Parts

It is all history, now.

GNC New Bridge 3

This bridge looks short because of the compressed perspective of the lens I used.

GNC New Bridge 3

Hopefully, this will the resolve the problems from the past with flash flooding.

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