Critique Welcomed Fungus Amongus (... Or How I Used My Fuji 60mm Lens)

[Keith Hollister]

OK - your garden variety (ahem) mushroom I professionally scouted in the front yard while in search of something to try my new (to me at least - purchased used from KEH) Fuji 60mm macro lens on. It's been stood on quite a bit courtesy of CEP, so it's not of much use judging the contrast or sharpness of the lens of course

X-E2, 60mm (duh!) @ f/8. raw, LR 5.3RC

The focus speed isn't too bad at normal distances, but inside 24" or so, it gets laughingly slow, even by macro lens standards. The m43 complain about the Olympus 60mm being slow to AF, but this thing is king of leisurely. I think it may have taken 3-4 sec to focus this shot Looks great optically, though. (yup - read all about the veiling flare inside 1:3 already).

I thought the appearance of fungus on top of fungus was kind of disgustingly beautiful - it's the zombie mushroom apocalypse

 

[Hamish Gill]

yeah, that is pretty gross ... makes for an interesting photo though!

You will be a hot dancer...

 

[Keith Hollister]

Well, that's ... interesting Not really my taste in music, but I see the album cover photo has some of those oh, so artistic blown out highlights, so I'm not surprised you're on to these guys

I was desperate for a photo this evening

 

[Hamish Gill]

haha, brilliant!!

Not really my taste these days either, but I loved it as a teenager!!

 

[Keith Hollister]

My teenage years were spent listening to classical (I was an orchestral string player) or the Stones, Creedence, Aretha Franklin and Blood, Sweat & Tears. I was hard to pin down as a youth

 

[Hamish Gill]

I was fairly easy to pin down ... If it was morose or angry, I was probably into it! I don't like to think to much about that part of my life

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Not mushroom for improvement their Keith!

I'll get my coat..... (again)

It is damn slow to AF - but it is damn sharp when it gets it

So I mentioned all that stuff about extending the hood to avoid flare then? Can't remember who I've told...

 

[Brian Moore]

Although I am personally partial to blown highlights, I am partial to them only when they are right. The blown Incubus highlight just isn't right.

That mushroom you pictured Keith looks dangerous as hell. Don't put it on a pizza. I like the shot, though.

 

[Hamish Gill]

I'm not sure about Keith's, but I'm pretty sure incubus's is a fly agaric (no doubt Pete will tell correct me) ... Would certainly make for a jolly afternoon after having one on pizza!

 

[Pete Askew]

You forgot your hat @Chris Dodkin !

It's an Amanita of some sort although not A muscaria I don't think (unless it goes bright red - the cap looks a bit too pointy to me). Either way it's a lovely shot of one and the background is very nicely rendered. The bits (warts) on the cap are part of the same fungus.

 

[Lesley Jones]

We get lots of fungi around here, including the magic kind so I'm told. Our neighbours sometimes get people in their fields at night with torches.
I only eat our field mushrooms now after being caught out with some parasols a few years ago. Oh... we do have Chicken of the Woods which I used to cook with garlic, but they have to be picked at just the right time. Too young and they tend to be slimy. Too old and they get very fibrous. I love this one though - the colours are superb!

 

[Keith Hollister]

I'm speechless in light of the unexpected encyclopedic mushroom knowledge

Thanks, Lesley.

 

[Pete Askew]

Well that's because we're kept in the dark and fed…

 

[Hamish Gill]

The ones people go picking for in fields in the country are liberty caps Lesley, a lot more boring looking than these funky fungi

 

[Paul Lange]

Wonderful Keith, looks good enough to eat.....

Is it true that if the mushroom has a gill on its stem it is inveriably poisonous?

 

[Pete Askew]

You mean the annulus (it is the remnants of the veil that covered the gills)? No, not always. The Parasol mushroom is edible when cooked. That has an annulus.

 

[Lesley Jones]

The ones people go picking for in fields in the country are liberty caps Lesley, a lot more boring looking than these funky fungi

I've just Googled images for those and we have them in the garden

 

[Paul Lange]

Annulus, gills, I think I better stick to buying my mushrooms from the shops then.

 

[Pete Askew]

Might be safer. Don't forget that Cep (Porchini) have pores and not gills though!

 

[Dan Cattermole]

Dam!! That's a fine shot.

And what can I say about the Incubus album..... I used to listen to that group a lot..... Until commercialised desperation got the better if them. Brings back some reckless memories though