butterflies Giant Swallowtail

The larger view really brings this to life!  Lovely detail and composition. The natural colour saturation and position of the flowers add another attractive element to the shot. The Tokina lens seems to have performed well,  how are you finding it?

Compliments!

Alf

A very nicely composed beautiful shot, Gillie!

Thank you all for your enouragement.  Alf, I am enjoying the Tokina, although I think that had I had twice the money to spend, then I would have gone with the Nikkor 105mm  for the vibration control.  The AF is inclined to hunt a bit in some circumstances, but it is easy to switch into MF, so that is not a big problem for me.  The AF is a little slow, but I have no other macro to compare it with, and I am told that is sometimes the case; generally not a problem, just occasionally.  All in all it is a great lens, especially for the price.  Gillie

Hi Gillie, this is a stunning image!! Swallowtails are so beautiful - one of the most beautiful of butterflies I think. I've never managed to get a capture. I have the Canon EF f2.8 Macro USM. It does not have IS but does have Autofocus, but when I am doing Macros the AUTOFOCUS is useless. If I do put it on (almost never!!!) it 'searches' as yours does. I have found I have to tweak the lens a bit to get it into good focus. So - basically it is hardly worth it. I am always manually focusing and handholding mostly. Some days, if my lower back is acting up, I find it very challenging. There are times I will take literally hundreds of shots and only find a few worthwhile. But I still enjoy it. I hope to get a wonderful capture such as this, this summer!!! When I see these butterflies, their wings remind me of a woman dressed in a long flowing sheer gown, ready to dance the night away. Lovely presentation as well Gillie!