It’s interesting that the 150mm is silent and doesn’t extend - I wasn’t aware of this, being a newcomer to digital photography. I must admit though that I have only occasionally found the 105mm motor and/or extension to scare off the subject. Does this also mean that the 150mm focuses faster than th...

On the subject of macro lenses, I have a Sigma 105mm which I consider to be excellent. My feeling is that Sigma macros are just as good as Canon macros but a lot cheaper, e.g. on a quick web search a new Sigma 105mm is around £264 and a Canon 100mm is £356 (may be cheaper elsewhere, but this show th...

On the underside hindwing there is a series of nine or so white-ringed black spots in a strong curve, almost a horseshoe shape or sometimes even an L-shape. Starting from nearest the head, the third one along is clearly out of line with the others in brown argus, which means this butterfly isn't a b...

Assuming these are all photos of the same butterfly, it looks like a male small skipper (T. sylvestris) – the sex brand (almost invisible in the middle photo - is it the same butterfly?) and body shape make it almost certainly a male and the underside of the antennal tip (not very clear in these pho...

There is one sure identifier between icarus and agestis undersides: in agestis the unh postdiscal spot in s6 is out of alignment with those in s5 and s7 – it is usually quite close to and just below the spot in s7. In icarus, they are in a smooth curve as in this photo.

It looks like a male onorpordi to me. The upf marks are quite strong, especially the cell spot, but not quite strong enough to suggest cirsii and the uph markings are too pale for cirsii. Armoricanus is a more likely possibility but the uph discal mark is also too pale, I think. The slightly sagitta...