Everyone, please note that 500 and 500D close-up lenses are entirely different animals! The former is a single lens and way inferior in performance. The latter is pretty good and comprises of (at least) two elements, though it looks like just one lens.

I think they live considerably longer if they don't expend their energy by flying. So they should be able to outlive at least short spells of bad weather.

I can thoroughly recommend a trip to the Swiss Alps for both these species, and hundreds (literally) more! For those two Finland will do as well, but the number of additional specialties is somewhat :( lower. The Swiss alps are indeed beautiful, but there is a reason why I'd prefer France or Italy ...

I really shouldn't as this is my second reply in this thread...

It is indeed. The name should show when you look at it in full size.

Not really that artistic, but it is the first time I've seen this species...

I think the correct name is Dupo n chelia fovealis . In Finland it can only survive in greenhouses but it can be a real pest there (or at least the site I found says that - I wouldn't know. :) ) The same site indicates two methods of control: Bacillus thuringiensis -bacteria and some small insect Hy...

Oh, you meant the "1/f"-rule! Which, incidentally, is no longer quite the same as it requires full-frame equivalent f. In my case it seems to work quite well as the rate of success increases considerably when the time is 1/320 or less with 180 mm optics (180*1.6=288). It may be that you ha...

padfield wrote:What a super site, JKT!! I'd like to link to it from my own.

By all means! Yours has been in my personal bookmarks for quite some time.

padfield wrote:Is this the right start page?

http://www.jkt.1g.fi/Butterflies/Butterflies.htm

It is for butterflies, which is the main thing.

Hmm. I would not always trust the floatines of those triangles, nor the paler color. However, the shape (triangle vs. arc) seems to be generally true here as well. See this page.

On the other hand, the spot spacing is marvellous!

In closeup shos, my f/2.2 would be best then? No. The closer you are, the more you need the additional DOF in order to get at least most of the subject sharp. It is not as critical with compact as it is with DSLR, but that is still the way to go. The common usage in macro shots is to use as small a...

If you can attach filters in your camera (either directly or through some add-on part) I would suggest using close-up lenses with the longest focal length your camera has. If you can't use filters, I'm out of ideas.

If I read you right, you are saying that with a constant magnification the shorter focal length gives less hand shake due to the shorter distance. That makes sense - at least for angular movement, which is not quite as dominant with large magnification as it is for normal photography. :) I just can'...

If you are getting in close to take the pictures handshake will be a minimal problem (and going in close accentuates the depth-of field problem, so benefits most from stopping down the aperture). Ditto on the aperture, but I have always heard that increased magnification makes the handshake worse, ...

Sorry, but it does not quite look like the one in your picture. The spot in the wing tip (whatever it is called) is hazier and of different shape.

padfield wrote:Looks fine, Dave. I would still call that a large white, not a small white, though!

That was my initial impression as well, but I was not sure, so I did not comment.

Thanks for the tip on P. mannii! I was not aware of that.

The shape of the dark spot at the tip of the frontwing. Also, P. napi usually has a couple of small dots below that at the outer edge of the wing. P. rapae never has them. If you meant the underside, I'm out of ideas.

I don't think I would go beyond f/16 under most circumstances. That is already less sharp than f/11 and f/22 is much worse. And that is for DSLR - with smaller sensors the situation gets worse. My common settings are something like: ISO 400, 1/320 s & f/13. Unfortunately that requires direct sun...

Almost certainly as Callophrys avis has not been found on Mallorca, even though it lives on Spanish mainland.

In Finland we talk about something that translates as "Heat sum". It seem to be a pretty good indicator for the time when butterflies emerge. Naturally, the critical value varies between species. I don't remember the exact formula, but it was something like the sum of average daily tempera...

You forgot to tell what the lenses in question were. If they are high quality (read expensive) then it might be a good idea to stick to Pentax, which should be a pretty good camera. On the other hand, if they are cheapos, there is no point in limiting your choice of system.