Really cool...
What I find interesting is how did you get the focus to auto adjust? As you moved along at such a close range?

Very very nice. Next video is going to be a time-lapsed video of a moult process?

wow amazing video. nice camera dude.

Nhandu, this is excellent bud. Very nicely done.

Hi Guys!

Thanks for the comments!

This is what I did:

The camera I use is a Sony HDR CX110-E. Its one of those small HD camcorders using sd cards. Not a hugely expensive professional camera, but its quality is good enough for the video shoots that I sometimes do for clients.

I mounted the camera on a small tripod with an old Leitz ballhead. I used the ballhead simply to get the camera a bit further away from the center of the tripod.

Next I put the molt on a piece of white paper, on top of three or four DVD cases - this was to get the skin about two centimeters away from the camera's lens. Any closer and the camera would block out the light.

Lighting was provided using one of those energy saver bulbs in a small clamp-on adapter that I placed on the table as close to the skin as I could get it.

The camera was in Intelligent Auto mode - it basically handled everything on its own. Overall the camera did quite a good job with the autofocus and exposure. I did not have to use any macro adapter or anything like that - as it is, the camera can focus on objects literally touching the lens.

To do the movement, I slowly moved the whole tripod with the camera while watching the lcd screen. On one or two of the clips it took a couple of tries to get the movement right.

I uploaded the video as a 1280x720 MP4 video clip as a compromise between quality and download speed. The original was shot in full HD.

ps.

I see youtube lists the video as 360p, but if you maximize the player you get the bigger picture so to speak

That is a freaken awesome vid mate !! Being a video/time lapse/macro fan myself, I want one of those li'll Sony jobs. I already have a ball head... :laugh: :laugh: