Heather flowers are so tiny, it’s interesting to see them individually in this photograph. They are normally just a blur of color; here, you can see the details of their construction.
The lens I am using (a Schneider Makro-Companon 80mm f/4) is so sharp that every detail is captured in the photo. To crookedly paraphrase a well-known Jedi: this is the lens I have been looking for. It’s dead sharp, preserves color well.
It’s so sharp, in fact, that even if I blow the image up to 200%, it still looks good:
This is the setup I use for taking the photographs:
The whole thing is on rails, which makes it easy to adjust focus, lighting, and image scale. From left to right:
Heather sample held by a clip that sits on a block that slides on its own rail;
Ring light (makes for flat lighting, so I will supplement with something to create highlights)
Lens (M-Componon 80mm f/4) in a fancy holder that is basically the front end of a view camera modified for using macro lenses
Bellows, for adjusting focus by changing relative positions of lens and digital camera.
Beneath all of that you can just see a hint of the rails involved. There are multiple levels: one for motorized movements, and another for overall position, and a layer just for precise focusing.
Here’s a view from the back, showing the digital back (Phase One IQ3 100) that I use:
You can also see a bit more of the fails from the back angle.