This morning I took a short stroll into the woods to try to get the bluebells at their best. I think they might still have a week or two in them yet, but I wasn't too sure without seeing them first. The weather's been so poor here for so long that this was the first chance I've really had to snap the bluebells without needing a dinghy to get to them! ☔️ I started at the brook, and to get a few captures of the ramson (wild garlic) whilst the water was low before heading up the valley banks to the nice big patch of bluebells. The good thing about them being up on the hill is very few people actually go there, however that said it was sad to see so much litter and the remains of a campfire. Soon though I was at work shooting the bluebells and as I worked it quickly became apparent that there were plenty of weevils knocking about, along with a few spiders and a slug. Below are the results of today's wander into the woods. The weevils were all Common Leaf Weevil (Phyllobius pyri), a tiny beetle about the size of a grain of rice (4.5-7.5mm). This beetle has a shiny, metallic appearance, like it’s covered in gold or green scales. As it gets older, these scales might wear off, leaving the beetle looking almost bare.
Physically:
Head: The beetle’s head is bumpy and flat, with big eyes. The sides of its head are smooth.
Nose: The beetle’s nose (called a rostrum) is square-shaped and has grooves that go back to its eyes.
Antennae: It has long, pale antennae (those wiggly things on its head), with darker tips.
Body: The beetle’s body is elongated and straight, like a little tube. The top part (called the pronotum) is bumpy and covered in tiny holes. The middle part (the elytra) looks like two flat wings and is usually covered in those shiny scales.
Legs: The beetle’s legs are pale and shiny, like metal. Sometimes, the thighs and feet can be darker. If you look closely, you’ll see a thin dark line on the outer edge of its legs.
As for the slug, I reckon it's a grey field slug, a common garden pest that you might find munching on plants, especially in damp or rainy areas. These slugs are small and grayish-brown in color, with soft, slimy bodies that leave a shiny trail wherever they go. They don't have shells like snails, which makes them pretty flexible. Grey field slugs like to eat all sorts of plants, from vegetables to flowers, and can be a real nuisance for gardeners. To keep them away, people sometimes use slug traps or sprinkle substances that slugs don't like, such as crushed eggshells, around their plants. Even though slugs can be annoying, they are also part of the ecosystem, helping to break down dead plants and recycle nutrients into the soil.
This was the first time out with my Zf photographing macro in the field, and when I dropped the lens into manual focus mode, the eye detect on the Zf's manual focus subject detection point honed in on the eye of the weevil! I know I was using a macro lens and was quite close, but considering the little thing was only about 5mm long I found that simpy astonishing! In case you're not sure what I'm talking about the Zf will link automatic subject detection with manual focus so that once it detects the subject’s face, it frames it with a box, regardless of where the focus selection box/point was initially. You can then zoom right in to ascertain critical focus or use focus manually until the red box turns green. It's simply incredible to have such a great aid to focus!
How is the Nikon Zf for macro in the field?
I loved it, it was simply amazing to use... HOWEVER, if I'm honest I really missed the ability to crop after the fact. Sure you can supersize your images directly from within Lightroom, but I'd rather have the ability to crop, then supersize the image for if I ever want to print the size of a house. I like my Nikon Z7 with it's 45.7 megapixels for cropability over the Nikon Zf's 24 megapixels.
I'll continue to use the Zf more than the Z7 for now though, and continue to give it a good testing over the coming months.
Cheers,
Olly
Links to Gear*:
Nikon Zf - https://amzn.to/4dvijHt
Nikon 105 Z MC f2.8 Micro Nikkor - https://amzn.to/4dtu3Ke
LumiQuest Flash Pocket Bouncer - https://amzn.to/3WnS8fD
"Dinky", my Leofoto Ranger tabletop tripod - https://amzn.to/3wqcZUX
My main tripod: Manfrotto MT190CXPRO4 - https://amzn.to/44qS4Of
Nikon SB-910 Speedlight - https://amzn.to/3UNCLLd
Cheap and reliable flash trigger - https://amzn.to/3WqzaVC
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