So you've already gotten the better pictures. :) My experience was that they flew all over me, but didn't land. And the few times they did, the mirror slap scared them away before the exposure was made. Oh well, if the weather improves, I might try to find B. titania on monday or tuesday before head...

Working backwards, to me the last one is classic melampus and has no epiphron about it. It seems to be right on the edge of the distribution of melampus (but although Google Earth seemed to know where your location was it didn't want to tell me, so I can't be sure). Anyway, if I saw that I wouldn't...

V6GTO wrote:The difference between medusa and oeme is the underside of the club tips...black for oeme and pale brown for medusa.

Exactly. For the photographed ones something can be said, but... However, I'm not entirely sure about the ID even that far, so confirmation would be nice.

Here are a few problematic Erebia s from Italy. Hopefully someone (Padfield ? :) ) can help me with them. The first three I'm assuming are Erebia medusa . They were flying everywhere whenever we were above ~1500 m. Naturally there is no way to tell whether some of them where for example E. oeme s. h...

I have not noticed it with Marbled Whites, but trying to photograph Woodland Browns was a real pain. I don't use autofocus, so that was not the problem, but the sound of the mirror lifting did the trick. The shutter follows closely afterwards, but not fast enough, it seems. Also, the Canon 20D has n...

I'd say those shots are more than 'acceptable'! I know. :D If you were stuck with the shorter lens, think what it would do for your stalking skills. Speaking as a 105mm man, that's half the fun for me! I wasn't stuck in any way. The longer ones were hanging in my belt all the time. I just wanted to...

I have recent spottings of the Large Blue from above Chamonix and Courmayeur. That was without trying, so there seems to be still a number of them. I do wish the pictures would have turned out better, though.

Please post some pics soon!. Not quite yet as... Are you using it with the twin flash MT24EX (I think) - I have this and use it occasionaly - it is brilliant. ...I don't have the MT24EX. At least not yet. :) The lighting is going to be a problem for some time, as my current options don't really wor...

Rogerdodge wrote:At least that is my understanding.

Mine as well.

Dave Mac,
Your system is on my list of possible acquisitions (sp?). It would be the f/4.0 IS version, but that may take awhile ... MP-E 65 arrived today.

At least that is the only explanation I can think of for using only the EF-S 60 macro lens instead of longer ones for a whole day. :D Trying to approach them close enough was a real pain. I'd quess that 5% of attempts led to a picture. I have a feeling that 100 mm lens would have allowed at least a ...

...or are they Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnets? Identifying the five-spotted species correctly can often be tricky.

Edit: Missed the post by eccles totally...

Pete Eeles wrote:In fact, whenever I come across someone with a net, my initial reaction is that the owner is up to no good.

Oh dear, the net is pretty much standard equipment, when I'm out. It does not see much use these days, but I carry it nevertheless.

As Chris mentioned, the 150 is not even close to being a birding lens. If you want to combine macro and birds with single lens, I'd suggest something like 300/4. It is pretty much minimum for birds and you can still take butterfly pictures with a set of extension tubes. Some swear by that method.

Here's a bit different one. I'll probably change it, but for now it is better than all the pictures I took of Scolitantides orion.

Plutella xylostella:

You don't ask much, do you? The smaller the subject is, the more difficult is the focus issue. The only thing on your side is the fact that you have more DOF with a compact. Unfortunately, the low resolution viewfinder with delay more than compensates for that. A dead subject with tripod might be do...

Test also whether (sp?) it is feasible to use the smallest possible aperture (big number) or should you stay a bit below that. Diffraction can make the whole picture soft at the minimum aperture.

There is something here that I don't get. Your possible exposure numbers are ISO sensitivity, exposure time and aperture. That AV value has no meaning after those unless you are shooting in RAW and that AV is exposure correction afterwards. With aperture f/2.2 your DOF is pretty thin in close-ups, s...

You must be very happy with them. Well, yes. I wouldn't be showing them otherwise. :D Could you please satisfy my curiosity by letting me know what equipment you use. Particularly whether you use a tripod and remote cable release. Canon 20D and Tamron 180/3.5. No tripod and usually available light....

Everyone, thanks for your kind comments! I've only ever seen nostrodamus , in Portugal. And I've only seen G. pumilio - on consecutive years in the same spot within a few meters. :) More snow is due... Oh dear! The winter always comes - sooner or later. :( I hope I won't need skis in the Dolomites i...

Here are a few shots from last week on western an central Crete. Carcharodus alceae: http://www.jkt.1g.fi/Butterflies/Hesperiidae/Pics/CARalcea8.jpg Gegenes pumilio: http://www.jkt.1g.fi/Butterflies/Hesperiidae/Pics/GEGpumil7.jpg This one is for especially for Padfield - Thymelicus acteon: http://ww...