The Colours of Oz

The best of the bunch.

Maybe the best too, sleeping together – no kidding. ((:

I like a lot about this camera and lens. It’s light, has a large articulating hi res LCD for MF – was a breeze – but in the wrong place, full time liveview, better IQ – less noise than FZ, but there’s too much to do to make it work as I am used to with the FZ50 + Raynox Achromats.

The G1 + 35mm is 1: 1 on an 18mm wide sensor. The FZ + R250+150 is 1.2 : 1 on a 7mm wide sensor. To get equivalent magnification on the G1, which I want, I’d need more than 2.5 : 1. Can’t see it happening and staying small and light for one handed work.

I am open to suggestions though, if anyone has any for higher mags that keeps me light and small with a working distance of about 2 inches.

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A variety of wonderful local creatures.

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Some of nature’s wonderful creatures that each have an essential place in the order of things, or they could not be.

It never ceases to amaze me the endless variety of form and colour of the small nature at our feet. It’s everywhere to be seen at different times and yet so few see it.

Making little Green Leaf beetles.

All found around the house.

Weevil froze on meeting the ants.

Longhorn Beetle.

Also known as the Elephant Beetle for its size and weight, this one was brought to me and was very agitated so I let it go after a few shots, has also lost half a front leg. You can see it’s been around, dented, holed and cracked. It now sits on a slice of mango, a little heaven to a sweet toothed beetle.

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I put it out in a pot plant last night with a piece of mango and leaf litter after it served me, having read that’s what they eat. It took to the mango right away but didn’t fly away through the night as I thought. After the heat of the day I took it out from its shelter for a few more shots, it had dug in under a piece of wood. It had gotten very dusty digging in the earth and then a bit messy eating more of the mango. So I tried washing it down with some water poured on it. It wasn’t happy, hissing – as they do when picked up, and arching upwards. It’s over two inches long, nose to tail, and heavy. Wing span must be about six inches, I only saw the attempt to fly last night.

This all happened in the garden as I let the grass grow. Somewhere along the way an egg was laid. Out of it came the larva. The larva turned to the pupa and out of it came the Lady Bug. All in a life’s work.