Excellent . And long may it stay good!

Steve

Interesting. I certainly wouldn't pay the extra £££(...)£££ for the DFA* 50mm if I was looking for a wide-aperture prime specifically for this type of photography!

Which, of course, is what we really see with our eyes when we look at something. It's only when the eyes move around and the brain puts together its composite image that we get an impression of the scene that's sharp across a wide area. Perhaps that's one reason why I like these sort of photos - they're more true to what we actually see with our eyes than an image that's razor sharp from edge to edge.

Steve

And wireless remote view and control could also be useful. Time to get the mobile phone out and load an app?

Steve

Lovely, peaceful, definitely conveys that 'winding down during the evening' feeling. And those white boats make all the difference .

Steve

Stunning, remarkable, beautiful. Photography as art. And not just one, but four quite different masterpieces .

The point about "flaws" is interesting. I've never heard an artist say that their paint brush has flaws, they just have a selection of brushes (and other things!) and use the one that has the characteristics they need for the current task.

Steve

No count down 1 yet - I hope everything is OK.

Steve

Interesting. I've had a look at the apertures chosen for my recent photos of small(-ish) flowers (geranium etc.). They were mostly f5.6 or f8, when the intention was for the entire flower to be pretty much in focus, mostly f2.8 or f4 when I wanted only a specific part of the flower to be in focus. That was with a crop sensor though (K3), not full frame.

One other thing that stood out was how many shots were taken to make sure that just one of them was the "right" one - often 5 or 6 or more, varying aperture, position (often to vary the background), focus or even just repeating the shot because the flower was moving slightly in a breeze. Thank goodness it's digital not film!

Steve

+1

And when you're recovering, go for as much sympathy as you can and accept all offers of help - you're entitled to it!

Steve

Three quite different shots. The first works well for me, flower and background well separated by both colour and in/out of focus. Definitely my favourite . The second would work for me if the background were more blurred (like the first). The last has promise but to my mind would benefit from either having a clear centre of attention that draws the eye or being so out of focus that it's an abstract study in light and form.

EXIF data says that all three were taken at f11. Was that deliberate? Or has the EXIF data either been garbled or I'm reading it wrongly? For the second image a wider aperture would have made the background more out of focus. For the second, I'd have focused on the dandelion seed, taken shots at several apertures and selected whichever looked the best. An f2.8 lens gives plenty of scope for experimentation .

One final thought. Crop the third image just below the dandelion seed, keep the bottom part. It's now a much stronger image, an abstract of lines and light.

Steve

Thanks. It's always interesting to hear what people think about similar pictures, what tips the balance one way or the other for them. Keep those thoughts coming .

Hmmm... I wonder who I acquired both lens and tubes from a few years ago... and where I got the idea to put them together... might it have been LennyBloke himself???