~Easy Spider~

Critiques [Translate]

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• AndyB (3978)
• [2006-04-05 17:08]

Hi Julia,
This is the first time I've seen a spider capture a woodlouse and its got to be the first one on TN!
Well worth posting for that alone.
Its a good capture,with some nice detail.
A little shallow on dof but the composition and POV are very good.
Nice work.

TFS

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• liquidsunshine (11488)
• [2006-04-05 17:13]

Well captured Julia,
Congratulations on your new camera.
Good detail, colours and sharpness.
Composition and exposure are good. Good POV and framing.
Thanks for posting, enjoy the rest of the week.

Have a look at the Sigma 105mm f2.8 EX DG macro, which was £300 when I got it. I think warehouseexpress are doing it for £280ish. Or the Canon 60mm f2.8 (for the 300D, 350D and 20D only) is also around £280.

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• scottevers7 (12259)
• [2006-04-05 20:17]

Hi Julia,
I am also without a macro lens at the moment, so I have to struggle with shots like this also. It looks very good except for the shallow DOF. Good composition and great action!
Scott

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• CaptiveLight (1131)
• [2006-04-06 2:07]

Hi Julia, if you want to get in closer, try using some extension tubes, which are just tubes that fit between the lens and the camera, no glass involved in them. These will get you in much closer, though the trade off is as always a very slight loss of quality, depending on how good the optics are to start with. Using tubes I can focus my 100 - 400 down to just a few inches, and the quality loss is hardly noticeable. If you do get a dedicated true 1:1 macro lens, the extension tubes will also work on that, and get you in REALLY close! You can also get them with the electrical contacts built in, so AF etc still works. Jessops own brand with AF contacts come to some £75 for a set of 3 in various sizes, but you can get them cheaper on Ebay, down to about £45 I think, if you hunt around.
Just an idea....

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• aido (4046)
• [2006-04-06 3:55]
• [+]

Hi Julia,
Congratulations on the new kit! No idea on the ID i'm afraid, Spiders aren't my strongest subject. As for the lens, according to Sigma's website here it should magnify 1:2 at the 300mm end and has a switch to switch to macro between 200-300, so it looks like your minimum focal length for macro work is 200mm, so I guess you'll still be standing off from the subject a little.

I have to say the shot isn't your usual standard but a good first effort with gear you're not too familiar with. I can see the spider's eyes pretty clearly, it looks focused to me, although the DOF is quite shallow so focus drops off fairly quicky.
Cheers,
Adrian

Smiley tomorrow, I always seem to run out these days :-(

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• thistle (9152)
• [2006-04-06 4:58]

Hello Julia,
Very interesting shot! I've never seen a spider eating such meal. The details are a little soft and that makes the spider hard to ID, but overall the quality is good enough.
I don't know much about that kind of spiders, but maybe this one belong to Theridiidae. It is a little smimillar in shape. Maybe Steatoda species, but that's just a guess.
Overall, very good post!

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• dew77 (13069)
• [2006-04-06 5:04]

Hello Julia!
Wonderful close up.I liked moment you caught,colors,framing
and composition a lot.Enjoy with your new camera and lens(I used the same lens before it's a little slow on focus but very sharp,i'm sure you'll get magnificent results with your new kit;))TFS...:-)

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• Dando (3052)
• [2006-04-06 8:26]

Hi Julia, I'm glad you decided to post this one. I find it interesting that the spider has caught a woodlouse. Maybe a bit more DOf would have improved the shot technically but I will leave that to the more experienced to advise. Well captured anyway and TFS.
Dean.

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• red45 (26863)
• [2006-04-06 9:54]

Hi Julia!
Congratulations! 350D is very good cam and yuor first photo also looks very nice. I don't know ID but I saw similiar spiders last weekend. Good brown tones. Poor woodlice...

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• SunToucher (8866)
• [2006-04-10 14:49]
• [+]

Hi Julia,
Good to see that you uploaded a second shot with your new camera. Excellent capture especially to see the spider with his diner. Great color and sharpness.
TFS,
Niek

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• marhowie (34593)
• [2006-05-06 8:53]

Hi Julia,
Interesting shot and nicely composed. Well focused where it needs to be, with great light and color..I like the diagonal lines I see in this composition also..
Well done and TFS!

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• eruyanik (4648)
• [2006-05-16 6:41]

Hello Julia,
I like spiders a lot. You got an interesting spider in an interesting time, unusual prey also. I like the different bg! Thank you,
Ersin

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• extramundi (12700)
• [2006-06-12 15:05]
• [+]

Well Julia, I have your cam, and I have your Sigma, and I can say it produces quite good macros, although hanheld focus at 1 meter distance holding 1 Kg, is a pain. This shot is OOF range, by little but not sharp, although good to practice :)
If you like, you can have a look at this ones Cris & I took with the same kit:
HERE HERE HERE HERE
About a macro choice... nothing new from the above, I have the canon 60mm, quite confortable and hapy with it but needs practice, and the sigmas are also great, look at ellis gallery PE.
Congratulations, I hope you enjoy it as I do :D
PD: The prey is great! A curious image.

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• Alex99 (14679)
• [2006-06-17 0:04]

Hi, Julia.
A very good macro. Especially colour palette and focusing. It seems to me it was not so easy to separate the object and background on such limited space. Perfect done.
Alexei.

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• PDP (11755)
• [2006-06-26 14:40]
• [+]

Hi Julia,

Sorry I can't be too much help with the ID here from this view.

Well done on the capture, as you say it's a shame that we can't see the eyes or head but nevermind.

Sigma 50 mm macro is pretty cheap and you have to get close with that, perhaps too close, you may need a converter too.

Well done.

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• poin_45 (0)
• [2006-09-30 16:35]

Takava zashemetiavashta snimka pri koiato samo dva karaka sa na fokus si e istinsko art