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WL chandler

WL chandler

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Hi everyone, I am getting more and more into macro photography. I know I need some sort of light source to better my pics. Any suggestions. I have a limited budget. That nice Nikon dual flash set up is nice, but way beyond my budget.

I am looking at light ring or one flash on a bracket. Maybe both. Any advice? Thanks
 
My recommendation (and I am just an intermediate level macro shooter) will differ based on your specific needs. What subjects are you working with, or hoping to photograph? What is your budget?

Here's what I can say:

You probably don't want a ringlight for macro. They work, but not as well as conventions speedlights or twin flash. Problems I have with ringlights include bulk (limits low to ground shots), funky catchlights, and unflattering on-axis lighting.

I use manual and TTL speedlights, and I prefer TTL. If you are in a studio, are able to set up shots, or shooting very similar things manual flash is okay, but TTL makes field shooting a lot easier for me.

For macro shooting you don't need high-power flash. You can even do fairly well with the pop-up flash on many cameras with an effective "snoot-diffuser". A mid-range flash similar to the SB-700 will give you plenty of light for on/near camera use and softbox use too. But a mid-range flash is still relatively heavy, so a smaller unit (or two or three) could be what you want.

Whatever flash you choose, make sure you have a way to sync with your camera. A built-in optical sensor is nice for wireless use, as are radio triggers.
 
I think the most practical flash is a TTL speedlight. Add diffusers, snoot and remote cord and you can do about anything. You should have a good TTL flash anyway. It won't go to waste.

I made my own diffuser and had one of the cheap "puffer" clones to get started with the pop-up flash. That worked pretty well for flowers and small nature subjects. It cost practically nothing and taught me a lot about using the flash for macro/close-up.
 
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You don't really need a twin lite, nor a flash bracket. I have an MT-24EX that just sits in my drybox.

I have been shooting with just one small speedlite (Canon 270EX) on hotshoe for more than a year now and loving it. I recently purchased a slightly bigger Nissin i40 as a backup.

Nissin i40 (Nikon)

My setup looks something like this:



8284000386_6bc1f13223.jpg


More info here .

Sample images:



16935394339_8364a1060b_o.jpg




16717860090_0db8efd889_o.jpg




--
Best of 2014: http://orionmystery.blogspot.com/2014/12/favorite-images-from-2014.html
 
WL chandler said:
Thanks a lot for the input everyone. Nice pics
Click to expand...
Hi,

There are a few considerations that you would need to take before choosing the right flash for your kind of macro work (1:1, close-up,etc). One of them would be the Guide Number of the flash.

First of all consider the range of Guide Number (GN) that you would need for your style of macro. Formula for calculating GN -

Guide Number = f-stop number X Distance (flash to subject)

So lets say that you enjoy taking 1:1 shots and that your usual distance (flash head to subject) is approximately 40cm (0.4m) at f11 and ISO 100. Therefore, the minimum GN you would need is -

Guide Number = f11 X 0.4m (flash to subject)

= 4.4 m or 14.4 feet

So this means that to achieve a shot of a bug 40cm away with the correct exposure at f11 and ISO 100, you would need a flash with a minimum GN reading of 14.4 feet. To give you an idea, the regular inbuilt flash that you have, has a GN reading of about 15 feet. Of course, this wouldn't be practical if you intend to use the flash for other types of photography. Having said that, a bigger flash does not necessarily mean it is better for you, because the more powerful (higher GN) the flash is, the more difficult it is to diffuse the light. Hope my rambling makes sense to you.. :)

Ive written a short article on diffusion and lighting. Please feel free to read it here: http://mirrorlessmacro.blogspot.sg/2015/04/macro-diffusion-for-mirrorless-camera.html

Cheers!
 
As an additional wrinkle, if one is focus stacking with macro would one be better off with a continuous light source - perhaps video lighting?
 
woodybrown said:
As an additional wrinkle, if one is focus stacking with macro would one be better off with a continuous light source - perhaps video lighting?
Click to expand...
It is definitely an option but depends on where you are shooting. If it is in controlled studio, then yes. Not ideal if you're shooting handheld like i do, 99% of the time.

--

personal blog: mirrorlessmacro.blogspot.com
 
orionmystery said:
You don't really need a twin lite, nor a flash bracket. I have an MT-24EX that just sits in my drybox.

I have been shooting with just one small speedlite (Canon 270EX) on hotshoe for more than a year now and loving it. I recently purchased a slightly bigger Nissin i40 as a backup.

Nissin i40 (Nikon)

My setup looks something like this:

8284000386_6bc1f13223.jpg


More info here .

Sample images:

16935394339_8364a1060b_o.jpg


16717860090_0db8efd889_o.jpg


--
Best of 2014: http://orionmystery.blogspot.com/2014/12/favorite-images-from-2014.html
Click to expand...
Great shots. I wonder if you could give a little more detail about the that is attached to the lens.

--
Regards,
Bob(Ma.USA)
 
That setup is great if you're shooting in the field. However, you have many more options if you're shooting in the studio. I use a monolight in the studio with a snoot. I have a 300ws monolight, but any one will do. The reason I prefer to use a monolight is because the modeling lamp gives me a good idea of what my lighting will be like. Additionally, I can use the modeling light as the main light source and fill in with the strobe. Using a monolight (or two or three) also allows you to change your lighting setup so that all of your shots don't look the same. It's sort of like shooting miniature portraits. The snoots allow you to control the spill so that you don't flood your lens when you're close to your subject.
 
Macro guy said:
That setup is great if you're shooting in the field. However, you have many more options if you're shooting in the studio. I use a monolight in the studio with a snoot. I have a 300ws monolight, but any one will do. The reason I prefer to use a monolight is because the modeling lamp gives me a good idea of what my lighting will be like. Additionally, I can use the modeling light as the main light source and fill in with the strobe. Using a monolight (or two or three) also allows you to change your lighting setup so that all of your shots don't look the same. It's sort of like shooting miniature portraits. The snoots allow you to control the spill so that you don't flood your lens when you're close to your subject.
Click to expand...
Hi and thank you for the reply but I meant to ask for more information about the oblong-oval(?) reflector that seems to be attached to your lens in the picture. My fault for not catching the lack of clarity in my question. Everything that I will be doing will be outdoors.
 
bob81 said:
Macro guy said:
That setup is great if you're shooting in the field. However, you have many more options if you're shooting in the studio. I use a monolight in the studio with a snoot. I have a 300ws monolight, but any one will do. The reason I prefer to use a monolight is because the modeling lamp gives me a good idea of what my lighting will be like. Additionally, I can use the modeling light as the main light source and fill in with the strobe. Using a monolight (or two or three) also allows you to change your lighting setup so that all of your shots don't look the same. It's sort of like shooting miniature portraits. The snoots allow you to control the spill so that you don't flood your lens when you're close to your subject.
Click to expand...
Hi and thank you for the reply but I meant to ask for more information about the oblong-oval(?) reflector that seems to be attached to your lens in the picture. My fault for not catching the lack of clarity in my question. Everything that I will be doing will be outdoors.
Click to expand...
 
bob81 said:
Macro guy said:
That setup is great if you're shooting in the field. However, you have many more options if you're shooting in the studio. I use a monolight in the studio with a snoot. I have a 300ws monolight, but any one will do. The reason I prefer to use a monolight is because the modeling lamp gives me a good idea of what my lighting will be like. Additionally, I can use the modeling light as the main light source and fill in with the strobe. Using a monolight (or two or three) also allows you to change your lighting setup so that all of your shots don't look the same. It's sort of like shooting miniature portraits. The snoots allow you to control the spill so that you don't flood your lens when you're close to your subject.
Click to expand...
Hi and thank you for the reply but I meant to ask for more information about the oblong-oval(?) reflector that seems to be attached to your lens in the picture. My fault for not catching the lack of clarity in my question. Everything that I will be doing will be outdoors.
Click to expand...
 
bob81 said:
Macro guy said:
That setup is great if you're shooting in the field. However, you have many more options if you're shooting in the studio. I use a monolight in the studio with a snoot. I have a 300ws monolight, but any one will do. The reason I prefer to use a monolight is because the modeling lamp gives me a good idea of what my lighting will be like. Additionally, I can use the modeling light as the main light source and fill in with the strobe. Using a monolight (or two or three) also allows you to change your lighting setup so that all of your shots don't look the same. It's sort of like shooting miniature portraits. The snoots allow you to control the spill so that you don't flood your lens when you're close to your subject.
Click to expand...
Hi and thank you for the reply but I meant to ask for more information about the oblong-oval(?) reflector that seems to be attached to your lens in the picture. My fault for not catching the lack of clarity in my question. Everything that I will be doing will be outdoors.

--
Regards,
Bob(Ma.USA)
Click to expand...
Hi Bob,

It is called a Victor's diffuser. The reflector is that piece of board attached on the flash to direct the light to the diffuser. The main purpose of the diffuser is to disperse and spread the light from the flash to minimise "hotspots" and "shadow spots" by 'wrapping' the lights around the subject you are photographing. Without a diffuser, the lighting will be too harsh. I have written a simple entry about diffused lighting where I explain diffusers, reflectors and what to consider when making them from scratch: http://mirrorlessmacro.blogspot.sg/2015/04/macro-diffusion-for-mirrorless-camera.html

Hope it is useful. :)

Sincerely,

Faiz B.
 
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