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Puffers PUF-01 diffusers on 24ex heads in a detachable way?

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I'm using a new diffuser for the MT-24EX -one that I've just hot glued flat against the flash head so that it's rectangular and not curved. I think the curved shape of the Puffer is throwing light in all directions and in your case wiping out the shadows. I like the new material better (an engineering sample that a company sent me) because I'm only loosing 2/3 of a stop with it -I'd put the puffer somewhere between a 1 and 2 stop loss. The reduced flash duration is giving me less glare and I see a big improvement in my 1x shots, a magnification that has always given me problems. At 1:1 the flash heads on the Canon mount are about 4" from the subject and that's the furthest they'll be (at higher magnifications the flash heads get closer so it's easier to take advantage of the apparent light size principle). But so far the exposures at 1x look really good, and glare is almost non-existent:



As for the HSS: I've tried it when shooting closeups thinking that I'd get better images (using the flash for fill in shutter or aperture priority) and the images were consistently worse than shooting in the sync range of the flash...

--
My Blog: http://www.no-cropping-zone.com
My gallery: http://www.johnkimbler.com
http://photos.dalantech.com

Always minimal post processing and no cropping -unless you count the viewfinder... ;)
 
Actually enabling correct focus has not been too difficult. What I did was build a wire loop the size of the sensor and this sits out in front of the camera at the focus point. The wire loop is attached to a strip of aluminium, which is in turn attached to the tripod mounting screw hole via a screw. Then all you need to do is line up the loop with the insect and fire away. I should have made this loop a bit bigger because it does get in the way a tad and is quite small such that it does cause the insects to fly away.

Unfortunately with this set up I suffered more from physical problems such as the height of the flash control unit on top of the camera getting in the way and hitting the top of the mosquito cages, plus poor backgrounds. Both of these are not insurmountable; I can place cardboard folders in the cage to give a nice even background and connect the flash control unit via cord. I will need to set the MPE65 at f/16 for a decent DOF but this will mean diffraction is an issue as mags of 2-3x will be needed. I do like the suggestion of using the 24ex as a strobe to catch mossies in flight.

So many possibilities with so liittle time - this is my main problem!

Kind regards
Stephen
jpr2 said:
Mosquitoes in flight? - after trying some IIFs and SIFs (small BIFs),
I was
almost sure that nothing can surprise me in this respect. But... I must
say you've set yourself quite a hurdle :). Focusing alone on such a
tiny speck in mid air, with nothing much to guide you, seems to be next
to impossible.
Click to expand...
 
That's great Phillip, I can easily recognise the species; Aedes vigilax, the salt marsh mosquito; and there are plenty of these around Newcastle, especially in Hexham & Coorangang Island.

Kind regards
Stephen
PhillipA said:
Not exactly what you guys are talking about, but despite having the
macro gear, this is the only mosquitoe in flight I've ever captured
(100% crop)

Click to expand...
 
John K said:
I'm using a new diffuser for the MT-24EX -one that I've just hot
glued flat against the flash head so that it's rectangular and not
curved. I think the curved shape of the Puffer is throwing light in
all directions and in your case wiping out the shadows. I like the
new material better (an engineering sample that a company sent me)
because I'm only loosing 2/3 of a stop with it -I'd put the puffer
somewhere between a 1 and 2 stop loss. The reduced flash duration is
giving me less glare and I see a big improvement in my 1x shots, a
magnification that has always given me problems. At 1:1 the flash
heads on the Canon mount are about 4" from the subject and that's the
furthest they'll be (at higher magnifications the flash heads get
closer so it's easier to take advantage of the apparent light size
principle).
Click to expand...
I've a quite collection of these small rectangles of white or semitranslucent
plastic, but none of them was specifically "designed" by any pro company -
just various sources. Perhaps due to this neither proven to be particularly
good. But more probable is just my lack of diligence in finding an optimal
condition for each pair. Esp. as with adding both Puffers, and Stoffens
the number of possible combinations has grown combinatorially huge :).
How tick are these you described? And what color (judging by histogram
while taking a snap of 18% gray WB card)?
John K said:
But so far the exposures at 1x look really good, and
glare is almost non-existent:

Click to expand...
good? this is an excellent result, good job! :)
John K said:
As for the HSS: I've tried it when shooting closeups thinking that
I'd get better images (using the flash for fill in shutter or
aperture priority) and the images were consistently worse than
shooting in the sync range of the flash...
Click to expand...
today is a bit of sunshine finally, so perhaps there would be something more
to report if I manage to find any suitable critters

jpr2
--

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/qmusaget/sets/72157600341377106/
 
bed bug said:
Actually enabling correct focus has not been too difficult. What I
did was build a wire loop the size of the sensor and this sits out in
front of the camera at the focus point. The wire loop is attached to
a strip of aluminium, which is in turn attached to the tripod
mounting screw hole via a screw. Then all you need to do is line up
the loop with the insect and fire away. I should have made this loop
a bit bigger because it does get in the way a tad and is quite small
such that it does cause the insects to fly away.

Unfortunately with this set up I suffered more from physical problems
such as the height of the flash control unit on top of the camera
getting in the way and hitting the top of the mosquito cages, plus
poor backgrounds. Both of these are not insurmountable; I can place
cardboard folders in the cage to give a nice even background and
connect the flash control unit via cord. I will need to set the MPE65
at f/16 for a decent DOF but this will mean diffraction is an issue
as mags of 2-3x will be needed. I do like the suggestion of using the
24ex as a strobe to catch mossies in flight.

So many possibilities with so liittle time - this is my main problem!
Click to expand...
how well I agree with this last sentiment :(. Of course you're an entomologist,
but somehow it didn't occur to me that you guys might rise them in cages :))

Very interesting set of ideas about focusing aids to fire an blood suckers in
flight - luckily they are not very numerous this year - too cold I guess,

best,
jpr2
--

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/qmusaget/sets/72157600341377106/
 
bed bug said:
I will need to set the MPE65
at f/16 for a decent DOF but this will mean diffraction is an issue
as mags of 2-3x will be needed. I do like the suggestion of using the
24ex as a strobe to catch mossies in flight.
Click to expand...
I think that the MPE-65mm has difficulty producing a sharp image circle at 16 above 2x. Try F14 -there is a noticeable difference in IQ (can see it without going to 100% pixels) that can't be due to diffraction -there's just not enough of a difference in aperture size between F14 and 16.

Maybe this is another discussion that we can kick around. At 1x and F16 the MPE-65mm is sharper than the Canon 100mm at the same mag and Fstop. But the 100mm would have a physically larger aperture opening than the MPE. So if the problem is diffraction then how can the MPE be sharper when it's aperture is smaller? IMHO what a lot of people blame on diffraction is nothing more than a lens' ability to produce a sharp image circle at a given aperture or what I call "macro motion blur" -when the flash duration is too long to really freeze all the motion.

Is there some diffraction at high magnifications and Fstops? Sure. Is it a show stopper -nope. Nailing the focus and choosing where to place the depth is more important. I just leave the MPE-65 at F11 for most of my shooting and it works very well even at 4x and 5x:





--
My Blog: http://www.no-cropping-zone.com
My gallery: http://www.johnkimbler.com
http://photos.dalantech.com

Always minimal post processing and no cropping -unless you count the viewfinder... ;)
 
We have an insectary where we bred mosquitoes, bed bugs, blowflies and house flies. These are used for a variety of research projects from insecticide efficacy testing to development of repellents, ecological investigations, and vector/virus interactions to name a few. Naturally enough we need cages to house all these insects.

Kind regards
Stephen

jpr2 wrote:
,
jpr2 said:
but somehow it didn't occur to me that you guys might rise them in
cages :))
Click to expand...
 
I suppose my main problem with capturing mossies in flight is that as the DOF is so small, capturing an in focus mosquito is very hit or miss and so I want to maximise my chances. Normally I don't use f/16 & tend to shoot around f/11 like yourself. The main reason I want to obtain a mossie in flight shot is that I am running a charity auction at an upcoming mosquito conference and would like to include an in flight shot which would be printed on canvas. Printing on this medium means that sharpness is not that critical.

Interesting thoughts on diffraction and I don't have enough knowledge of optics and the physics of light paths to offer any reliable comments.Perhaps you should start a new thread.

I have to also agree with you about the 100, I often think this is a vastly overrated lens in comparison to the sharpness & contrast offered by both the MPE65 & 180mm. I know have the 60 as well and some time in the future will run some tests comparing the sharpness of all four. I wonder if there is an objective way of recording contrast?

Kind regards
Stephen
John K said:
I think that the MPE-65mm has difficulty producing a sharp image
circle at 16 above 2x. Try F14 -there is a noticeable difference in
IQ (can see it without going to 100% pixels) that can't be due to
diffraction -there's just not enough of a difference in aperture size
between F14 and 16.

Maybe this is another discussion that we can kick around. At 1x and
F16 the MPE-65mm is sharper than the Canon 100mm at the same mag and
Fstop. But the 100mm would have a physically larger aperture opening
than the MPE. So if the problem is diffraction then how can the MPE
be sharper when it's aperture is smaller? IMHO what a lot of people
blame on diffraction is nothing more than a lens' ability to produce
a sharp image circle at a given aperture or what I call "macro motion
blur" -when the flash duration is too long to really freeze all the
motion.

Is there some diffraction at high magnifications and Fstops? Sure. Is
it a show stopper -nope. Nailing the focus and choosing where to
place the depth is more important. I just leave the MPE-65 at F11 for
most of my shooting and it works very well even at 4x and 5x:





--
My Blog: http://www.no-cropping-zone.com
My gallery: http://www.johnkimbler.com
http://photos.dalantech.com

Always minimal post processing and no cropping -unless you count the
viewfinder... ;)
Click to expand...
 
jpr2 said:
How tick are these you described?
Click to expand...
The plastic is pretty thin -no thicker than a standard sheet of photo paper.
jpr2 said:
And what color (judging by histogram while taking a snap of 18% gray WB
card)?
Click to expand...
If I had an 18% gray card I could tell you :) To me there doesn't seem to be an appreciable color shift -the warmth in my images is due to the 81A warming filter I have on my MPE-65.

--
My Blog: http://www.no-cropping-zone.com
My gallery: http://www.johnkimbler.com
http://photos.dalantech.com

Always minimal post processing and no cropping -unless you count the viewfinder... ;)
 
bed bug said:
I have to also agree with you about the 100, I often think this is a
vastly overrated lens in comparison to the sharpness & contrast
offered by both the MPE65 & 180mm. I know have the 60 as well and
some time in the future will run some tests comparing the sharpness
of all four.
Click to expand...
I've got no formal testing to back it up, but I've used every Canon macro except the 180L and my 100mm is currently collecting dust in the closet...

I was a little stunned using the EF-S 60mm for closeups -granted the light was really good. But I know I wouldn't get this kind of performance from the 100mm:



I've got a 52mm 81A and a 250D on order for it :)

--
My Blog: http://www.no-cropping-zone.com
My gallery: http://www.johnkimbler.com
http://photos.dalantech.com

Always minimal post processing and no cropping -unless you count the viewfinder... ;)
 
bed bug said:
We have an insectary where we bred mosquitoes, bed bugs, blowflies
and house flies. These are used for a variety of research projects
from insecticide efficacy testing to development of repellents,
ecological investigations, and vector/virus interactions to name a
few. Naturally enough we need cages to house all these insects.
Click to expand...
Stephen,

upon reflection - what you say is of course obvious... for a specialist :).
My reaction was completely spontaneous, and my a bit hilarious vision of
caged mosquitoes, each in it's own enclosure, is rather wild, and has a
little connection with reality :)

sorry,
jpr2
--

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/qmusaget/sets/72157600341377106/
 
John K said:
As for the HSS: I've tried it when shooting closeups thinking that
I'd get better images (using the flash for fill in shutter or
aperture priority) and the images were consistently worse than
shooting in the sync range of the flash...
Click to expand...
I tried it today on 40d with 550ex, at 1/2000, 1/2500, 1/3200 for bees
and bombuses (and even 1/4000-1/8000 but only on stationary flowers
at close distances - well not exactly stationary, as it was rather windy
here today); in no instance the effect of a very high-speed strobe was
observed; just the opposite: everything crisp and fine;
this one is from a series of few dozens like it:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/qmusaget/2588682026/

but then... it wasn't with the mpe65, so it is not exactly conclusive
for the question we were discussing,

jpr2
--

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/qmusaget/sets/72157600341377106/
 
bed bug said:
Actually enabling correct focus has not been too difficult. What I
did was build a wire loop the size of the sensor and this sits out in
front of the camera at the focus point. The wire loop is attached to
a strip of aluminium, which is in turn attached to the tripod
mounting screw hole via a screw. Then all you need to do is line up
the loop with the insect and fire away. I should have made this loop
a bit bigger because it does get in the way a tad and is quite small
such that it does cause the insects to fly away.
Click to expand...
Stephen,

very neat idea, at least when described. However, it seems a lot of
experience in handling gnats is obviously necessary. Yesterday I did
try to use such a makeshift "focusing aid" from a piece of wire, but it
was very wobbly, and not helping much. Are we talking about mpe62
in a context of mossies in flight here?

There is small stretch of a stagnant water not far away, where all kind
of rather small gnats frolic in mid air for hours in a shadowy spot. But very
few of them (if any) just hover - rather they do dart around quite
quickly. And my wire was certainly not much to their liking (or maybe
it was just myself???),

any advice or other tips as to when during a day it might be best time
to attempt this kind of poaching?

best,
jpr2

--

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/qmusaget/sets/72157600341377106/
 
IMO, the 180L is the pinnacle of Canon's lenses in terms of sharpness & contrast, however being so long means that it is best used on a tripod.

Just curious, why are using a warming filter with the 60, since the colour balance can be adjusted PP or in camera? Personally I am not keen on having extra glass as it leads to image degredation, which the 500D does.

Kind regards
Stephen
John K said:
I've got no formal testing to back it up, but I've used every Canon
macro except the 180L and my 100mm is currently collecting dust in
the closet...

I was a little stunned using the EF-S 60mm for closeups -granted the
light was really good. But I know I wouldn't get this kind of
performance from the 100mm:
Click to expand...
 
no problem; what we do seems odd to many! When I explain to others that I have on many occassions blood fed over 5,000 mosquitoes on my arm at one time, I do get some some weird stares!

Kind regards
Stephen
jpr2 said:
Stephen,

upon reflection - what you say is of course obvious... for a
specialist :).
My reaction was completely spontaneous, and my a bit hilarious vision of
caged mosquitoes, each in it's own enclosure, is rather wild, and has a
little connection with reality :)

sorry,
jpr2
--

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/qmusaget/sets/72157600341377106/
Click to expand...
 
bed bug said:
Just curious, why are using a warming filter with the 60, since the
colour balance can be adjusted PP or in camera? Personally I am not
keen on having extra glass as it leads to image degredation, which
the 500D does.
Click to expand...
The 81A removes the blueish cast from natural light and flash plus it also cuts some glare -it's not the same as applying a filter or changing white balance in post.

--
My Blog: http://www.no-cropping-zone.com
My gallery: http://www.johnkimbler.com
http://photos.dalantech.com

Always minimal post processing and no cropping -unless you count the viewfinder... ;)
 
bed bug said:
Just curious, why are using a warming filter with the 60, since the
colour balance can be adjusted PP or in camera? Personally I am not
keen on having extra glass as it leads to image degredation, which
the 500D does.
Click to expand...
i'm using 500d sometimes on various lenses (including mpe65 once or twice,
but id doesn't seem to lend ANY advantage = I was keen to find out whether
it might lead to the increase of WD to 50cm :)), like 135/2L, 200/2.8L or
300/4L IS - all of which are known for their exceptional sharpness, and didn't
notice any loss of resolution when applied to a macro world,

jpr2
--

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/qmusaget/sets/72157600341377106/
 
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