Reading mode: Light Dark

Sigma Flash Macro Ring EM-140 DG with Sony a55 ?

Go to last post
J

J Birn

Leading Member
Messages
935
Reaction score
598
Location
East Bay, CA, US
Subject line says it all: Has anyone used the Sigma Flash Macro Ring EM-140 DG for Sony with an a55? a55 is not listed on Sigma's compatility table, but I suspect the chart was written a few years ago, before the a55 came out:
http://www.sigmaphoto.com/EM-140_DG_Macro_Flash

I want a ring flash that's bright enough to use really small apertures for macro photography. The guide number is high enough on this, unlike the Sony LED units that don't even list a guide number.

My plan is to get this and the Tamron 60mm f/2.0 Macro, if I order that while the $100 rebate is available it seems like a pretty good deal.

Any thoughts or experiences?

Thanks!

--
Jeremy Birn
 
I have one and I sent it into Sigma to be upgraded for the A55/A77 a couple of months ago it seems to work ok but now it does not work well on my A550. I'm going to buy the ring flash from Nissin when it is released hopefully very soon. (Was informed of this from e-mail to Nissin) I am done with Sigma on everything they have never worked right for me in the past with flashes and lens.
 
Do you already have an A55? If so maybe try to find a used Minolta MFC-1000 macro flash controller and Minolta ringflash. It is a very capable setup and works very well with my A700.

The downside is the MFC-1000 controller is very hard to come by.

Unfortunately Sony have really let down us macro shooters with no decent ringflash available still. I can see you have researched that ringlight which is a total waste of time.

What are you looking at photographing? I ask because if it is small bugs etc then the 60mm may not give you quite enough working distance and you may want to look at a 90 or 100mm macro lens.

The Sony and Tamron lenses are the best macros.

Edit: while Sigma make some great products, there does seem to be issues as I believe they don't license the technology from the companies which requires rechipping for new cameras which can be an inconvenience. Tamron doesn't seem to have this problem.
--
http://www.mokeweb.co.uk/gallery2/main.php
 
A alternative could be this one:

http://www.metzflash.co.uk/pages/ringflash.htm

I use it on my A700 and it works great, it can be used with Canon and Nikon also and it's firmware can be upgraded for other cameras. Left and right flash can be adjusted in position and strenght. And it also can be used of camera because it's triggered by the internal flash. It can also be used with a sync cable but then you don't have TTL.

For the internal flash, there is a cover supplied with it so it doesn't affect the exposure.

Greetings Leon.
--
http://www.pictureshow.nl/
 
Thanks for that feedback. I can see how compatibility could be an issue - I already bought a regular flash, and I got a Sony (HLV F43AM) just to make sure everything worked with my a55. It does work great, and if Sony had a decent real ring flash available I probably would be buying it.

That Nissin MF18 Ring Flash looks like it could be terrific. It's apparently been delayed since it was announced in 2010, I guess that's happened since the earthquake and everything in Japan. If it really ships soon it might even be worth waiting for.

-jeremy
linzdoctor7d said:
I have one and I sent it into Sigma to be upgraded for the A55/A77 a couple of months ago it seems to work ok but now it does not work well on my A550. I'm going to buy the ring flash from Nissin when it is released hopefully very soon. (Was informed of this from e-mail to Nissin) I am done with Sigma on everything they have never worked right for me in the past with flashes and lens.
Click to expand...
--
Jeremy Birn
 
Yes, I already have an a55.

I don't need tiny bugs. My main subject will be materials that will be used in texture maps to use in 3D graphics - fabric, human skin, rusted metal, etc. The surfaces are at different scales (not all require macro of course) but not really getting into the microscopic. I really like another Tamron lens I have for my a55, and have no problem getting this well-reviewed 60mm macro.

I don't see the MFC-1000 on sale anywhere. One ebay listing has a Minolta Maxxum AF 1200 Ring Light that comes with a Minolta FS-1100 Hot Shoe Adapter. Would that work?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Minolta-Maxxum-Macro-1200-AF-Ring-Light-Flash-Unit-Exc-/150671946819?pt=Digital_Camera_Flashes&hash=item2314bf7443

-jeremy
Bexter said:
Do you already have an A55? If so maybe try to find a used Minolta MFC-1000 macro flash controller and Minolta ringflash. It is a very capable setup and works very well with my A700.

The downside is the MFC-1000 controller is very hard to come by.

Unfortunately Sony have really let down us macro shooters with no decent ringflash available still. I can see you have researched that ringlight which is a total waste of time.

What are you looking at photographing? I ask because if it is small bugs etc then the 60mm may not give you quite enough working distance and you may want to look at a 90 or 100mm macro lens.

The Sony and Tamron lenses are the best macros.

Edit: while Sigma make some great products, there does seem to be issues as I believe they don't license the technology from the companies which requires rechipping for new cameras which can be an inconvenience. Tamron doesn't seem to have this problem.
--
http://www.mokeweb.co.uk/gallery2/main.php
Click to expand...
--
Jeremy Birn
 
Wow, thanks for that link. I totally hadn't thought of a ring light that was a slave flash!

So it'll do TTL auto-exposure working with the a55 right out of the box? And also could be used manually (I end up setting a lot of things to manual for some shots.)

It looks like it is powered by AAA batteries (I don't know how many) instead of AA, but otherwise doesn't involve much compromise compared to a dedicated Sony-type flash.

And only $335 dollars. This might be a contender...

-jeremy

--
Jeremy Birn
 
I also use the Metz "Ring" flash and it is pretty neat! It worked flawlessly out of the box with my a700, using the Sony wireless protocol. (it knows the TTL protocols for Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Samsung, you just need to tell it to use Sony). But you can also use it as an optically triggered (then manual power) slave for pretty much any other camera (I tried with a Powershot 80, no problems). The batteries hold up pretty well (uses 2 AAAs) and it has a decent focus/compose aid light.

Cheers,
Mike
 
J Birn said:
I don't see the MFC-1000 on sale anywhere. One ebay listing has a Minolta Maxxum AF 1200 Ring Light that comes with a Minolta FS-1100 Hot Shoe Adapter. Would that work?
Click to expand...
It will only work at full power, with the camera in manual mode.

Ian
 
OK, I just clicked "buy" for the Metz ringflash and the Tamron 60mm macro.

Thanks so much for the help and recs everybody. Between what you said, and other good reviews of the Metz on Amazon (and some videos of it on youtube in different languages...) I expect I'll like it.

Cheers,
-jeremy

--
Jeremy Birn
 
After Leon's suggestion, I got the Metz MS-1.

It fits right on the Tamron 60mm macro, you don't even need to use one of the adapter rings because the Metz is natively 55mm filter diameter.

Setting it to Sony mode started it working as a TTL flash commanded by the a55 right away.

The "modeling light" function on the Metz is not a consistent light, it's a very rapidly flickering strobe. Unfortunately, the flickering must be at the same scanrate as the Sony a55's EVF, because it renders the image on the viewfinder or LCD unviewable, a rolling pattern of black and white horizontal bars. I'll have to check if holding down the modeling light button on the flash and holding down the DOF preview button on the a55 at the same time helps, because that usually slows down the framerate on the a55's liveview, but in the tests I did this made the modeling light not be a useful feature with the a55.

For macro shots about 10 or 12 cm from the front of the lens, I was able to get around f11 at ISO 400. When I stopped down further, to f13, the image started getting darker, showing that clearly the flash had reached its maximum brightness. f11 is pretty good, although I wish it could go even brighter.

I'm going to try cross-polarizing this set-up to shoot human skin without the specular highlights. I've bought a sheet of polarizing film I just need to cut and mount over the flash areas on each side, and then I'll get a polarizing filter for the camera... we'll see how that goes.

-jeremy

--
Jeremy Birn
 
I've used the modeling light only on a A700 so I didn't notice these things. Also I almost never use it. The one I use more is the AF auxiliary light to help me focusing.

I hope You enjoy the flash.

Greetings Leon.
--
http://www.pictureshow.nl/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top