3mm Orange beetle. Possible cross hatching starting to show in eye

[JBW]

[James G]

Hi Brian, nice beetle.
I'm pretty sure the 'crosshatching' is compound eye detail. On larger insects, particularly flies, this can be much clearer, particularly when using a specialist macro lens!
In this instance you are capturing the bright reflections from the back of the specific group of eyes that are at the right angle in respect to you and the sun.

[JBW]

Hi Brian, nice beetle.
I'm pretty sure the 'crosshatching' is compound eye detail. On larger insects, particularly flies, this can be much clearer, particularly when using a specialist macro lens!
In this instance you are capturing the bright reflections from the back of the specific group of eyes that are at the right angle in respect to you and the sun.

A few days ago I saw some on a grasshoppers eye. Gotta love this lens. I am curious how deep into detail it will allow me to go.

[bnnrcn]

I like it Brian

[JBW]

I like it Brian

it is coming together. Certainly the best shot I've gotten yet of these beetles.

[Geoff F]

Little shiny beetles make very difficult subjects so you have done well.

[Shadowman]

Nice shot.

[JBW]

Little shiny beetles make very difficult subjects so you have done well.

odd as this may sound I'm having better results with bugs than flowers with the new lens.

[Geoff F]

Good quality flower portraits are another very difficult subject. My starting point for suggestions would be to avoid direct sunlight.

On a positive side, flowers may wave themselves about, which makes focusing difficult, but at least they don't fly away.

[DanK]

Yup, I assume this is detail from the compound eye. Depending on lighting, this doesn't always show up clearly even if you are much closer than that. Some bugs have both two compound eyes and three ocelli, or simple eyes. the latter are sometimes easy to spot on damselflies, dragonflies, and bees, depending on the color of the head. You can see the ocelli clearly on the top of the head of this parasitic Nomada bee. The compound eyes would look cross-hatched under the right conditions, but the ocelli look like plain hemispheres.