Extreme close-ups of insects - Cydalima perspectalis

This year I focused on micro photography, the superlative of macro photography. I develop my own automated macro rail with which I can make 30 to 60 images in steps of 100 to 300 microns (thousandth of a millimeter) and then merge them. This way I can make razor-sharp images of insects that want to sit still for a few minutes. Obviously, the latter is not and technically it is always quite a challenge. By using extension rings between your camera and macro lens you can take extreme close-ups. But the big drawback is that the depth of field is less than 1mm. This is almost always insufficient to properly portray an insect. The solution is an automated macro rail that can create a whole series of images that you can then merge with software.

There are many expensive commercial solutions, but I created automated rail myself. My father-in-law developed the hardware with a rail with a stepping motor and some extra electronics and 3D printed parts. I developed software for my Windows PC that controls my Nikon camera and software for a Raspberry Pi that controls the electronics. The end result works really well and these are my best images of extreme close-ups of insects.