Australian Damselfly

[Guest]

After hours of research and a great admiration now for people who can identify insects, I think this is a Male Austrolestes annulosus - Blue Ringtail.
They are reasonably common and usually perch in a horizontal position - so my info tells me!




E520-70-300mm f/9 1/200th sec lens at full stretch. Me on my knees!

[Ross the fiddler]

Re: Australian Damselfly

Very nice Lyn & I won't dispute your ID.
I had problems trying to find an acacia ID, but eventually I stumbled across the tell-tale images in google images & I also found another plant of it in the backyard as I had thought they were all dead. It pays to keep looking with different description approaches but perhaps your dragon fly might have been a little easier to find perhaps, not diminishing your effort & success at all though.

[Floribunda]

Re: Australian Damselfly

Very nice Lyn & I won't dispute your ID.
I had problems trying to find an acacia ID, but eventually I stumbled across the tell-tale images in google images & I also found another plant of it in the backyard as I had thought they were all dead. It pays to keep looking with different description approaches but perhaps your dragon fly might have been a little easier to find perhaps, not diminishing your effort & success at all though.

Thanks Ross. I really don't mind doing a lot of research, I love learning about new things.
I have now learned that the easiest way of telling a dragonfly from a damselfly is that the dragons' eyes meet at the top of the head and the damsels' (which this one is) are on the side. There are 325 recognized species in Oz - I had better get a move on if I hope to ID them all!

[Imageryone]

Re: Australian Damselfly

That is really nice, Lyn, and thanks for the research too.

f you want to have some fun with that camera/lens set-up, put the lens on 70mm, turn it and the camera to Manual Focus, wind the lens out as far as it will go [ a fraction over 1:2 ] and then focus by moving the camera back and forward.
You might be very pleasantly surprised what you can get
This is my favorite lens for nature work, so versatile.

[Floribunda]

Re: Australian Damselfly

That is really nice, Lyn, and thanks for the research too.

f you want to have some fun with that camera/lens set-up, put the lens on 70mm, turn it and the camera to Manual Focus, wind the lens out as far as it will go [ a fraction over 1:2 ] and then focus by moving the camera back and forward.
You might be very pleasantly surprised what you can get
This is my favorite lens for nature work, so versatile.

OK Imag. Thanks. Will give that a go. I am thinking you mean like I do with my 50mm Macro?

[Imageryone]

Re: Australian Damselfly

Exactly the same , Lyn.
You can do the same with the lens set to different lengths too, but you have to get further away to focus
Do you have an EC25 extension, cos' you can use that too

[Floribunda]

Re: Australian Damselfly

Exactly the same , Lyn.
You can do the same with the lens set to different lengths too, but you have to get further away to focus
Do you have an EC25 extension, cos' you can use that too

No extension. I use this lens with some flower shots too, so will give that a go as well. I just love this lens.

[Guest]

Re: Australian Damselfly

I take it that the 70-300 lens is the one that went busted on me, Lyn? And interesting you should use it with the trusty old E-520 with which you have produced an astonishing image.
I'm wondering why you would not have used your M5 with your macro lens? Not that it matters, the result could hardly be better.

[Floribunda]

Re: Australian Damselfly

I take it that the 70-300 lens is the one that went busted on me, Lyn? And interesting you should use it with the trusty old E-520 with which you have produced an astonishing image.
I'm wondering why you would not have used your M5 with your macro lens? Not that it matters, the result could hardly be better.

I'm not sure why you say it is interesting that I use the 70-300 with the E-520 Mark? It was after all part of the kit lens that came with the purchase.
The damsels were much too far away for the macro.
When we travel, which we were on this occasion, I tend to leave the E-520 set up with the 70-300, ready for birding. The 12-60 spends most of its time on the E-M5 ready for other shots.
I would have liked to have been closer for these damsels, but there was a lot of water in-between us.

[Ann1e]

Re: Australian Damselfly

Nice clean shot, Lyn - I always think damselflies seem to have a slightly grumpy expression. Maybe they are prone to bumping into objects before coming to rest!

Regards,
Ann1e

[Guest]

Re: Australian Damselfly

I'm not sure why you say it is interesting that I use the 70-300 with the E-520 Mark? It was after all part of the kit lens that came with the purchase.
The damsels were much too far away for the macro.
When we travel, which we were on this occasion, I tend to leave the E-520 set up with the 70-300, ready for birding. The 12-60 spends most of its time on the E-M5 ready for other shots.
I would have liked to have been closer for these damsels, but there was a lot of water in-between us.

Interesting that you didn't use the 70-300 on the M5 by way of an adaptor but as you do not have a great number of 43 lenses, you didn't need to invest in one. I'm surprised to hear that the 70-300 came as a kit lens with your E-520, although perhaps I do remember you mentioning it as a special deal you got at the time. I really miss that lens and have been tempted on many occasions to buy another, but I bought instead the 50-200mm, which I found doesn't do birding nearly as well.

As for the damsels, a truly dedicated 'toger would not have hesitated to wade out waist-deep to get closer

[banjukes]

Re: Australian Damselfly

Very nice Lyn, well done. I've yet to see one stationary long enough to take a shot!!

[Ross the fiddler]

Re: Australian Damselfly

I'm surprised to hear that the 70-300 came as a kit lens with your E-520, although perhaps I do remember you mentioning it as a special deal you got at the time. I really miss that lens and have been tempted on many occasions to buy another, but I bought instead the 50-200mm, which I found doesn't do birding nearly as well.

When I bought my first DSLR, the E410 (just before the next models were coming) my son kept wanting to use it, putting his settings into it & so when the E520 was released 6 months later with the option of the 70-300 lens & was known as the E520 Enthusiasts kit, I went for it (& gave him the E410, although he was supposed to do some work for it). I've always had an excuse for updating my gear & that is why my wife has given in (or found out later) to me buying more gear.

[Floribunda]

Re: Australian Damselfly

Interesting that you didn't use the 70-300 on the M5 by way of an adaptor but as you do not have a great number of 43 lenses, you didn't need to invest in one. I'm surprised to hear that the 70-300 came as a kit lens with your E-520, although perhaps I do remember you mentioning it as a special deal you got at the time. I really miss that lens and have been tempted on many occasions to buy another, but I bought instead the 50-200mm, which I found doesn't do birding nearly as well.

As for the damsels, a truly dedicated 'toger would not have hesitated to wade out waist-deep to get closer

I do have an adaptor.. I just prefer to use the Set-up I explained.

[Floribunda]

Re: Australian Damselfly

[quote=Ann1e;295781]Nice clean shot, Lyn - I always think damselflies seem to have a slightly grumpy expression. Maybe they are prone to bumping into objects before coming to rest!

Regards,
Ann1e[/QUOTE)

Hi Ann1e, I think you could well be right! Landing on things with those frail-looking legs must be problematical!

Very nice Lyn, well done. I've yet to see one stationary long enough to take a shot!!

Thanks Conor - they are certainly busy little beasties. The "machine-gun" was employed with these, and it wasn't until I got home and downloaded that I could see what I had. I wish I could have got closer.