Dandelion parachute ball up close

Oliver — Fri, 14 May 2010 22:00:18 +0000

Dandelion macro image.

This is one of the first tries taking pictures with my new Sigma objective, and I have to admit that I’m very satisfied with the lens. The lens does not include image stabilization, a steady tripod is therefore a must. Contrast was slightly enhanced to make the background (my computer screen!) completely black. Mirror lock-up was used to further minimize vibrations. At a focal length of 300mm even the smallest vibrations cause a blurry image.

Lens: Sigma 20-300mm APO DG MACRO (macro up to 1:2)
Camera: Canon EOS 450D
Exposure Time: 2 sec. (long time to minimize vibrations)
Aperture Value: 6.62 EV (f/9.9)
ISO Speed Rating: 100
Focal Length: 300.0 mm

Female Pine Cone (Pinus)

Oliver — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 11:57:59 +0000

Image Information: The image on the right shows the longitudinal cross-section of the female cone of a pine tree (Pinius). The specimen size is approximately 20mm from left to right, so I had to assemble several individual pictures together to produce the final image. The resulting original image is quite large (10000×7000 pixels). The bottom two pictures are enlargements of the original. Of course there was also a bit of clean-up work involved removing disturbing dust and to brighten the background.

Background Information: Most pine trees carry male and female cones (monoecious), only few carry cones of only one type (sub-dioecious). Each pine cone has scales, each scale (if fertilized) is able to carry two seeds. Some scales (those at the tip of the cone) are sterile and smaller and do not produce seeds.

I also recommend the following post: Virtual microscope: female pine cone (Pinus)

MicrobeHunter.com » flower

Dandelion parachute ball up close

Female Pine Cone (Pinus)