Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

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KurtM
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Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#1 Post by KurtM » Sat Jan 26, 2019 3:36 am

While not precisely microscopy, with any luck it's close enough: I took a string of photos of a green Hydra ingesting a Bosmina, which is one of the Cladocerans, or "water fleas" (of which Daphnia is the best known example), using the Canon MP-E 65 mm extreme macro lens I gave myself for Christmas. What makes it doubly interesting is that it's a double Hydra: a parent, and a "pup", or bud, and of course it's the latter who stars here. The first image is a little confusing because the pup is on-axis with the parent -- who already has a bellyful, as it were -- so check out the second picture to clear things up.

Obviously there are quite a lot of cladocerans in the mini aquarium just now, it's feeding time at the zoo. In the final image, a brown hydra is included to illustrate the contrast between the two types (with Stentor making a cameo appearance between them).

While I make no claims to having mastered the MP-E, the images do show what a hydra eating a cladoceran looks like. Hydra are such fascinating things; they don't have mouths, but actually tear a hole in their cell wall each time they need access to their insides to swallow a meal or burp out the shells.

PS: As we go to press, a late check reveals the pup has separated from the parent.
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Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas
email: ngc704(at)gmail(dot)com
https://www.flickr.com/photos/67904872@ ... 912223623/

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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#2 Post by zzffnn » Sat Jan 26, 2019 4:40 am

Fascinating, thank you for sharing, Kurt!

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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#3 Post by MicroBob » Sat Jan 26, 2019 6:18 am

Hi Kurt,
great images! These animals are interesting, but their behaviour is even more interesting.
I have used a stereo microscope on an articulating arm to take pictures from the life in my plancton aquarium. Do you have an idea about how your macro lens with camera compares to a stereo microscope with camera on one of the eyepieces in terms of handling and image quality?

Bob

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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#4 Post by billbillt » Sat Jan 26, 2019 3:37 pm

Thanks for sharing these wonderful and interesting photos!...

BillT

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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#5 Post by einman » Sat Jan 26, 2019 4:16 pm

Beautiful. I asked for the same macro lens but alas my family are always hesitant to purchase technical gifts.

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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#6 Post by zzffnn » Sat Jan 26, 2019 5:29 pm

What f stop did you use for those nice photos, Kurt? Flash? Manual or auto focus?

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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#7 Post by KurtM » Sat Jan 26, 2019 8:43 pm

Do you have an idea about how your macro lens with camera compares to a stereo microscope with camera on one of the eyepieces in terms of handling and image quality?
Bob, I really don't. I've never been able to get satisfactory photo images through a stereo scope, let alone what I consider nice ones (oh my gosh how I wish I could get images like I see visually!). I even have a couple trino stereos, but until I can figure out how to adapt a DSLR to one, that works in the horizontal no less, I won't even begin to go there. In the meantime, I can't afford to experiment with eyepiece cameras, or 4/3, or any of that.

Einman, I've been wanting an MP-E 65 for ages, but no way with its eye-watering price. Finally, after a few years of wishing, I saved up my lunch money and began using the "Or Best Offer" button on the 'bay, and finally one of them accepted. Can't say I bought it for a song, but half of MSRP works for me.

Fan, I'm generally shooting 1/125 x f/11 x slave Pixel Mago speedlight with a diffuser. I place a black flocking paper across the backside of the aquarium for a dark background, and another black posterboard x 2 layers card over three-quarters of the tank top, also for a dark background, see setup pix.
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Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas
email: ngc704(at)gmail(dot)com
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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#8 Post by billbillt » Sat Jan 26, 2019 10:48 pm

Great photos!.. Back in the day when I did film photography, here was my "macro" lens..

BillT
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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#9 Post by KurtM » Sun Jan 27, 2019 2:11 am

Yep, even with today's DSLRs it's not only possible, but practical to use simple prime lenses with a "reverse" adapter plus extension tubes or bellows. At the same time, some portrait photographers prefer macro lenses over simple prime lenses for conventional shooting. There are endless possibilities out there for sure.

I didn't answer a couple of Fan's questions: focusing. The MP-E doesn't have focusing capability per se, you gotta move the whole lens back and forth to dial it in. But then, true macro photography (1:1 or greater) is generally done so anyway, as AF tends to create more trouble than it solves. "Studio" macro work, as I'm doing here, is typically done on focusing rails, which you can see in the pix. Those who shoot insects and such in the field mostly just try their best to hold steady, shoot a million frames, and hope one or two come out sharp.

Also, I'm using a remote flash. The Pixel Mago, an inexpensive speedlite, is triggered wirelessly. I experiment until optimal effect is found, then position more "permanently", or simply hand hold. The camera is remotely controlled by the laptop computer, in my case through Canon-provided EOS Utilities software, and the shutter may be triggered by mouse, space bar, or USB foot pedal switch assigned to the space bar.
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Hydra & bubbles
Hydra & bubbles
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Male hydra - you can tell by the Adam's apple
Male hydra - you can tell by the Adam's apple
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Cladoceran for supper
Cladoceran for supper
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Conochilus colony & Bosmina
Conochilus colony & Bosmina
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Copepod bearing peritrichs & Bosmina
Copepod bearing peritrichs & Bosmina
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Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas
email: ngc704(at)gmail(dot)com
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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#10 Post by einman » Sun Jan 27, 2019 2:43 am

Very Nice!!!

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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#11 Post by houstontx » Sun Jan 27, 2019 3:44 am

Probably one of the coolest and most unique setups around!

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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#12 Post by 75RR » Sun Jan 27, 2019 6:04 am

Very nice 'action' shots from your most productive house pond. Is it self sustaining or do you need to tend it?
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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#13 Post by MicroBob » Sun Jan 27, 2019 10:27 am

Hi Kurt,

your new shots are really great!
I use two stereo microscopes with either a Nikon 1J5 and 18.5mm camera lens adapted to a non-correcting eyepiece with 20mm field. I think that with this adaptation I get all there is available in the limited resolution image the stereo microscope offers. Where you have your camera mounted to a rail, I have the stereo microscope mounted to a similar rail.
The macro lens is probably a good idea anyway as observing by eye is a bit difficult depending on the placing of the aquarium.
I connected one stereo microscope to a big full-HD TV screen and the image was quite impressive.
Your lighting and flash setup is very nice too!

Bob

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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#14 Post by zzffnn » Sun Jan 27, 2019 2:42 pm

Bob,

I have thought about both approaches carefully. I think you will get better image quality, ergonomics and convenience with a camera + (DIY) macro lens.

Have you tried Raynox DCR-150 and/or DCR-250 stacked on a telephoto lens? This web site provides a calculator for you to calculate on-sensor magnification:
http://extreme-macro.co.uk/raynox-adapter-techniques/

With 600mm full frame equivalent lens, you will get about 4x-5x on sensor, with long working distance, along with 1) aperture control and 2) photography lens quality.

You usually won't get 1) + 2) with a macroscope, unless you pay up for those very expensive Wild macroscopes. Even then, they + camera will be inconvenient to use.

And as Kurt pointed out, auto focus is not so useful for extreme macro. So any telephoto lens (modern auto or vintage manual) with Raynox macro converters will work. For example, most manual 135mm or 200mm Canon FD mount and Minolta MD mount telephoto lenses can be bought for $20-$50 now and easily adapted to many interchangeable lens camera. No need to buy fast lenses either, because you will be using f/8 or above. Just snap Raynox lenses on them and you will get a DIY macro lens.

You can use shorter normal lens too, if you don't need high magnification or long working distance.

Image quality mainly in such DIY macro lens will depend on the camera and telephoto lens combo. Raynox lenses themselves are very good achromats.

You can even try your Nikon J1 with its length extended to it longest telephoto length and snap a Raynox or two on it.

Many cameras offer HDMI connection to HDTV or WiFi connection to smartphone/TV now, along with WiFi smartphone app controlling shutter release. My lowly Olympus E-M10 II does both.

For convenient visual observation, I recommend Pentax Papillio II binoculars, which offer 6.5x or 8.5x visual magnificatio and are the highest possible handheld solutions.
Last edited by zzffnn on Sun Jan 27, 2019 3:04 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#15 Post by Radazz » Sun Jan 27, 2019 2:49 pm

This is a really beautiful perspective, Kurt, thanks for sharing!
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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#16 Post by KurtM » Mon Jan 28, 2019 1:56 am

Very nice 'action' shots from your most productive house pond. Is it self sustaining or do you need to tend it?
Depends on what you want out of it. Sometimes I let it go for months and months just to see what eventually happens. Sometimes I attempt to culture the critters I'm interested in at the moment, then it's good to do water changes and feedings. Sometimes they're short-lived, just a glorified sample jar, so to speak, that allows more in-depth observation of the sample as a whole by virtue of flat glass panels to peer through. And sometimes weird stuff just happens, like water that refuses to stay sweet, quickly turns into a foul, smelly mess, for no apparent reason, and no matter what I do to try to stop it. But that's rare, usually they stay nice and clear and it becomes a matter of what you want to see in it.

Thing about mini aquariums is, you get to see the see the old familiar critters in all perspectives, and interacting with their habitat and each other, which isn't possible any other way that I'm aware of.

What's really fun is a mini plankton net on a collapsible pole that I use to collect. If there's any interest I'll post up on collecting gear, but it's all straight out of Tony Pattinson's self-published books "The Freshwater Microscopists" parts 1, 2, and 3 which really help me in this hobby quite a lot. See:

USA: http://www.blurb.com/b/8472770-the-fres ... ist-part-3
UK: http://www.blurb.co.uk/b/8472770-the-fr ... ist-part-3

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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#17 Post by SpocksSister » Wed Jan 30, 2019 12:25 am

Wondrous! I have never found a hydra and sciento have stopped selling them. Weird little fellas they are. Lovey macro-photography too.

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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#18 Post by KurtM » Wed Jan 30, 2019 1:45 am

Thanks, Penny -- great to see you here!

I don't know if you're able to get out and do collecting, but can say with fair certainty there's no shortage of hydra over there in the UK.
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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#19 Post by SpocksSister » Wed Jan 30, 2019 10:12 pm

Hi Kurt!

My closest pond is almost completely dead. People always say that even the most gruesome looking ponds are teeming with life, but my local pond is dead as a dodo. I pushed litres and litres of it through a plankton sieve this week and found two diatoms. I have been trying on and off for several years in all seasons to no avail. I am told that a farmer dumped slurry into it 15 or 20 years ago - you'd still expect some nice cyanobacteria or something. Zilch. I'm thinking the waste that was dumped had significant quantities of weedkiller in it.

I shall try the duck pond in the park...

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Re: Hydra and Bosmina = Gulp and Burp

#20 Post by KurtM » Thu Jan 31, 2019 2:01 am

Interesting subject, actually, if you ask me. I've run into dead ponds before and was starting to think I must be the only one! And I have one pond from which I've been collecting for years that runs hot and cold, sometimes yielding rich samples teeming with wee life, and other times hardly a thing to be found. Beats me, I don't make the news I just report it.
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