Eastern Yellowjacket, quite close

Eastern Yellowjacket, Vespula maculifrons. These insects are much despised for the nasty punch they pack, but when seen well without fear of a sting, they're rather showy.

I haven't had much chance to get intimate with my new Canon 5D with the L-series 100 mm macro lens bolted on, but so far I love this combo. This yellowjacket was one of several that landed on my warm car on a recent outing, and I just clicked off a few photos before moving on to bigger and better things. I was pleased with the outcome, and see potential for this camera.

As always, click the photo to enlarge for better detail.

Bet you never noticed all of the "fur" that ornaments a yellowjacket - most of us are too busy running away to take in such details. This shot was made at f/10; 1/100 shutter speed, and ISO 400 with fill flash from a hot shoe mounted speedlite, with the camera's lens less than two feet from the subject. No tweaks other than cropping, either.

Can't wait to get into some more action with this new Canon.