A tiny creature, and new to me with those serious looking spikes, this Arrow-shaped Micrathena is only about 0.25 inches (6 mm) long.
A second one was in a more secretive spot in a plant.
The visible stabilimentum, the zigzagged strand of webbing, seen above the spider in the next image is how I happened to notice the spider as it waved in the afternoon breeze.
August 13, 2021
Not wanting to be a ‘gear’ person but that lens does work well. I see why Mike Powell uses it.
It’s a keeper!
The lens is capable of amazing results, though you have to use good technique, because it does not have image stabilization. Ellen has obviously mastered that really quickly, because the shots are really sharp.
She loves that lens. Thanks for the recommendation.
I think that I am starting to wear mine out and may eventually need to look for a replacement in the used market or see if Tamron can service my lens–it is getting a little wobbly in the lens mount area.
Ellen found hers on MPB , we also use KEH. Our experiment with Sony showed us DSLR for action is still what we need.
I’ve used KEH in the past and they seem to have decent prices and accurate assessments of the condition of the equipment. I definitely am not ready to move to mirrorless–I actually prefer the heft of a beefy DSLR. 🙂
I myself would prefer anything a bit lighter. Yet getting focus on a fast moving subject is more important. We tested a Sony with what was considered to be ‘best’ EVF. Still a big lag. Lack of ease with changing options, without a menu, was the killer. So multiple lens, flash, etc. went to MPB… another Canon 7D2 for Ellen was the result.
I just read a review of the Sony Alpha 1 in Outdoor Photography magazine and it has a 9.44 million dot OLED EVF with a 240 fps refresh rate that is supposed to be amazing. It will also shoot up to thirty 50 megapixels images per second with the electronic shutter with a buffer that will let you capture up to 155 compressed RAW shots in a single burst. Yikes. Of course, the price is pretty outrageous, with the body going for about $6500. For the article, they mostly paired the camera up with a Sony G Master 600mm lens that costs about $13k. Considering that the lens weighs 6.7 pounds, weight savings with a mirrorless camera doesn’t make that much of a difference. I’m sticking with my DSLR for the foreseeable future as my main camera, even though it is clear to me that mirrorless cameras continue to close the gap that was once really wide. (One cool additional feature of the Sony Alpha 1 is that it has Eye autofocus modes for animals, birds, and humans. )
Yikes, indeed! On the price and the number of images. I already take more than I know what to do with.
Nothing like shooting birds in flight with a 600 prime. LOL
With a heavy tripod and gimbal undoubtedly. With the price tag for all of that gear, I think I would want to hire a security guard too or at least a sherpa to carry it for me. 🙂
😂😂, so true story. There is a photographer, rather small woman, who uses large gear like that around a local swamp. She has her own Sherpa… with a wagon. Her husband. Who could be in better shape. Who has been seen looking like the end is near, being asked to keep up. 😂😂.
I apologize to any I might have offended with this news… others just think of the absurd visual.
I’m learning, Mike! And this was a mostly still subject to work with, and no wind.
Excellent detail, Ellen! It looks like quite an active spider.
Thanks, Belinda! He was kind of freakish looking.
A very fascinating spider and nicely captured with the camera.
Thanks, Hans, it was quite an amazing shape.
You just gave me the shivers…..lol….. 😲
😳 I’m not a huge spider fan, but the shape on this one was pretty interesting. I went back the next day in different light and couldn’t find them…I was glad it was the back corner of the yard and not near the house!
Great shots of this tiny spider. You did a wonderful job in capturing so many little details that make this spider really cool and unusual.
Thanks, Mike. I’d never seen one of these, at least to recognize it, and was amazed at how much it has going on for its size.
I often marvel at the things that we do manage to see and wonder about all of the equally amazing things that we have yet to discover. It is one of the things that inspires me to go out again and again to the same places, which seem to have an endless number of incredible things waiting to be “discovered.”