My Invertebrate Macrovideography Videos!

[Jason Green]

Morning All,

I thought you may be interested in my videos... all captured using a Close-up lens. Forgive any slight shakiness as it was recorded at the long-end of the zoom range

All focus on invertebrates. They are mostly 12secs-ish though I'm now making them longer, and occasionally even though I move the camera with the insect they happen to walk a bit faster than I am panning and move out of the Depth of Focus range, giving momentary blurriness until I can re-align...

• An aphid - YouTube - Aphid, Winged-male - Myzus persicae
• An un-ID'd chalcid wasp - YouTube - Chalcid wasp
• A sluggish planthopper - YouTube - Plant bug, Ribautiana tenerrima
• Another planthopper - YouTube - Plantbug - Empoasca decipiens
• A springtail - YouTube - Springtail - D. saundersi

Thank you.

Take care,

Jason

[tigger]

Thanks for posting these Jason. Really fascinating to see them in close-up AND moving. I'm going to be trying this myself a bit more this year.

Here is one of a wasp I filmed on Upton Heath last year: Name the Insect : 1 July 2008 on Vimeo
A Robberfly in the garden last year: Robberfly : 14 August 2008 on Vimeo
Drone Fly last year: http://www.vimeo.com/860778

Not as small as your subjects, but still interesting to video.

You might find Vimeo useful, as their quality for video is MUCH better than YouTube and Google Video. Also worth using manual focus (if you can) and a tripod is a must if you are at the end of zoom focus. Looking forward to seeing what you manage to video next.

Cheers. Jane

[squishy]

if jasons camera is anything like mine (which i think it is) then manual focus is not available when recording video

i'll have to give that a go with my raynox sometime


i particularly like the springtail video

[Jason Green]

Hey, thanks Squish! Manual focus is the only focus mode available with the video mode!! Lucky you then with Auto... I will be adding a video of an earthworm later, that too features O. cincta hopping off its back halfway-through

I look forward to yours...

[Badllarma]

Jason nice to see your videos but you REALLY need to use a tripod.

I know your holding it the best you can (and with such a small subject your really up against it) but you have to use a tripod mate, nail your camera to it and never take it off It will add to a much more professional look of some great subject matter

Mix your footage with B roll of a garden centre and some creepy music and you have a "When insects attack!" film right there Just a thought anyway

[Jason Green]

Hi BL,

I agree, but it's difficult with the zoom being fully employed and held 9cms from the subject. If the insect moves just 2-3mm and I don't keep up it will evade the DoF and blur out. The camera only has 13mm covered by the lens, too. It has no built-in shake reduction either, so as you say, up against it!

I'll look into it...

[squishy]

i'm not lucky with the auto! it's very hard to keep it on the subject when in macro mode

[Phoebe]

I think you did very well hand holding at that short distance, I enjoyed the videos very much. Practise make perfect. You could try something sturdy to lean on.

Thanks for sharing

[The Woodman]

Thanks for the tip re Vimeo Jane, it's very good.

Some good advice there Jason - stick at it because there's many a WaBBer including me who's never seen some of your subjects at close quarters, if at all.

[Jason Green]

Thanks Phoebe yep, good advice.

Happy to have enlightened then, Woodman!