bugs with Fujifilm X10

Nymph of Hedge grasshopper, Valanga irregularis | Fuji X10 | Toowong, March 12, 2012 | flickr

I planned to take a close-up picture of flowers of Fijian Fire plant, Acalypha wilkesiana, but it was windy. The flowers of this plant are very small, so even the slightest movement will have strong impact on image. Anyway, I spotted this nymph and took few pictures. I was somewhat surprised that the insect allowed me to move the camera so close (the shadow of the lens is visible in all shots). Than I noticed a new object on the leaf that was not there when I started to take pictures... And insect have gone shortly after that :)

The pictures were taken with Fuji X10 in Aperture priority/Supermacro mode at iso 100, F5.6, and exposure around 1/400 with spot metering. The images were cropped in GIMP with subsequent unsharpen mask. The unedited 100% crop from the first image is posted below.

It seems that majority of my pictures with Fuji X10 were taken in Supermacro mode. I don't have macro lens for Olympus DSLR, and while the lens I have can focus relatively close it cannot compete with the Supermacro mode on the Fuji X10.

Saving Hibiscus Harlequin Bug

Hibiscus Harlequin Bug, Tectocoris diophthalmus, was caught in the Golden Orb-weaver spider web, and the spider went to rescue the bug and released it from the trap. Either the bug was big for the spider, or it was too stinky/ uneatable for the predator, or it was act of a female solidarity (both are females). The Harlequin Bugs are quite big, over two centimeters in length, so, it gives the idea about the spider's size. It was happen so quick that I took just one picture. Fuji X10, Aperture priority mode, iso 200, 1/100 sec, F6.4.

Below is the picture of the same Golden Orb-weaver spider, Nephila sp., from Nephilidae family. I think it is a female of Nephila plumipes, or N. ornata (old name for the same species?). Fuji X10, iso 200, 1/170 sec, F5.7. The original image was cropped a little bit in GIMP and resized.

Just in case I posted the 100% crop of the spider's body. Click on image to see a bigger size. All picture were taken in Victoria park, Herston, Brisbane, on January 31, 2012.

Macro with Fuji X10

Damselfly Ischnura sp? Victoria park, Herston | January 31, 2012 | flickr

F4.0, 1/280 sec, iso 100

Finally I figured out how to make money with photography: I go to a small local park with the camera during lunch time instead of spending cash at canteen :-) Today the weather was very good, without bright sun, and I captured several images on Fuji X10. I used Macro mode at maximal focal length, or Supermacro mode, handheld. The first and third images were cropped, and second and fourth just resized. The Unsharpen mask was applied for all images after resizing.

Long-jawed Spider, Tetragnatha sp, Victoria park, Herston | January 31, 2012

F5.6, 1/320 sec, iso 200, supermacro

It can be T. bituberculata, T. demissa, Brown Long-jawed Spider, T. nitens.

 

Not identified yet, and it is not a macro :(

F4.5, 1/640 sec, iso 200

Exuvia, Victoria park, Herston | January 31, 2012 | flickr

F5.6, 1/250 sec, iso 200, exposure compensation -0.7 

The exuvia above apparently belongs to cicada but there are several cicada species in Brisbane. The 100% crop from the original JPEG is below. 

I wish the X10 had an additional supermacro mode on the long end of the zoom. The supermacro at wide end is rather limited in use, especially if you want to take pictures on dragonflies or spiders.