Butterfly ID challenge from dreadful photo!! (1 Viewer)

Attached (hopefully) is a photo of a butterfly that I took earlier today - unfortunately the Coolpix autofocussed on the foliage rather than the intended subject and then it departed! I have had a look at a book and can't find a good match for it so if anyone out there can come up with a name for me I'd be grateful - expect it's something very boring and obvious!

If it helps it was on an ancient chalk grassland site in SE Kent on a patch of brambles.

I am new to butterflies and dragonflies and my interest is being spurred by the use of my coolpix 4500 to take (reasonable) photos with little expertise needed from me. It's helps to fill the quiter birding months of June and July! I find myself constantly posting for ID help - hopefully I'll be able to return the favours in future years once I get this sussed!!

Thanks for all the help in advance,

Ivan

Can't help with the ID, but if you get this problem regularly (you are not alone!) try switching to manual focus. Select a 'comfortable' distance on the camera then achieve sharp focus by moving the camera back and forth until it is at its sharpest - don't forget to allow for the slight delay in the LCD screen 'refresh' rate. The 'comfortable' distance will vary from one species to another.

Adey

Sorry can't help with the ID either.

Do you have your coolpix set to AF Area mode manual. If you do this then you can select what is in focus rather than the camera guessing. It's not perfect, but I get better results that way.

Thanks for the advice. I am using AF area mode manual but find that sometimes this doesn't quite do it - have even found this with some static subjects such as flowers. I will have to try the manual focussing as suggested above (thanks Adey) but am still getting to grips with the camera.

Hi Ivan,
Is that green where the underwing meets the body?If so,and given the tattered state of the wings,I'd guess that it was a late worn Green Hairstreak?
Harry H

Hi all

Personally I would not go with the manual focus option.
Some of you may have seen some of my Dragonfly pictures, these are all taken with a Coolpix 995/4500.
I use it on AF Area mode manual, it is often possible to fool the auto focus into locking onto the desired subject, try taking a photo of something as small as a damselfly. The camera will probably not want to find a focus lock, and lock onto the background (as in your pic) other foliage in the frame or anything but the damselfly.

The trick is to find something nearby or even use your hand, something that is larger and the camera will focus onto without trouble, and that is preferably around the same distance from the lens as your subject (if its still there ;-)). Once the camera is locked on, you have the button half pressed, you can move it onto the subject, if it looks good take the shot, (but the exposure is probably wrong). If not release the half pressed focus lock and you my find that you can focus on the subject now, you have fooled the camera into doing it. It does not always work and takes a little practice, inevitably and frustratingly you miss shots, but with practice it can be done quickly.

Here is an example, (below) if I had tried to focus on the damselfly, chances are the camera would have focused on the background and thrown the subject completely out of focus. If I recall I got the camera to focus lock on the leaf first as it’s the same distance from the lens but larger, then moved the camera to frame the insect in the way I wanted it, then took the shot. Remember you have five focus areas too, you can use any of these to focus lock, but the subject does not have to be in them when you click the shutter.
Unlike Digiscoping its as well to get a good depth of field by using the highest aperture setting you can, even if the shot is not pin sharp it should be in focus.

I hope that helps keep it up.

Rich

Harry - what you have suggested is what I was thinking. It was green but only near the bottom of the wing. I guess worn Green Hairstreak it is - also just visible (which I should have mentioned!) was a faint white line on the hind underwing. Guess that backs up your suggestion.

As I havn't seen one before I'll do the old birders trick of ticking on this view until I see a really definite one ;

Richard - another beautiful shot. I'll try the focus trick you mention. Did you use the 3x converter for this shot?

Richard - I just wanted to let you know that I just looked at all of your Ode pics on your website and they are just amazing! Really wonderful photos.

Leslie

Looks like a worn Meadow Brown to me.

Not sure of the ID of the butterfly, but just wanted to add my two pence worth to the focusing issue with the Coolpix.

I was having the same problem as Ivan and no amount of pre-focusing, manual focusing, AF area, you-name-it-I-tried-it focusing, I still had very few shots I could do anything with.

Why should you have to go through hoops to get the Nikons to focus? I read lots of reviews on the Nikon cameras when I was looking to change it and many of them commented on the focus problems experienced by these cameras - and this for any model, not just the swivel-lens type.

I now point my Canon G3 attached to my Opticron scope (using my very sophisticated adapter) at the subject and the focus is spot on, 90% of the time I would say. I'm so glad I wasn't tempted to go for the 4500.

I think i had lost track of this thread.
I would just like to say thanks to Leslie for the comments.

Thanks

Rich