Butterfly questions

[Chris Durden]

Sallie Day & Sandy David,
  Yes it is ok to collect (except when there are local restrictions on
collecting, or when it would offend your field companions). I think it is
essential to collect a few of the species that are difficult to identify,
in order to learn the characters that differentiate them. Do not be a game
hog. Do not take more than one hungry bird would! Do not take any specimen
that you are not prepared to prepare nicely and curate in a collection in
perpetuity. Do not take any specimen without full data. I am old enough to
remember being shown how to blow an egg, when I was a child in England. How
standards have changed with time!
  For photography I use a Pentax 645, with 120mm macro lens, with Pentax
AF280T flash on an extension cord (available for 35mm Pentax format). I set
the lens on f32 and mode in auto. The off-the-film metering causes the
camera to adjust flash intensity so all you worry about is getting the
butterfly in focus. For most small butterflies I use the lens fully
extended, holding camera grip with right hand (index finger on shutter
release button) and flash with left hand, at an angle against the line of
sight, the end of the lens resting on my little finger. Focus is
accomplished by leaning towards or away from the butterfly. For tiny moths
and springtails on flowers I add extension tubes. This can be done only
until corner masking of the image is a problem.
  I have a duplicate backup equipment setup based on a 35mm format Minolta.
So far these two cameras provide me with the options I want. I have not
found this setup readily available in other brands. I have used this
equipment in Rondonian rainforest and on Beartooth Mountains tundra in
humid, hot, cold and dry conditions.
  In 645 format I normally shoot Fujichrome RVP 120 (ISO 50) or RHP 120
(ISO 100). This produces vivid colors I like. The 6cm by 4.5cm color
transparency I put on a Repronar slide copier and duplicate down to 35mm
format on Kodachrome ISO 25 for projection  or Kodacolor negative for
prints. This allows cropping or color adjustment of the field image. I also
use a Sharp Videocam in still shot mode to capture an image that I then
digitize using a Snappy plugged into my computer.
  Hope this is helpful.
.........Chris Durden

At 06:15 PM 1999:05:25 +0100, you wrote:
>
>sallie day <m039jy00 at cwcom.net> wrote in message
>news:374AABB5.56325A98 at cwcom.net...
>> Hello! I'm new to your discussion group and dicovered it's existence
>> through contacting Neil Jones at the Butterfly Conservation site. I know
>> very little about butterflies but have a number of questions . . . .
>> Has anyone information on the Mourning Cloak butterfly ?
>> Do enthusiasts still collect and set butterflies nowadays ? They used to
>> in my youth but the camera has been invented since then !
>> Any answers to any of these questions gratefully received. Thankyou.
>> Sallie Day.
>>
>I am also new to the group, and I try and Photogaph the moths I catch but
>only have middling success ( Ihave an OM10 with 200mm macro, 28mm macro and
>a reversed 52mm lenses) has anyone got any tips?? (like how to use a flash
>at short range?)
>
>   sandy
>
>PS sorry if this is an FAQ
>
>