KL Butterfly Park (lotsa pics warning)

[djspinnet]

So I went to the KL Butterfly Park and oh man. What an experience. I’m a Nikon user, but I don’t have the appropriate lenses for this occasion (yet.. keyword is yet.. gonna acquire them soon when I’m less broke..) .. so.. solution?

I swapped cameras with an acquaintance, a Canon user!

And before I could even get used to the 20D, he dumped a 300L into my hands. Yep, 300mm tele (no tripods allowed, my arms are aching now..). And a Tamron SP90 macro lens.

Here's the outcome of my first time using a Canon 20D, first time using a 300mm and first time using a macro, and first time shooting little flying thingies















Well... all in all.. I gotta say, doing nature/insects is not easy. Tracking them butterflies is sooooo hard, and even those who stay still enough.. might just fly away when you press the shutter..

But I came out with a new found respect for bird watchers and butterfly watchers I'll go back there someday, and shoot butterflies again someday.. it's such a wonderful experience!

[Chai]

Not bad for first timer, especially an unfamiliar camera. I think the next trip for you is to learn how to compose.

I was using 1DMk2 the other day, I was having some trouble getting used to it...

Edit: Too bad Nikon is not so great other than the center focus point...

Oh yeah, which 300L did you use? 300 F4 or F2.8?

[djspinnet]

Originally Posted by Chai

Not bad for first timer, especially an unfamiliar camera. I think the next trip for you is to learn how to compose.

I was using 1DMk2 the other day, I was having some trouble getting used to it...

Edit: Too bad Nikon is not so great other than the center focus point...

Oh yeah, which 300L did you use? 300 F4 or F2.8?

Canon's technology advances faster, that's for sure, Nikon's bit slow in catching up.. but I still prefer the Nikon body though. Even my Canon friend agreed that the Nikon's body is easier to use, although he wasn't used to the colours, and Nikon's WB tends to be a bit off too, sometimes.

Then again, my friend's Canon is a calibrated camera.. gonna get him to calibrate my colours soon.

The one thing that was hard for me to get used to was the lens focus ring... it was the other way round.. I kept twisting it the Nikon orientation than the Canon orientation and wondered why I was getting more and more OOF than in focus..

As for composing... man, it was hard to compose! Those butterflies can't keep still for 5 minutes, and doing that for the first time, I got to say I got a bit frustrated before I started to get into the groove of things.

And Chai, it was the F4, not F2.8..

[Chai]

Yup, I think I prefer Nikon body too. Grip wise, I think it's about equal. But Nikon is a bit ahead in usability with dials and d-pad.

If I were to start from scratch today, I will definitely choose Canon. But due to cost issues, it's almost impossible for me to make a switch anytime soon. 70/80-200 is a must have lens for me, and it's going to cost a bomb to buy a new 70-200L IS!

Yup, I know it's very difficult to compose on these insects. That's why I'm not into macros. I just don't have the patience.

[djspinnet]

Originally Posted by Chai

Yup, I think I prefer Nikon body too. Grip wise, I think it's about equal. But Nikon is a bit ahead in usability with dials and d-pad.

If I were to start from scratch today, I will definitely choose Canon. But due to cost issues, it's almost impossible for me to make a switch anytime soon. 70/80-200 is a must have lens for me, and it's going to cost a bomb to buy a new 70-200L IS!

Yup, I know it's very difficult to compose on these insects. That's why I'm not into macros. I just don't have the patience.

I guess I'll still be sticking with Nikons. I don't foresee myself going Canon at this point of time, or few years down the road yet..

I love macros though. Still macros, that is I'm trying now to appreciate insect macros, they just won't keep still! At least flowers are better, I just need to shade them from the wind. And my mom has a huge gardenful of flowers for me to practice on...

[djspinnet]

Here's my other batch of butterfly photos, finally retrieved from my acquaintance's CF card..

1.


2.


3.


4.


These few were the really really first 4 shots on the 20D

Need to practice more.. think I'll go back there another day.

[Chai]

Hmm...I think you need to close down the aperture more. F11 at least, maybe F16 would be ideal. But overall, not bad.

[djspinnet]

Originally Posted by Chai

Hmm...I think you need to close down the aperture more. F11 at least, maybe F16 would be ideal. But overall, not bad.

F11 may be too small and too slow. Maybe F5.6 or F8, but nothing smaller. The more things that are OOF the more the butterfly will be accentuated - I just need to get the butterfly fully in focus and leave the rest OOF.

What I need is a faster shutter speed, to freeze those fluttering wings

[Chai]

For macros, F11-F16 are sometime just nice to capture the object in good sharpness. But since you want fast shutter speed, you might need to use flash or something.

F5.6 is way too shallow for macros. If I'm not mistaken, Tamron SP90 stops down to F5.6 at min focus.

[djspinnet]

Originally Posted by Chai

For macros, F11-F16 are sometime just nice to capture the object in good sharpness. But since you want fast shutter speed, you might need to use flash or something.

F5.6 is way too shallow for macros. If I'm not mistaken, Tamron SP90 stops down to F5.6 at min focus.

Yes, true, but I didn't know that, and in the viewfinder, it looked sharp enough while maintaining the DOF I wanted I guess I know what to do for Round 2 of macros now

And I was using a remote TTL for the macros with the SP90.