Lizard portrait

[subhrashis]

Experimenting with my new close up lens! I don't know if dedicated macro lenses are similar, but the DOF is really submillimetric in this setup. Actually the eye was a bit oof, I had to locally sharpen a bit. I think I also have some diffraction related softening here, still need to figure out the optimum aperture for this setup.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5001/5238869358_b51fdd01c6_b.jpg

D5000, 70-300 VR with +3 achromat, 1/60 @ f/20 , Matrix -0.3 EV, TTL - 1.7

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Subhrashis. What an interesting looking lizard. I like how the black lines radiate out from its eye. Nice lighting, comp, and background. I haven't used the setup you have so I can't comment directly, but I would expect a little more DOF from a macro lens at f/20 for a subject this size - unless this guy is really tiny. Most of the head is not what I'd call razor sharp so diffraction might be an issue (as you note above) - you might see if another round of sharpening would help. :)

[Ken Childs]

Hi Subbu, this is a really cool looking lizard! What kind is it and how big is this one?

A agree with Steve's assessment and like him, I'm wondering why the DOF is so shallow at f20. I know nothing about Nikon equipment so I don't know when DLA becomes a problem on a D5000 but diffraction could explain why it doesn't look really sharp. Another round of sharpening is a good idea and this looks like something that High Pass sharpening might work well on. I think this would look better without the eye directly in the center of the frame so taking some off the top and left would get that eye closer to a ROT position.

This guy is a perfect subject for a 'flip'. Since it's not an appropriate edit for this forum, here's a link to one I made out of this shot.
http://tinyurl.com/322bvn3

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Subhrashis,
Steve covered my thoughts very well. I too don't have that much experience with the close up lens but also feel it should be a bit sharper. I would try a static subject with a lot of detail and experiment with the DOF to see which settings are optimal for it. If this sharpens up a bit more....this will work very nicely!

[subhrashis]

Thanks Steve, Ken and Roman!

This lizard is pretty much 'normal sized' and certainly not tiny!

Yes, I'll have to accept the thin DOF as a fact of life with this close up lens/telephoto setup, as other advantages (Low weight addition to kit, no lens changing, magnification range from 1/5x to 1.2x, low cost) are considerable. It also seems f/20 is off limits due to diffraction. I shouldn't have tried it on a 12.3 MP sensor. Later I've got sharper shots (mainly damselflies) at f/11 -1/16 while testing it later around my home. Sadly all with less-than ideal surroundings.

Ken, I love the flip - very cool and alien ! :) I'll look up high pass sharpening, and try sharpening this one more.