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Macro setup for x-t20

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Braska

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Hello,

Some months ago I received a laowa 65mm 2:1 macro lens and I've had plenty of fun shooting macros around.

I struggle a lot with the shutterspeed and light gathering (hard to keep a long shutterspeed for an insect photo)

I'd like to buy a flash and i read a lot of people recommends the Godox TT350, but will the in-box diffuser be enough? Will I need something else or is it already too much?
 
I use that lens and the Godox tt350, it’s a great light, portable setup, almost makes non flash macro obsolete. I also use the diffuser shown above as well. You may need to modify the diffuser as the lens is quite a slim lens and the diffuser is made for thicker lenses. I just got some sticky plaster tape and made the diffuser hole smaller, it works great.
 
Hi

I have the more powerful Godox TT685F. I sometimes need its full power for macro.

You'll definitely need a special macro diffuser. But you can make it on your own at almost zero cost.

I'm currently working with a larger piece of a white plastic bucket on the flash and in addition a white paper cone on the lens. Works well and I don't get too many reflections. Haven't posted an image of my latest construction yet. I was working with a mirror and a cone but I got too many reflections and too harsh light, so I replaced the mirror with something that diffuses the light better.

But there is also plenty of information on YouTube and also on DPReview forums.

Best,

Martin
 
I rarely shoot macro without a flash these days, nothing beats the motion-stopping power of a flash!

I started out using a cone-shaped salt container as a diffuser, but now i mostly use a newer 12” pan-style diffuser over my big flash:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Neewer-Diffuser-Softbox-600EX-RT-Speedlight/dp/B016MKK94S

These things are so cheap you can buy them in a bunch of shapes for fitting various shooting styles, and they produce nicely flat light.

The “over the lens” sheet-style diffusers also seem to work pretty well, micael widell does pretty well with them.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/392787970847

I prefer these soft-type diffusers because they collapse down to nothing, they’re indestructible, and you can have a bunch of them.
 
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Thank you all very much for the suggestions.

But is anyone shooting with the built in flash or is it that bad? Personally I'm not having much success with it.
 
Have you considered thee Godox XProF TTL trigger?

This Godox kit isn't all that expensive: VING V860II plus trigger .

Another consideration (much less an expense) might be constant light LEDs, such as LumeCube
 
Braska said:
Thank you all very much for the suggestions.

But is anyone shooting with the built in flash or is it that bad? Personally I'm not having much success with it.
Click to expand...
The in-built flash might work through one of those on-lens diffusers if you set it to 100%, but it will cycle annoyingly slowly. The only time i use it is set at the minimum to optically trigger a cheap remote flash (yongnuo or godox), which also lets you angle the light.

In-fact, i never shoot macro with a flash mounted in the hot-shoe, it’s either in my hand or on a magic arm off the tripod mount.
 
Sadly I'm from EU. Anyway my budget is kind of limited and I'm trying to find the most cost-effective solution.

I'm going to renew my kit a bit (selling the samyang 12 and the 18-55 for a 10-24) but I never really used a flash and I don't know what I need and want is overkill.
 
Braska said:
Sadly I'm from EU. Anyway my budget is kind of limited and I'm trying to find the most cost-effective solution.

I'm going to renew my kit a bit (selling the samyang 12 and the 18-55 for a 10-24) but I never really used a flash and I don't know what I need and want is overkill.
Click to expand...
I hear that. I manage with flash, though not very well versed with it. And, sadly, I'm in the US - but that's a whole other story [g].

I find the LumeCube to be a very easy/affordable way to get light on a macro subject - I have a 'cube' that can be mounted or used hand-held off camera (to get light w/o the length of that particular lens casting a shadow when very close-up), but I see now on the site that they also have a mini LED panel that's not all that expensive either. Just a suggestion to check into (there may be even cheaper LED panels found on amazon or eBay)

--
"Well, sometimes the magic works. . . Sometimes, it doesn't."
------ Chief Dan George, Little Big Man
@ bobtullis.com & flickr.com/photos/bobtullis
.
My opinions are my own and not those of DPR or its administration.
 
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Braska said:
Sadly I'm from EU. Anyway my budget is kind of limited and I'm trying to find the most cost-effective solution.

I'm going to renew my kit a bit (selling the samyang 12 and the 18-55 for a 10-24) but I never really used a flash and I don't know what I need and want is overkill.
Click to expand...
The limited budget doesn’t stretch to a basic flash like a godox, Meike, or yongnuo, but a 10-24 is all good?

Just buy a proper flash, a cheap diffuser, and you’re set for macro. And being in the EU isn’t a problem, I’m in Australia and have no problem sourcing these things.
 
I use bigger cobras (One is Fuji other is the big Godox and it works fine Just wondering if the 350 is big enough for such a long lens..
 
Since I mostly do landscapes, I prefer to put the biggest chunck of it in the lens. Plus there's a 300€ rebate and selling both lenses will help a lot. I would have never thought it would offend someone, I apologize for that.

Anyway I started this thread to ask advice on what I should get for macro: would the built in flash be enough? Would a cheap one be enough for macro?

I'd rather not get a 300€ flash kit right now because for me is just a hobby and I'd prefer to start with something cheaper but I don't know if it would be enough or will it left me underwhelmed

--
https://www.instagram.com/il.braska/
 
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Braska said:
Sadly I'm from EU.
Click to expand...
I am from the EU, too. I have the Godox XPro-F trigger. Bought it from amazon.de.

Works great. Just don't use it a lot for macro. As I already said, I have the TT685F and use it for macro with a self-made diffuser.

There are plenty of ideas on self-made diffusers in the web. I'm going to post mine soon with a photo.

Best,

Martin
 
Braska said:
Thank you all very much for the suggestions.

But is anyone shooting with the built in flash or is it that bad? Personally I'm not having much success with it.
Click to expand...
 
Braska said:
I'd rather not get a 300€ flash kit
Click to expand...
Godox is way more affordable than 300 €. It is great value for money IMO. AF assist does not work w/ Fuji mirrorless (I have a thread on this) but that's the only drawback. You won't need the AF assist for macro anyway.

--
https://500px.com/bachrocks
 
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Braska said:
Since I mostly do landscapes, I prefer to put the biggest chunck of it in the lens. Plus there's a 300€ rebate and selling both lenses will help a lot. I would have never thought it would offend someone, I apologize for that.

Anyway I started this thread to ask advice on what I should get for macro: would the built in flash be enough? Would a cheap one be enough for macro?

I'd rather not get a 300€ flash kit right now because for me is just a hobby and I'd prefer to start with something cheaper but I don't know if it would be enough or will it left me underwhelmed
Click to expand...
Where did this 300 figure come from?! I was telling you that a CHEAP flash is absolutely fine for any kind of macro work, and by cheap i mean 50-80 Euros.

A Yongnuo 560 IV will do all macro, and is powerful enough to use for studio portraits, weddings, etc. It's the perfect hobbyist flash, and it makes a great secondary remote flash for when you buy a different flash (which will offer you more interesting results). These are about 80 euro, and you can later buy things like wireless triggers to set up groups of them for complex shots. They're VERY popular flash units for hobbyists.

The Meike MK-320 is a compact flash you can pick up for about 50 Euro. It works in automatic mode on the Fuji, so it's simple to get started with, and the shape works well for macro. It's not hugely powerful, but it's fine to have a longer recycle time in macro.

Both of these flashes can also be optically triggered by your in-built flash, which while it isn't powerful enough for macro on its own, is more than enough to let you hold your main flash off the camera to adjust your flash angle.
 
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Cubits said:
Braska said:
Since I mostly do landscapes, I prefer to put the biggest chunck of it in the lens. Plus there's a 300€ rebate and selling both lenses will help a lot. I would have never thought it would offend someone, I apologize for that.

Anyway I started this thread to ask advice on what I should get for macro: would the built in flash be enough? Would a cheap one be enough for macro?

I'd rather not get a 300€ flash kit right now because for me is just a hobby and I'd prefer to start with something cheaper but I don't know if it would be enough or will it left me underwhelmed
Click to expand...
Where did this 300 figure come from?! I was telling you that a CHEAP flash is absolutely fine for any kind of macro work, and by cheap i mean 50-80 Euros.
Click to expand...
The flash & wireless trigger I linked to was in the ball park of $300 (US).

--
"Well, sometimes the magic works. . . Sometimes, it doesn't."
------ Chief Dan George, Little Big Man
@ bobtullis.com & flickr.com/photos/bobtullis
.
My opinions are my own and not those of DPR or its administration.
 
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Hello Braska

I like your instagram photos!

I did make some good photos with the on-camera flash and a diffuser, but to get much more control of the light, off camera flash is important.

Today I made these photos to show what works pretty well for me.

off camera flash
off camera flash

close-up
close-up

The pieces are a "magic arm", a Cannon compatible flash cord, a grip and the arca clamp, all can be bought inexpensively. The diffuser is packing foam. You will want some type of diffuser in addition the the one on the flash, to even out the light, for sure.

The Godox tt350f lets you crank up the shutter speed, HSS is really helpful.

You've got a great macro lens ...Have fun!

John
 
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