General notes
Distribution
Collecting
Research
Photography
Literature
Internet
Acknowledgement
Imprint
The photographs on the DVD are made with a Nikon Coolpix 990. Currently, digital photography asserts itself against conventional methods because of the cheap reproduction and distribution of images.
We will not advertise too much for this company, but the Coolpix is an outstanding tool for entomologists, because you can use it in a minimal distance of 2 cm and an additional adaptor for microscope is not necessary. The small objective can be directly connected with the eyepiece.
The Coolpix 990 which we used for the photographs on this DVD has a resolution of 3.3 million pixels. The same is true for the models 990 and 995. Since 2002 the model 4500 is available with a resolution of 4 million pixels. Not all of the Coolpix models have as fine a resolution as these.
In general, limiting factors for the quality of the images are:
- the low depth of focus (especially in macro mode),
- the lens system of the microscope,
- bad lighting in macro mode,
- the quality of the objects,
- and the (missing) patience of the photographer.
Please note that the #,### photographs on the DVD are a selection of the best ones. Most of the subjects were photographed three times in different depths of focus. There is a new method called photomontage that combine the information of different images with the aid of software; although it is too expensive for our personal use, it is a great investment for an institution.
Sometimes it is best to manipulate the images with a photo editing software.
For lighting, we used a cold light source with two fiber-optic light arms. Sometimes an additional light source was necessary. It is possible to photograph with an external flash system instead, but this causes a problem with the white balance. If you combine different types of light sources (such as a flash, a Coollight ring light etc.), you will encounter problems with color.
The Coollight and additional macro lenses are very helpful during a trip to a colleague or a museum, because it makes you independend.
Contents: © Fritz Geller-Grimm, Jorge N. Artigas, 2007
Layout & images: © Fritz Geller-Grimm, 2007