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'go to' flash setup for macro

Started 2 months ago | Discussions
sanosai Regular Member • Posts: 256
'go to' flash setup for macro
1

I just realised I m doing something wrong here. Or at least, there is something I could be doing better

My macro setup: 90mm Sony macro on A7RIII + 2 to 3 (diffused Godox TT350s)

From within the camera setting, I m mostly using the flash for 'fill'

Flash is set to TTL

But now I realise that I ve totally overlooked the 'zoom' setting on my TT350 units - it was always set to 24mm! So basically, all that time I m having a much broader lighting than I should have (+wasting battery??)

From what I understood, this flash zoom range, needs to match the focal length of the lens (in which case, 90mm..). The TT350 doesn't allow to set me zoom precisely to 90mm - it goes to steppings i.e. 70mm, 80mm and 105mm (which is max). So I have set it to 80mm, which is the closest match, as I also thought setting it to 105mm would be too narrow

Although there is no 'best setup', as it all depends of the shooting scenario and adjustments will be needed from time to time - but is there a 'go to' setup that I could use? At the moment, I don't feel confident to go full manual with the flash, hence I opted to leave it to TTL

For starters, am I approaching this right, by setting the flash zoom to 80mm? There also seems to be an 'auto-zoom' function on the TT350s, but I was hesitant to have it decide on the zoom, hence preferred the manual option of 80mm..

 sanosai's gear list:sanosai's gear list
Sony a6300 Sony a7R III Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS Sony FE 90mm F2.8 macro Sony FE 200-600 F5.6-6.3 +3 more
jim mij Senior Member • Posts: 1,027
Re: 'go to' flash setup for macro

What are you using for diffusion - and taking pics of  (eg bugs )?

Broad soft light is better than hard flash

I too use the tt350, also at 24, (with an equivalent 90mm macro)

But I use manual flash, usually at f8 -f11 and 1/200 (down to 1/60), the 1st shots are usually to help me tune the flash power for the natural lights

Have a look at one of the getting started in macro vids by Micael Widell

(1) Micael Widell - YouTube

perhaps this one

(1) 10 Camera/Flash Settings for Macro Photography - YouTube

regards

Jim

 jim mij's gear list:jim mij's gear list
Canon EOS M6 II Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Kenko Teleplus Pro 300 AF 1.4x Canon EF-M 22mm f/2 STM
BBbuilder467 Veteran Member • Posts: 7,057
Re: 'go to' flash setup for macro
1

I think the zoom head is related more to distance from 3 or more meters away, where you have to concentrate the light within the frame.

You don't have any reason to do that with macro using a diffuser. It might help if you were targeting a butterfly or hummingbird without the diffuser, but you'd be farther away.

I used the Omnibounce type diffuser more like a bounce card. I don't think the zoom mattered anyway.

Joseph S Wisniewski Forum Pro • Posts: 35,461
2-4 speedlights, or a Nikon R2D2
1

sanosai wrote:

I just realised I m doing something wrong here. Or at least, there is something I could be doing better

My macro setup: 90mm Sony macro on A7RIII + 2 to 3 (diffused Godox TT350s)

That's a decent setup.

From within the camera setting, I m mostly using the flash for 'fill'

Flash is set to TTL

Macro flash is very confusing for TTL systems: you might want to get good with manual.

But now I realise that I ve totally overlooked the 'zoom' setting on my TT350 units - it was always set to 24mm! So basically, all that time I m having a much broader lighting than I should have (+wasting battery??)

As BBbuilder467 pointed out, you really only care about that when a flash is directly facing a subject and is at the same distance as the subject. With diffusers you want to zoom the flash to fully illuminate the diffuser, which probably means your widest setting.

Without diffusers (like when I do cross-polarizer work) you want to adjust for distance differences. For example, if you're using a 50mm lens, and the subject is 10cm from the lens, but 30cm from the flashes, you could set the flashes to 50cm * (30cm/10cm) = 150cm to get maximum output from the flashes. Note that the flashes have to be aimed well. If you're not aiming accurately go for a wider setting: 100mm or maybe even 50mm.

From what I understood, this flash zoom range, needs to match the focal length of the lens (in which case, 90mm..). The TT350 doesn't allow to set me zoom precisely to 90mm - it goes to steppings i.e. 70mm, 80mm and 105mm (which is max). So I have set it to 80mm, which is the closest match, as I also thought setting it to 105mm would be too narrow

Again, the "perfect match" doesn't mean anything unless you don't have diffusers and you're subject to lens distance matches your subject to flash distance.

Although there is no 'best setup', as it all depends of the shooting scenario and adjustments will be needed from time to time - but is there a 'go to' setup that I could use? At the moment, I don't feel confident to go full manual with the flash, hence I opted to leave it to TTL

I assume you have some sort of brackets for the flashes that hold 2 or 3 flashes to the camera. If so, shoot a few shots on manual with a subject you like, read the histograms, and adjust the flashes until you get a satisfactory exposure.

Now write those flash settings down.

Boom! Done!

For starters, am I approaching this right, by setting the flash zoom to 80mm? There also seems to be an 'auto-zoom' function on the TT350s, but I was hesitant to have it decide on the zoom,

It doesn't "decide", it tracks the lens setting. Zoom in or out and you'll hear all the flashes zoom to match.

hence preferred the manual option of 80mm..

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 Joseph S Wisniewski's gear list:Joseph S Wisniewski's gear list
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