Fly

[Archibald]

A fly with red eyes. Taken with diffused flash.

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[Stephen]

Well done. What magnification did you use?

 

[Archibald]

Well done. What magnification did you use?

Thanks. I'm not real sure about the magnification, but guessing 0.8 or 0.9x. I shot this with AF and in AI servo mode, as I almost always do with handheld macro shooting. I approach from a distance, find the subject, focus, take a shot, and then move closer. This helps finding the critter, plus I get an insurance shot while still at a distance, in case I spook the bug when I get closer. I don't have any easy way to record the magnification, and it isn't in the EXIF either. The EXIF shows the focus distance to be 0.29-0.30 m, so I guess one could estimate the magnification from that.

 

[Stephen]

For RF 100mm f/2.8 macro IS, 0.26m = 1.4x, 0.28m = 1x, 0.38m = 0.5x, so 0.29-0.3m is around 0.9x.
My approach to shooting insects is very similar to you. I would take a wider shot first. Then I would adjust the focus distance to 0.3m (1x), and I would move the camera back and forth to locate the focus. To fine-tune the focus, I would use the 5x magnifier and autofocus mode.
Usually, I would set the focus distance to 0.3m, 0.34m, or 0.39m as there is a magnification mark so that I could estimate the insect size.