This Space for Rent

Cheapy point-and-shoot cameras are getting better

Red dragonfly (digital zoom)

It’s not as good as a photo from my *istDS (there are some advantages to larger pieces of film and/or imaging sensors, and there are even better advantages from using the nice glass that you can find in old manual focus lenses) but given enough light even an el-cheapo point-and-shoot can capture a pretty good picture of an insect if it bothers to stay in one place long enough.

Comments


Wow, could you send me the full-resolution version of that? I just got a field guide to dragonflies and would like to try out an ID. I think you can even see the wing venation in this view! a Mom

Janet Wed Aug 10 04:53:13 2011

A solution that’s better than mailing is that if you click on the photo itself it will take you to the flickr page where the picture is hosted, and you can grab the biggest copy of the photo from there without having to send it through my mail server.

David Parsons Wed Aug 10 23:56:18 2011

Aha! Did not see the “all sizes” option before. Thanks!

Janet Thu Aug 11 19:17:54 2011

Turns out my dragonfly guide only covers the southeast, but I got as far as determining that if its eyes meet in a seam, it’s big and stocky, and it perches horizontally on rocks, it’s in the Libellulid family (skimmers). Beyond that, there are dozens of species.

Janet Fri Aug 12 15:20:44 2011

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