#2 for me too - great series! Glad you were able to get outside and enjoy - just as important as the images being captured.

K-3 Mark III + FA* Macro 200mm F4 ED[IF]
ISO: 3200
Shutter Speed: 1/200s
Aperture: F7.1
Date Taken 2025-10-16 17:12:32
Size 6192 x 4128

Converted from DNG in Camera RAW with a -3 on the Blacks to better isolate the background from subject. No sharpening/noise reduction. I'm impressed with the tight grain of ISO 3200 in dwindling light.

Congratulations! A very slippery slope indeed.

I have the FA* 200mm F/4 ED[IF] macro lens - you'll enjoy this lens too - seen some spectacular images from the A* version.

While I don't use rails since my subjects are often of the winged variety on flowers, and regularly moving. I'm using a tripod + pistol grip head for my setup, although I'd like to try a full setup with rails at some point. More "keepers" since getting the K3 MKII - that joystick AF point selection functionality is very useful.

Again, congratulations!

Marc

Thanks everyone for the kind words. It's actually much less stressful than chasing the active butterflies around and you're not bothering them either!

Algi: the 4th image - the second Yellow Tiger Swallowtail shot - is not cropped at all. Thanks very much and glad you enjoyed it.

Mat: I know this sort of technique (longer lens for "pseudo" macro) has been done before, but I didn't expect a 600mm image to render a small subject so clearly! They're still larger than life at 100%, which is nice. Obviously not the same as a 200mm macro lens, but I'm happy with the results and the reduced time to take the shots.

Regards,
Marc

Hi Mat, they are such wonderful subjects to photograph. To be honest, I may need an air traffic control tower to keep things under control! It's been absolutely crazy in terms of hummingbird activity, insects looking for water sources, etc. - all due to the heat wave we've been under for several weeks in the south central US. The ant moats on the feeders are emptied of water by thirsty honey bees almost daily. The seven 32oz. feeders are emptied every 1.5 days, maximum.

For these shots, I am just in my front garden so it's very convenient. It's a simple setup the Gitzo 3541XLS with the Wimberley WH-200 gimbal head in the front yard, perhaps 12-15 feet from them.

Regarding lugging the 250-600: I've never found it to be a heavy lens to carry, even though it's over 12lbs. I also do a fair bit to stay in shape (trail running, cycling, weights, etc), sometimes at altitude when in Colorado. Handling it has never been an issue for me, but it might but taxing over a long haul for others, especially at altitude.

Regards,
Marc

Many thanks to both of you!

Regards,
Marc

Thanks Ace - much appreciated. However, I cannot let you pay the exorbitant cost to ship and the insurance too...

I do promise that more behavioural shots are forthcoming!

Cheers,
Marc

Glad you enjoyed them Japers45! Yes, it's a fantastic lens in terms of optics and FL flexibility: good for birding and larger wildlife. With the right conditions, it's stunning.

Thanks Algi for the kind words! It's pretty much what I like so much about the lens. It rarely does a bad job handling the bokeh - occasionally a weird smudging effect, which is rare - and it's a zoom no less! This also ties in with my desire for "clean shooting" - a benefit of longer FL lenses and being such a short distance away. The DOF is quite small, but that can sometimes play against you if the subject moves suddenly. Of course, that can work against you....

Regards,
Marc

Thought I'd try something a bit different, since the hummingbirds are not always where I want them to be!

Having that MFD of just 11.5 feet from the front element is very, very useful at times. I didn't realize how good this lens is for photographing larger insect subjects - it's not just for birds! Not all images were taken at 600mm - indicated if not at that FL - otherwise all information is in the EXIF link below each image. For reference, each image is approximately 33% of actual size.

Just click on any image to load it into a larger tab/window to see the details.

Common Buckeye


EXIF

@540mm


EXIF


Yellow Tiger Swallowtail



EXIF



EXIF

Black Swallowtail


EXIF



EXIF

I am so glad that we finally got some rainfall just a few days before last weekend. It was most welcome, since everything is greening up nicely again, despite the very high temps of late (100+ F). I must admit that this sure beats the heck out of chasing the butterflies around the garden with the FA* 200/4 Macro - just stay in place with the tripod + some shade, and have fun...

All images taken with the K10D and FA* 250-600/5.6 (and me of course :shock. The lens continues to impress me - it's incredibly sharp and versatile.I hope you enjoy these images!

Regards,
Marc

I took this series of images over 3 seconds. Just click on any image to load it into a larger tab/window to see the details:



Camera PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K10D
Exposure Time 0.002s (1/500)
Aperture f/6.3
ISO 400
Focal Length 600mm (900mm in 35mm)
Photo Dimensions 3113 x 2073





Camera PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K10D
Exposure Time 0.002s (1/500)
Aperture f/6.3
ISO 400
Focal Length 600mm (900mm in 35mm)
Photo Dimensions 3109 x 2073




Camera PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K10D
Exposure Time 0.002s (1/500)
Aperture f/6.3
ISO 400
Focal Length 600mm (900mm in 35mm)
Photo Dimensions 3104 x 2071


Crop:




You can also some small pieces of dander flying off - look just to the right of it's bill. I was surprised to see such small objects in the shots, considering I'm about 15-18 feet away. All images taken with FA* 250-600/5.6 and K10D.

I hope you enjoy this series!

Cheers,
Marc