Hover

[John 2]

I thought this was a Marmalade hoverfly but the markings on its back don't seem to be quite right. Can anyone ID it for sure. Comments welcome.

Fuji X plus 60mm macro

[James G]

Hi John, I'm no expert but it looks like Syrphus...(probably ribesii), but would need to see the hind femur to be certain.
The 'Marmalade' hover, according to my "Wild Guide", is Episyrphus balteatus and has pronounced white as well as orange bands on the abdomen.
Nice capture though...

[Ziggy]

No ID but that is a nice shot John.

[Dave A]

Nice sharp image. Lots in focus for F5.6

Dave

[bnnrcn]

WOW! Great image John, very sharp and clear, also nice colors and composition

[John 2]

Thanks all for the comments.

James, having Googled Syrphus ribesii, I think you're right.

Dave, the 60mm macro that Fuji produce is very sharp but not a 1:1 lens. Consequently I am further away and have to crop- hence the greater DOF. Fortunately the noise performance of the camera means that I don't lose much IQ.

[IzzieK]

What a great composition, John --simple, straightforward and clean.

[DanK]

I can't ID it, but it is a great capture and a very nice composition.

I do have one suggestion. I think it is oversharpened. It has a crunchy appearance, and there appear to be sharpening halos in several places--for example, around the eyes and around the petals at the bottom. This may also be why the background, which should be smooth, appears blotchy when the image is shown in the litebox. I don't know how you sharpen, but if you sharpen in LR--I mostly sharpen bug shots in LR--the masking function will also reduce the blotchiness in smooth areas.

[Wavelength]

That is superb

[billtils]

Very well done John - I tend to agree with DanK but it didn't get to the pint of spoiling your image.

[Rainforest]

Niiice one! Can't help you on the ID however. I often use Topaz Denoise 6 for macro shot backgrounds because I always end up having to crop it so much. It really is a nice tool.

[John 2]

Thanks all for the continued comments.

Dan/Bill, there is also a slight halo around the wings now that I look but easily rectifiable. This isn't a new image and I can't remember how I sharpened it , probably with Nik Output sharpener at the time.

Susan, thanks. I also use Topaz Denoise 6 quite a lot because unlike other apps, it copes with almost any type of noise quite well and because of the Detail Recovery set.

[Shadowman]

Nice shot.

[John 2]

Thank you John.

[RandyRFJP]

Beautiful image and composition, John. First-rate work!

[John 2]

Thank you Randy. It's an image from last year.. We have had a particularly cold Summer this year and until this last week, there have been very few insects in the garden. It has suddenly come to life because we have had a warm spell so I've finally been able to get out there with a camera.