Japanese Beetle Elytra

Here is a super close-up of the elytra, or wing casings, of a Japanese beetle.


This was a trick I learned with my old Minolta SLR.  You need a 200 mm lens, a 50 mm lens and 2 threaded adapter rings that match the ends of these two lenses.  Superglue the two rings together.  The 200 mm is attached to the camera.  Screw in the adapter ring combo.  Then reverse the 50 mm and screw that onto the adapter ring combo.  Congrats, now you have a super macro set-up.  Actually, almost a microscope!


There are two things to remember if you want to try this.  One, get as much light as possible to help with the depth of field.  Two, I just said it, the depth of field is razor thin, so you want the highest f-stop possible!  And, it goes without saying, a tripod is a must.

Japanese Beetle Elytra, August 1985