The lizard's head is out of focus. It looks like you've focussed on the body and just taken the shot expecting DOF to fix it. f8 is OK for macro, but if you want more of your subject in focus you need to set it accordingly. f16 & f22 are my preferred apertures.

The flower shot too is out of focus at the main points of interest (to me).
it looks like the area in focus is at the base of the stamens.

It's just occured to me that you might have used AF for these shots and that you might have a back focussing issue as both of theses images are focussed behind the point I would have chosen.

Certainly with any animal shot, you need to try and get the eyes in focus.

You'll not be disappointed by the AF160FC, it's streets ahead of the AF080C. I had one for a while but soon sold at and bought McBrian's AF140C. That's now gone to a forum member in Canada.

The 160 is a lot easier to use than my twin AF240FT flash rig, if you remember it. I still have it but haven't used it for a while.

I was only a couple of centimetres further away than the lens's minimum focus distance so around 350-400mm I guess.

I haven't tried this lens on extension tubes yet. If the beast hangs around today I'll try and take some more of it with the EX180mm on tubes, and the FA100mm Macro too.

These spiders often sit on top of the flower and wait for their prey. I might even get lucky and get some of it's whole body. It's certainly an unusual colour, and as far as I know, there isn't any nuclear activity around here and it doesn't glow in the dark.

If time permits I'll have a go with some of the DA*'s as well. I think the 60-250 and 300mm's on tubes/bellows could produce some excellent results.

PS: I still like the original spider shot better than the rotated one. I guess it makes a difference if you've taken the shot. Thanks for your comments.

Perhaps the K-8 could incorporate a smoke generator

Well, rumours have to start somewhere.

BTW: I think you can drop the 'newbie' bit now Amin, some of your images are very impressive. In particular, the candid shots of your family are very good, well composed, and perfectly exposed. Well done.

Jessops problem generally is down to the staff they employ. How can a school lever be expected to know the technical details of the various camera systems available from simple P&S cameras to the most sophisticated SLR's from numerous manufacturers. I doubt that they have many adult staff that could do justice to them all.

I did say generally, I'm sure Jessops do have some very knowledgeable people on their staff, but not enough in many areas of the country.

Besides, very few companies can make retail sales of high technology work these days as interent trading has taken over. SRS seems to be able to, but they have only two shops. By the time you get to the size of Jessops, I doubt that there are enough knowledgeable people available to populate every store with quality staff.

And here's an unusual view of the same spider as he was having his lunch.




You don't often see images of a spider's spinerets. Look carefully and you can see some silk too.

They produce seven different types of silk from individual glands. See this for more details about spider silk.

Stefan, I believe you, honest.

That's true John but I've assumed Craig has refocussed at the different lengths of zoom for his tests.

I've added a 180 degree rotated image to the original post. See what you think. Personally, I think the lighting looks 'wrong' and the spider is hanging, rather than standing. I don't like it.

The AF160FC has a number of advantages over the AF140C.

1: It is P-TTL and TTL compatible.
2: It has more manual output settings, full, 1/4, 1/16, +0.5 Auto, -0.5, & -1.0.
3:The LED modelling lights are much better than the tungsten ones in the AF140C
4: You have more control over the lighting to produce better modelling in the actual exposure. Apart from being able to switch the tubes from left only, both, right only, you also have 1/3 output right or left. As I used in the spider pic above.
5: An extra adapter ring for 67mm lenses and a bayonet adapter to fit the D-FA macro lenses.

Criticisms:-

1: The battery compartment cover fixing seems flimsy.
2: Wireless capability would have been good for studio work. Not as a remote of course, but as a master or controller.
3: The cable between head and flash is fixed, unlike the AF140C which you can unplug from the head. This makes it a tad difficult to pack into a bag, but not impossible.

I'm happy with it, but like most of my gear, I've not yet had much time to get to know it.

The spider shot was taken with it mounted to the Sigma 180mm using the 58mm adapter and a 72mm-58mm step down ring. I thought this arrangement might cause vignetting but it doesn't. My wife's in UK at the moment and she'll bring me back a 72mm-67mm ring which should be even better.

The last shots look "woeful" because it appears you have a quite bad front focussing issue. You will not see this in an image of a flat subject that is parallel with the sensor's focal plane. It's obvious in the shots of the chart though.

Yes, any adjustment for focus issues at one end of the zoom range might adversely affect focussing at the other end. I think we have to live with that.

Primes are the only real answer to this problem, or very expensive zooms manufactured to tighter designs and tolerences.