My $17 macro solution is all well and good if you want to take photos really close up in the studio; but bugger all use in the real world. There is the Panasonic Leica 45mm macro; but that will set you back around $800. Alternatively, you can choose from a wide range of legacy lenses and buy an adapter for micro four thirds. Nik had struck lucky on eBay and found a 55mm Yashica macro; and was very happy with his purchase. So I waited for another one to appear and snapped it up for 4,000 baht.
Not had a chance to use it anger before today, but this morning it was off to Nong Nuch with Ian, the man who is rather good at capturing small beasts with his camera.
Ian was keen to show me his new camera bag. Being a canny Scotsman, he is not famous for acquiring anything new, so a replacement camera bag was indeed an event; especially as his previous “bag” had been a piece of bubble wrap. True to form, the new bag turned out to be a fresh sheet of bubble wrap.
He turned up with a disc of bagpipe music to play on the journey. Fortunately, I had prepared for this and had my wife primed to inform Ian that the CD player in the car was broken; so we were spared the pain.
Luckily we found a couple of beasts to photograph. There was a frog:
Suspiciously bubbly at the rear end I thought.
Then we found a damselfly which conveniently sat still for several minutes so we could both have a go at shooting it:
After that, there was a small flying thing (that’s as precise as I can be) with legs laden with pollen, deep in the heart of an orchid:
Finished off with a few obligatory flower shots before heading for home:
Very pleased with the Yashica, and equally pleased that I was not subjected to bagpipe music; you really can’t ask much more than that of a morning.
Comments 🔗
2011-04-29| Barry saysPay the “special price for you, sir” (ie higher, farang entrance fee), did you?
2011-04-29| Spike saysI pay the same as a Thai, 100 baht, by showing my Thai driving licence.
Ian, who doesn’t have a licence, produced his passport with visa, but that was not accepted and he was stung for 500 baht. He is off to get a driving licence.
2011-04-29| Billy the Brush saysUnbelievably, Indonesia does not (yet?) have the concept of “special pricing” for Expats
2011-04-29| Spacefruit saysNor does UK unfortunately. I really don’t understand why I should pay the entrance fees for thousands of tourists to the mueseums in London through my taxes. Oh, hold on….
2011-04-30| Barry saysWouldn’t it be great if Thais went to London or Paris or NY to visit the Tower of London or Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building and they were told, ‘Ah, Thai, you have to pay five times more.’
2011-04-30| TT saysBarry, if they had to pay 5 times more they’d be moaning all the way to the press about evil farangs taking advantage of their sweet and innocent natures. Strange though, they never moan about being employed illegally in Thai restaurants by Thai owners in Blighty for below minimum wage………
2011-04-30| Spike says..because they are desperate and would rather be exploited than starve. And you think less of them for this?
2011-05-03| Barry saysI refuse to knowingly visit places in Thailand that charge people more based on race, whether I have a local driver license or not (and I do). My loss, I suppose, but I have principals.